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CUR 260: The Natural World
Fall 2014
Course URL: www.gac.edu/~mkoomen/cur260/fallsyllabus260.html

Instructor:      Michele Hollingsworth Koomen, Ph.D

Office Location:      Education Department, Mattson Hall 121
Phone: Office: 507.933.6057
Mobile: 612.669.2319
E mail: mkoomen@gac.edu
Web site: http://www.gac.edu/~mkoomen/

This syllabus is electronically interactive. As such it will be updated over the course of the semester (look for current updates at the bottom of the page).

Think about this syllabus as a contract; you are responsible for the information in it, even if I never bring it up in class.

Reread it regularly over the course of the semester.

 

Office Hours:  Thursday from 6 to 6:45 and by appointment. I encourage you to come and talk with me at any time during the above hours about the course content and your learning, for assistance preparing assignments or making sense out of any readings.

Access to Education:
Every student has a right to learn and to participate in this class. I recognize that we all learn differently. If you have learning challenges, please see me about how we can work together to support your learning needs. Bring any documentation and suggestions about how I may assist you. We will work together to make this a great learning experience for you.

Required texts/materials

Note: There will be additional readings provided by the instructor on either her class schedule, Moodle or sent to you through e-mail.

Focus, Goals and Purpose of CUR-260

You will find that this is not your typical science course. The focus of this course is on learning and doing science situated within our regional natural history and the historical wherever appropriate.

The purpose of this course is to focus on the evidence, theories, methods and practice of science within the context of the natural world. Since this course will feature a broad overview of science, it will include fundamental and integrated concepts of life, earth and physical sciences. This course will illustrate a Natural Science Perspective (NASP) by introducing the student to the mechanics of natural and life processes, and the quantitative basis for understanding these processes. The focus of science will include several big ideas and systems, including the science content of a recent Nobel conferences (2010), history and nature of science, ecological systems (including Minnesota Biomes) and interactions of species, global climate change, and the application of science within food and nutrition. Together we will build an understanding of how we come to know what we know in science. In CUR 260 we will place emphasis on the strengths and limitations of the methods employed, the philosophical assumptions, the boundaries and connections with other disciplines, and relationships to social, ethical, political problems. We will build an understanding of how science shapes culture and society, public policy and ethics and intersects with equity and social justice. The course will embed discussion, group interactions, laboratory and field study components in most sessions.

Natural Science Perspective (NASP)

Liberal Arts Perspective courses in Natural Science introduce the student to the mechanisms of natural and life processes, and the quantitative basis for understanding these processes. As such, they focus on the evidence, theories, and methods of the natural sciences and place them in a historical context. They also place some emphasis on the strengths and limitations of the methods employed, the philosophical assumptions, the boundaries and connections with other disciplines, and relationships to social, ethical, and political problems.

Student Learning Outcomes for NASP

1. Students will demonstrate factual knowledge about some aspect of the natural world.

2. Students will describe the ways by which scientists organize knowledge into fundamental principles  or theories that explain facts and make predictions  about the natural world.

3. Students will employ scientific concepts, principles, and methodologies to solve problems or generate explanations about the natural world.

4. Students will describe the historical and/or cultural context and analyze the philosophical implications of one or more important scientific concepts.

5. Students will engage critically with the ethical and social impacts of science and technology

In CUR 260 we will take up several of the Three Crowns Curriculum Integrating Questions including:

1. What are different ways of knowing?

2. What does it mean to be human?

3. What constitutes moral and ethical behavior?

4. How do individuals construct local and global community?

5. What makes for a good life?

In addition, this class will facilitate several of the Three Crowns Curriculum Student Learning Outcomes:

1.  Academic Skills and Abilities: Students will master academic skills and exhibit certain essential abilities, such as critical thinking, analytical argumentation, written and oral communication, and creative expression.

2.  Knowledge of Intellectual History: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the artistic, literary, religious, philosophical, and scientific roots that underlie our modern society and develop an understanding of the evolution of ideas across time.

3.  Interdisciplinarity and Integration of Knowledge: Students will demonstrate their comprehension of the connections between fields of knowledge.  Students will apply the seven integrating questions in Three Crowns courses and other relevant learning opportunities.

4.  Ethical Reflection and Moral Development: Students will reflect upon ethical theories, demonstrate their capacity to engage in moral argumentation, consider the practical implications of moral choices, and apply ethical principles to their lives.

5.   Relationship between Individual and Community: Students will explore their relationships with the various local and global communities of which they are a part.  Informed by their education and experiences in the Three Crowns Curriculum, students will solidify their individual worldviews as they identify ways in which they might better serve their communities.

6.  Intentional Building of Community: Students will form personal and intellectual relationships with Three Crowns faculty and students through shared experiences, both within the curriculum cohort and during out-of-class Three Crowns Curriculum community building activities.

Course Policy, Requirements and Evaluation

CUR 260: Course Policy
E-mail:
I will be using electronic mail to send you assignments, feedback, and other important documents, thus my expectation is that you check your Gustavus e-mail daily. Knowledge and application of sending, receiving, and attaching documents to e-mail is assumed for all students in this course. All students will be required to format e-mail using subject specific criteria that will be defined for each assignment. In addition, I generally respond to email within 24 hours, however, I read and respond to email from 6-7am and 5-6PM.

Attendance
Attendance is expected and anticipated from each student for every class. This course is highly participatory including book discussions, small research projects and exercises. Consistent attendance is one of the expectations for class membership. When you are absent you miss the participatory nature that is at the heart of this class and we, of course, miss participation from YOU!

Everyone will be allowed to be absent, for whatever reason, 2 times during the semester. As a courtesy to all, please notify the professor of your absence prior to the class. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with another member of the class to keep up-to-date on assignments. Excess absences or tardiness, determined by the professor, will result in grade deductions.

Honesty Policy
This course will abide by the Gustavus Adolphus Honor Code. The instructor is bound to abide by the College's Honesty Policy and therefore must report all incidents of academic dishonesty to the dean's office. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Please review this web site for an overview of plagiarism. All students will be required to abide by the policy and wrote the following honor code on every examination or graded assignment:

"On my honor, I pledge that I have not given, received, nor tolerated others' use of unauthorized aid in completing this work."

 

Note about electronic grading:
The majority of your assignments will be turned in electronically through e-mail. It is your responsibility to keep complete copies of all electronic assignments until your final grade is posted at the end of the semester.

Grades of Incomplete: A grade of incomplete will be given only for work not completed due to circumstances beyond the control of the student.

Participation: An important component of this class is group discussion. Thoughtful participation with evidence of preparation (reading and research) in our class conversations is expected. There are a variety of ways that one can participate in class discussions: including asking questions, contributing information or insight, summarizing the discussion, playing "devil's advocate", brainstorming and being a group discussion leader.

CUR 260 Course Requirements

The emphasis of this course is on the understanding and learning of fundamental concepts of the natural world and how we come to know and process science. You will be doing science throughout the semester. Expectations are high for all students in terms of the quality, integrity and consistency in completion of assignments, preparation and participation. The evaluation for a grade will de-emphasize the rote learning of science facts and terminology. Your grade will be a reflection of your efforts to understand, process, and investigate the science content. All assignments and written reflections are expected to be thoughtful, purposeful, and developed with integrity that is required in science.

Assignments and Quizzes

Quizzes (15 points or 15 % ): There will be 4 short quizzes on birds, flowers, trees, cell biology, monarch and insect biology, MN Biomes, global climate change & ecology: September 25, October 9, October 23, December 4. Each quiz is worth 3.75 points.


Science notebook (20 points or 20% )

A science journal is a place to focus your attention in nature and natural events that you encounter in daily life. Science can be thought of as a way of knowing our natural world. Therefore your science journal will include a number of sections related to different components of the class. Please divide your notebook into the following sections:

 

 

 

Experimental Design (20 points or 20 %): In this experimental design assignment, you, along with 1 or 2 classmates, will focus on resolving a research question that is of interest to all of you using survey experimental methods. Think of each of the four short research projects that we did as possible areas for further research (birds, one organism, health/nutrition and invertebrate sampling), meaning you collect data over a number of days/times rather than one day of collection. Surveys with follow the experimental design process of observation, coming up with a question, developing hypotheses, identifying the dependent and the independent variables, designing an experiment, data collection and interpretation and presentation of results. Raw data will be displayed in a bar, histogram or pie graph using Excel with identification of the descriptive statistics including mean, medium and mode. Because this is survey research, data analysis will use the Chi-square test (categorical data) to analyze the significance of the results. You will also conduct a research literature review using articles that we read in class or information you gleaned from the internet to determine what is known about your area of research and how your data and results fit with the work done before you. Most of this project will be done outside of class. Include e-mail addresses and honor code on all documents. You will share your results on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 in class.  

 

Research and Literature Synthesis Paper: (25 points or 25%) due, in lieu of a final examination on Wednesday, December 17, 2014 from 1-3pm. You will present the substantive content of your synthesis paper on the finals day.

As a class we read books including, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, What to Eat? by Marion Nestle, Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver. The paper that you will write for this assignment will be a critical synthesis of the information and dilemmas of the books, ethical and social impacts of science and technology, and your own thinking and reflections about at least two of the books (and maybe some of the research articles). This paper will also tie the books together with the development of at least one pertinent and urgent science topic (for example: childhood obesity). In the process you, as a student, will engage critically with the ethical and social impacts of science and technology. This is a very “open” writing assignment. Open, does not mean that it is not well thought-out, nor does it mean that themes are not developed. On the contrary, your paper should have an overall theme(s) that is presented in a manner that threads your thinking about these books together within the context of a scientific topic. You will be evaluated on the substance of what you say and the persuasiveness and clarity of your arguments.

 

 

Partnered short presentations: NOS with Henrietta Lacks and Ancient, Indigenous and Cultural Symbolism in Science (10 points total or points each). For this presentation, you will work with a partner to embed the tenets of the History and Nature of Science into the H. Lacks book (September 30). Secondly, you will work with a different partner to research a symbolic cultural and historical science symbol (December 4).

Participation, Preparation and Engagement (Self and instructor rated) (10 points or 10%)

How are these points earned?
Through your consistent and punctual attendance, your consistent preparation of readings in class, your engagement, interest, and curiosity in the science content, and your participation and contribution to discussion and classroom conversations. This means that you appear interested and engaged in the science course content. Your cell phone is put away, and off, and you refrain from texting during class time. Your laptop is used for classroom learning purposes only. Your attention is focused on the class (side conversations or other disruptions are not part of your class interactions). Your participation in small and large group contributes to the learning of all (about science).

 

CUR 260 Course Evaluation

Total points for class: 100 points.

A = 94 -100 total points
A- = 90-93.99 points
B+= 87.5-89.99 points
B= 84-87.49 points
B- = 80-83.90 points
C = work less than 79.9 total points

Syllabus updated: August 28, 2014