"It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

Old Chinese Proverb

ASTR 1540 - Science, Science Fiction, and Pseudoscience

SYLLABUS - SPRING 2007

Professor Information –

Name:   JP Caillault

Office:   237 Physics

Office Hours:  TuTh 2:00-3:00 PM until Feb. 28; then TBD

Phone:   542-2883

E-Mail:   jpc@physast.uga.edu

Course Information –

Class Day/Time/Location: TuTh 11:00 AM-12:15 PM, Room 327 Physics

Required Books:           What Science Is and How It Works, by Gregory N. Derry

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

1984, by George Orwell

I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov

Attendance:  Maximum of two unexcused absences permitted.  Three points

deducted from course grade for each absence beyond two.

Homework:  Summaries of readings/movies (~250 words).  Due at the beginning

of each class.  These will be used as the starting points for our in-class

discussions. 

Exams:  Two take-home exams will be given, one midterm and one final.

Grades:  The final course grade will be calculated as follows:

                                    ∑ Exams = 40% (15% midterm, 25% final)

                                    ∑ Homework = 40%

                                    ∑ In-Class Participation = 20%

93 ≤ A

90 ≤  A– < 93

87 ≤  B+ < 90

83 ≤  B   < 87

80 ≤  B– < 83

77 ≤  C+ < 80

73 ≤  C   < 77

70 ≤  C– < 73

60 ≤  D   < 70

F < 60

Tentative Class Schedule:

Class #             Date                 Assignment                                                                                               

1                      Jan. 9               Introduction

2                      Jan. 11             Derry (Chapter 6: Models and Modeling)

3                      Jan. 16             Derry (Ch. 7/8: Critical Thinking/Quantitative Reasoning)

4                      Jan. 18             What the Bleep Do We Know?

5                      Jan. 23             Derry (Ch. 9/12: Science & Religion; Pseudoscience)

6                      Jan. 25             ID: Intelligent Design (Readings TBA)

7                      Jan. 30             Contact

8                      Feb. 1              Contact

9                      Feb. 6              Discussion of Contact and SETI: (Readings TBA)

10                    Feb. 8              SDI: (Readings TBA)

11                    Feb. 13            The Day the Earth Stood Still

12                    Feb. 15            The Day the Earth Stood Still & Discussion

MIDTERM    Feb. 15            Take-home MIDTERM handed out; due Feb. 22.

13                    Feb. 20            Derry (Ch. 10/11: Science, Society, & Ethics)

14                    Feb. 22            Derry (Ch. 13: Pathological Science)

15                    Feb. 27            Derry (Ch. 14/15: Philosophy of Science)

16                    Mar. 1             IQ: Intelligence Quotient (Readings TBA)

17                    Mar. 6             Jurassic Park

18                    Mar. 8              Jurassic Park & Discussion

19                    Mar. 20            Brave New World (up to page 139)

20                    Mar. 22            Brave New World

21                    Mar. 27            Minority Report

22                    Mar. 29            Minority Report

23                    Apr. 3             Discussion of Minority Report & 1984 (up to page 147)

24                    Apr. 5             1984

25                    Apr. 10            Soylent Green

26                    Apr. 12            Soylent Green & Discussion

27                    Apr. 17            I, Robot (up to page 173)

28                    Apr. 19            I, Robot

29                    Apr. 24            Blade Runner

30                    Apr. 26            Blade Runner  & Discussion

FINAL            Apr. 26            Take-home FINAL handed out; due May 8.