HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
PHYSICAL SCIENCES UNIT - NATURAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT
PIL 100
SEC
CREDITS:
PRE-REQUISITE:
CO-REQUISITE:
TEXTBOOK:
LECTURE:
SCIENCE FORWARD
3 credit required core: LIFE AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES
3 credits, 3-h lecture
If taught in English, ENG 91 or ESL 91. If taught in Spanish, SPA 121.
MAT 10.
If taught in English, ENG 91 or ESL 91. IF taught in Spanish, SPA 121.
MAT 10.
Materials provided by instructor. Some books on reserve at library.
DAY
T & TH
TIME
11:00AM-12:15PM
ROOM
C-361
PROFESSOR: Dr. Kelly L. O’Donnell
EMAIL: kelly.odonnell@mhc.cuny.edu
TELEPHONE: 718-518-4129
OFFICE HOURS: Will be held in room A-507J (through the department office) before and after class
on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:50am-10:50am and 12:30pm-1:30pm.
COURSE WEBSITE: Our website will be hosted on the Blackboard course management system. You
will get the web address and login information in class.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Science Forward is a skills-based course that will focus on scientific thinking in the context of different
fields of scientific inquiry. The goal of this course is to have students develop their Science Sense.
Science Sense is…
- being able to distinguish science from non-science.
- the ability to recognize how people collect and process facts into knowledge.
- the ability to recognize how a collection of facts becomes knowledge
- being able to question and evaluate information that is presented as scientific
- being an informed consumer, evaluator, and practitioner of science
We will focus on the specific skills that allow one to have good Science Sense. These skills fall into
broad categories: Number Sense (NS), Data Sense (DS), and Knowledge Sense (KS). Some examples
are: Making Estimates (NS), Interpreting Graphs (DS), Analyzing Data (DS), Asking Scientific
Questions (KS), Designing Experiments (KS), Making Evidence-based Arguments (KS), and many
more!
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Students will hone their Science Sense during this course, specifically:
o Students will acquire a proper sense of scale and be able to make order of magnitude
estimates with reasonable assumptions.
o Students will understand and get experience with measurement and data collection through
activities in the field and be able to create and communicate their results using graphs and
basic statistics.
o Students will become familiar with proper experimental design and the practice of
scientific inquiry.
o Students will understand that science makes progress and changes through time based upon
newly available evidence.
- Students will practice their critical thinking skills and employ reasonable skepticism.
- Students will learn how to communicate science to different audiences through two group projects.
- Students will leave this course with an appreciation for the similar set of skills employed by
scientists in seemingly disparate fields of scientific inquiry.
COURSE STRUCTURE:
Science Forward consists of three units built on the idea of grand challenges of sustainability at
different levels of scale. These topics will serve as the context in which we will hone our Science
Sense. This course requires students to read/watch the required science content outside of the
classroom and to be prepared to use that content during discussions and activities inside the classroom.
It is very important to complete the required videos and readings before coming to class and think
about the parts you find most fascinating or most difficult. If you are prepared for class in this way,
then we can use class time to address the most difficult aspects of the material and work together to
apply the knowledge you have gained.
COURSE TEXTS:
There is no required textbook to be purchased for this course. Most required readings and videos are
publicly available online. However, there are a few times when students will be required to check out a
book on reserve at the Hostos Library. It is up to you if you would like to read it there or make copies.
For your convenience, see the table below for an idea of when you will need to go to the library for one
or more of the four books on reserve. BE ADVISED: These are NOT your only readings; they are just
the ones you will need to access through the library reserves! A full list of readings follows at the end
of this syllabus.
Access Library Reserve BEFORE
February 6f
March 4
March 11
March 25
April 3
April 29
May 1
May 6
Book(s) on Reserve
1) Beisner, Messier, and Giraldeau. 2013. Nature All Around Us: A Guide to Urban Ecology.
2) Simon, Reece, and Dickey. 2012. Campbell Essential Biology with Physiology, 4 th ed.
Park R. 2000. Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud.
Hill, McCreary, and Kolb. 2010. Chemistry for Changing Times. 13 th ed.
Hill, McCreary, and Kolb. 2010. Chemistry for Changing Times. 13 th ed.
Simon, Reece, and Dickey. 2012. Campbell Essential Biology with Physiology, 4 th ed.
Hill, McCreary, and Kolb. 2010. Chemistry for Changing Times. 13 th ed.
Park R. 2000. Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud.
Simon, Reece, and Dickey. 2012. Campbell Essential Biology with Physiology, 4 th ed.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING:
Assignments for Science Forward include both individual and group work. You are expected to
complete all assignments on time. The Video and Research Projects are group projects. They will be
large assignments that will be divided into smaller tasks due over the course of the semester. The grade
breakdown is as follows:
Research Project – 30%
Participation – 30%
Small Writing Assignments – 10%
Video Project – 20%
News Essay – 10%
Grading details for individual assignments will be provided to you in a separate document. Your final
grade in this course will be a letter grade, although individual assignments will usually be graded on a
number scale. For your final grade, generally speaking, an A or A- is earned for excellent work, a B+
or B is earned for good work, a B- or C is earned for fair work, a D is earned for poor work, and an F is
for failure.
ATTENDANCE:
Attendance is mandatory at all class meetings and you should arrive on time. Attendance and lateness
will be recorded in every class meeting. In the event of a student having excessive absences, that
student will receive a failing grade in this course. Excessive absence is defined by the College as
missing 15% or more of total class hours; for our class, this is 5 hours (4 classes). Absences can be
excused for religious observances if notification is sent at least a week ahead of time. If you are sick
and cannot come to class, you need to have a note from the Health Services Office or your doctor in
order for it to be excused. Please see this website for the College’s full policy:
http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/oor/academic/attendance.html
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
You are expected to follow both CUNY guidelines regarding academic integrity and the guidelines put
forth by Hostos Community College. Academic dishonesty is prohibited by CUNY and penalties
include failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. Dishonesty includes plagiarizing another person’s
ideas or writings you find on the internet, obtaining an unfair advantage over another student, and
falsifying records or official documents. For the full policy, visit:
http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/sdem/student_life_aip.html
GETTING HELP:
Please do not hesitate to come to my office hours (listed on the first page) if you are having any
difficulty at all with the course material. I am also very happy to answer any of your questions via
email. We will have a section on our Blackboard course page to post questions as well. There is also a
Writing Center on campus if you would like to have some help with any of the writing assignments
you will do outside of class. Their website is: http://hostoswc.wordpress.com.
COURSE READING LIST:
Here are the readings for the whole semester organized by unit. These are subject to change and some
readings are still to be determined (TBD). You will be given at least one week’s notice if there are any
changes. Links to videos and pdfs will be available on Blackboard. Four texts have been placed on
reserve and it is your responsibility to access them at the Hostos Library before class (see above
section on Course Texts). Readings designated as ONLINE can be found on our Blackboard course
website. Readings designated as RESERVE will be from the books on reserve at the library.
UNIT 1: CHALLENGES OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Date
1/30
2/4
Science Sense
KS: Nature of Science
KS: Practice of Science
Topic
What is Science?
What is Science?
2/6
KS: Asking Questions
Urban
Biodiversity
Required Videos and Readings
No required videos or readings
Reading
1) ONLINE – “What is Science?”
Understanding Science. 2014. University
of California Museum of Paleontology.
Video
2) Robert Krampf - What is science?
Available at: http://thehappyscientist.
com/science-video/what-science
3) CA Academy of Sciences – How
Science Works. Available at: www.
youtube.com/watch?v=Jj9iNphbY88
4) SciShow – The Times and Troubles of
the Scientific Method. Available at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8wi0QnY
N6s
Video
1) Khan Academy – Biodiversity and
ecosystem function. Available at:
http://www.khanacademy.org/partnercontent/CAS-biodiversity/why-isbiodiversity-important-ca/biodiversityand-ecosystem-funct/v/biodiversityecosystems-and-ecological-networks
Reading
2) RESERVE - Chapters 18 and 21 from
Beisner, Messier, and Giraldeau. 2013.
Nature All Around Us: A Guide to
Urban Ecology. (10 pages total)
3) RESERVE – Chapter 18: Introduction to
Ecology and the Biosphere from Simon,
Reece, and Dickey. 2012. Campbell
Essential Biology with Physiology, 4th
ed. SKIP pages 380-390.
Unit 1: continued
Date Science Sense
2/11 KS: Designing
Experiments,
Communicating Science
Topic
Urban
Biodiversity
2/13
KS: Scientific Questions
Urban
Biodiversity
Conservation
2/18
KS: Applied Science and
Ethics; NS: Making
Estimates
2/20
2/25
MONDAY SCHEDULE
DS: Making
Measurements, Collecting
Data
NO CLASS
Field Trip
2/27
KS: Modeling; NS: Using
different scales
Carbon Cycle
3/4
KS: Applied Science; NS:
Making Estimates
Climate Change
Required Videos and Readings
Reading
1) ONLINE - Purdue Library – Tutorial:
Scientific Paper. Available at:
http://www.lib.purdue.edu/help/tutorials/
scientific-paper
None
Reading
1) ONLINE - Kareiva P and M Marvier.
2007. Conservation for the people.
Scientific American. Pgs. 50-57.
Video
2) Sukhdev TED Talk: What is the price of
nature? Available at:
http://www.ted.com/talks/pavan_sukhde
v_what_s_the_price_of_nature.html
Video
TBD – see web post of course readings
Video
1) Education Portal Video: The Carbon
Cycle and Long-Term Carbon Storage.
Available at: http://educationportal.com/academy/lesson/the-carboncycle-greenhouse-gases-and-globalwarming.html
Reading
2) ONLINE - NASA Earth Observatory –
The Carbon Cycle. Available at:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Feature
s/CarbonCycle/carbon_cycle2001.pdf
Reading
1) ONLINE - Socolow and Pacala. 2006. A
plan to keep carbon in check. Scientific
American. Pages 50-57.
ONLINE - EPA – Climate Impacts on Society.
Available at:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impactsadaptation/society.html
Unit 1: continued
Date Science Sense
3/6
DS: Analyzing Data,
Interpreting Graphs
Topic
Climate Change
Required Videos and Readings
Reading
1) ONLINE - Hansen J. 2004. Defusing the
global warming time bomb. Scientific
American. Pages 69-77.
2) RESERVE - Chapter 2: The Belief
Gene: In which science offers a strategy
for sorting out the truth from Park R.
2000. Voodoo Science: The Road from
Foolishness to Fraud.
UNIT 2: CHALLENGES OF SOCIETAL SUSTAINABILITY
Date
3/11
Science Sense
NS: Using Different
Scales, Making Estimates
Topic
Water
Required Videos and Readings
Reading
1) RESERVE - Chapter 14: Water from
Hill, McCreary, and Kolb. 2010.
Chemistry for Changing Times. 13h ed.
3/13
NS: Making Estimates
Water
Video
1) Science360 – Sustainability: Water –
The Water Cycle. Available at:
http://science360.gov/obj/video/e540c49
0-739f-47d4-b03ef52e04918fcb/
sustainability-water-water-cycle
Unit 2: continued
Date Science Sense
3/18 NS: Making Estimates
Topic
Water
Required Videos and Readings
Video
1) Science360 – Sustainability: Water –
Los Angeles & Water Imports. Available
at:
http://science360.gov/obj/video/3460a5b
7-c231-442b-b82837bd521eb31e/sustainability-water-losangeles-water-imports
2) Science360 – Sustainability: Water –
Baltimore’s Urban Streams. Available
at:
http://science360.gov/obj/video/6eeebc7
5-69bd-43a8-91c8da54be22b566/sustainability-waterbaltimores-urban-streams
DS: Collecting Data,
Interpreting Graphs
DS: Statistics; KS:
Making Evidence-based
Arguments
Harlem River
Water Sampling
Agriculture
TBD
3/27
DS: Statistics; KS:
Making Evidence-based
Arguments
Agriculture
4/1
KS: Communicating
Science
Science &
Society
3/20
3/25
Reading
1) RESERVE - Chapter 20: Chemistry
Down on the Farm from Hill, McCreary,
and Kolb. 2010. Chemistry for Changing
Times. 13th edition.
Video
2) Jonathan Foley TED talk: The other
inconvenient truth. Available at:
http://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_foley
_the_other_inconvenient_truth.html
Video
1) AMNH - Future of Food Available at:
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/pastexhibitions/our-global-kitchen-foodnature-culture/future-of-food
Reading
2) ONLINE - Freedman, DH. 2013. Are
engineered foods evil? Scientific
American. Pgs. 80-85
TBD
UNIT 3: CHALLENGES OF INDIVIDUAL SUSTAINABILITY
Date
4/3
Science Sense
KS: Applied and Ethics
Topic
Genetics
4/8
KS: Applied and Ethics
Genetics
4/10
KS: Communicating
Science
Video Screening
Required Videos and Readings
Reading
1) RESERVE - Chapter 10: The Structure
and Function of DNA. from Simon,
Reece, and Dickey. 2010. Campbell
Essential Biology with Physiology, 4th
edition.
Video
1) Patenting Person Parts, SciShow. 2013.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUpg
fARGmXs
Reading
2) ONLINE - Maxmen. 2013. Free of gene
patents, personalized medicine enters
new era. Source: NOVA Next. Available
at: www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/
body/gene-patents-and-personalizedmedicine/
3) ONLINE - Marshall and Price. 2013. US
Supreme Court strikes down gene
patents. Source: news.sciencemag.org.
No required videos or readings
4/15
4/17
4/22
SPRING RECESS
NO CLASS
No required videos or readings
4/24
KS: Applied Science,
Designing Experiments
Black Rock
Forest Field Trip
TBD
4/29
KS: Designing
Experiments, Using
Models
Medicine and
Pseudoscience
Reading
1) RESERVE - Sections 16.4 – 16.7 and
18.1 from Hill and Kolb. 2010.
Chemistry for Changing Times. 13th ed.
Video
1) Francis Collins TED Talk: “We need
better drugs – now” Available at:
http://www.ted.com/talks/francis_collins
_we_need_better_drugs_now.html
2) A clip from Here Be Dragons (2008) by
Michael Dunning. Watch from 24:35 –
26:58. Available at: http://
herebedragonsmovie.com
Date
5/1
Science Sense
KS: Pseudoscience;
Making Evidence-based
Arguments; NS: Using
Different Scales
Topic
Medicine and
Pseudoscience
Required Videos and Readings
Video
1) SciShow – Placebos & Nocebos: How
Your Brain Heals and Hurts You.
Available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtPe5
lsoHXY
2) A clip from the short, Here Be Dragons
(2008) by Michael Dunning. Find the
video here
http://herebedragonsmovie.com and
watch from timestamp 26:59 – 29:21
Reading
3) RESERVE - Chapter 3: Placeboes have
Side Effects: In which people turn to
“Natural Medicine” from Park R. 2000.
Voodoo Science: The Road from
Foolishness to Fraud.
5/6
DS: Proxies, Collecting
Data, Statistics
Neurobiology
Reading
1) RESERVE - Chapter 27 from Simon,
Reece, and Dickey. 2010. Campbell
Essential Biology with Physiology, 4th
edition.
5/8
DS: Proxies, Collecting
Data, Statistics
Neurobiology
Video
1) Mind Mappers: Mapping the Brain to
Understand the Mind, Science360.
Available at:
http://science360.gov/obj/video/91c5b32
a-e68b-468b-93bc-25a8067a4167/mindmappers-mapping-brain-understandmind
2) The Need for Cognitive Privacy – World
Science Festival. Available at:
http://worldsciencefestival.com/videos/t
he_need_for_cognitive_privacy
5/20
FINAL PROJECT
PRESENTATIONS
11am
1pm
No required videos or readings