Natural Science 1300: Emergence of Modern Science
Spring 2009
CRN: 20920 and 20921
CREDIT: 3-2-2
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Brad Hoge
EMAIL: hogeb@uhd.edu
PHONE: (713) 221-8289
WEB PAGE: http://www.uhd.edu/~hogeb
TIME/LOCATION:
Lecture: Tu/Th 8:00-8:45; A405
Lab/Discussion: Tu or Th 9:00-10:45; S806
OFFICE: N725
OFFICE HRS: MW 8:30-12:30
Before and after class & by appointment
Welcome to Natural Sciences 1300!
(A Science Course for Non-science Majors)
COURSE OBJECTIVES: This course will focus on the (1) emergence and practice of the modern scientific method; (2)
major scientific discoveries and their role in the development of modern science and society; (3) and the interaction of
modern science and society. This course will illustrate how scientists observe, develop questions, and interpret the natural
world in an integrated manner across all disciplines of science. Students will also explore how science influences the
world-view of Western culture and the role of politics, ethics, and technology in the development of science. I will be
incorporating these three objectives in the material of each week and at the end we will try to distill everything covered
into a handful of major concepts within these three objectives.
TEXTS (recommended):
Trefil, J. and R. Hazen. The Sciences: An Integrated Approach, 4th edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
LATE POLICY: When something is due you must turn it in at the beginning of class (9AM for lecture, 10AM for lab)
or it is late. My late policy is you lose 5% if you turn something in the day it is due, but after the start of class. You then
lose 10% for each day it is late, including weekends. This is points off even before I start grading.
LECTURE BEHAVIOR: If you have questions during class please feel free to ask them. My hope that most of the time
class will feel like a discussion. Please do not eat in class. If you are exhibiting rude or immature behavior I reserve the
right to ask you to leave the class.
WITHDRAWAL: Oct. 30th is the last day for official withdrawals (Grade = W)
UHD adheres to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing
reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Students should register with Disabled Student Services
(713-221-8430) and contact the instructor in a timely manner to arrange for appropriate accommodations.
HOW CAN YOU DO WELL IN THIS CLASS?
COME TO ALL LECTURES. I will assume that you will read the book and it is important that you do so. We will also
talk in more detail about some of the scientists and history that are mentioned only briefly in the text. There will also
occasionally be readings outside the text. If you don’t read before you come to class it will be hard to participate in our
conversation. You are required to arrive to class on time. Important announcements are at the beginning of class!
PARTICIPATE IN CLASS. If you have questions you need to ask them. I plan to have discussion in class not simply
lecture. If I give you a homework problem to think about at home, be prepared to say something intelligent about it the
next day in class. Participation is worth a percentage of your total score at the end.
DO NOT CHEAT. Forming study groups is great for studying, but all tests are to be done solo. Plagiarism of any
materials on any assignment will result in an instant 0. Some cases of plagiarism can result in an F in the course. The
University Academic Honesty Code will be adhered to strictly. This code is described in the student handbook.
HONESTY: The University Academic Honesty Code will be adhered to strictly. This code is described in the
student handbook, which can be accessed online.
UNDERSTAND THE GRADING POLICIES. Exams: (400 points). There will be 4 (100 point) exams and a
comprehensive (200 point) final exam. You must take the final. The four regular exams will be take home exams, but the
final will be taken in class.
Participation/Discussion: (200 points). Participation includes 1) adding your thoughts to HUNBoard (including
starting new threads and commenting on others - 100 pts; and 2) adding to the class and lab discussions from time to time
– 100 pts (you must participate in all four lab discussions in order to earn the full 100 points, monopolizing the discussion
will not get you extra points).
Lab Projects: (200 points). Projects completed in lab will be collected from groups. Labs will not be graded, but you
must participate in 5 out of 6 lab projects to earn the full 200 points. You will lose 20 points for each additional missed
lab.
Grades are determined by % of total points: A = 90-100%, B = 80-89%, C = 70-79%, D =60-69%, F = <60% (but
let’s hope we don’t need to go here!)
Tentative Schedule:
Date
Week of
Jan. 20
Jan. 22
Jan. 27
Jan. 29
Feb. 3
Feb. 5
Feb. 10
Topics for the Week
Reading
Lab/Discussion Topic
Why Study Science?
What is science
Scientific method
Theories of explanation: Standing on the shoulders of giants
Discussion:
Science in the news – where science, society, and politics meet
What is science and what is not:
Science and technology
Pseudoscience
The Emergence of Modern Physics Part I – Classical Physics and
Relativity
The Ordered Universe
Birth of modern astronomy & mechanics (Galileo)
Laws of motion (Newton)
Classical vs. modern physics
Energy
Forms of energy & conservation of energy
E = mc2
Heat vs. temperature vs. efficiency
Temperature regulation and insulation
Waves & Electromagnetic Radiation
Nature of waves
Sound and vision (Light)
Radios, microwaves, X-rays and nutrinos
Wave-particle duality
Electricity and Magnetism
Benjamin Franklin & Coulomb’s Law
Faraday and Maxwell
Ch. 1
TED.com: Sir Martin Rees –
Earth in its final century
Relativity
Special relativity
General relativity
Ch. 7
Hypothesis testing: M&M
Statistics
Ch. 2
TED.com: Steven Hawking –
Big questions about the universe
Ch. 3, 4
Testing the ideas of Newton, an
engineering approach: Rube
Goldberg Machines
Ch. 6
Town Hall Discussion:
Green economics
TED.com: Alex Steffen –
Inspired ideas for a sustainable
future
Saul Griffith: Energy Literacy
(Gameplan v1.0)
EXAM #1
Feb. 12
Feb. 17
Feb. 19
Feb. 24
Feb. 26
March 3
March 5
March 10
March 12
March
16 - 21
March 24
March 26
The Emergence of Modern Physics Part II – Quantum
Mechanics
The Atom
The Greek atom & the Bohr atom
Mass, energy and isotopes
Becquerel, Curie & radioactivity
Nuclear fission/fusion
Nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons
The Chemical Bond
Matter, Bonds & Chemical Reactions
Solutions, Polymers & Plastics
The Ocean & Human Blood
Quantum Mechanics
Heisenberg uncertainty principle
Schrodinger’s cat and puppies
Photoelectric effect and CAT scans
Spooky action at a distance: “I cannot believe that God
plays dice with the Universe.” – Albert Einstein
The Emergence of Modern Cosmology – The Big Bang, Inflation
and M Theory
Ultimate Structure of Matter
Quantum world is very small
The elementary particle zoo
Big science, small science and particle accelerators
Understanding Lasers
Cosmology
Galaxies and Hubble
The Big Bang
Inflationary Theory
String Theory
M-Theory
Stars, Planets and the Solar System
Our address in the Universe: anthropic cosmological principle
Hawking and black holes
The Generation of elements
Gas giants, terrestrial planets and dwarf planets
Comets, meteors and asteroids
The Emergence of Modern Geology – Plate Tectonics
Plate Tectonics and Physical Geology
Wegener & A Unifying View of the Earth
Volcanoes, Earthquakes & Geology of N.A.
Lord Kelvin & Earth’s Age
Oceanography
Geologic, Chemical, Physical and Biological Oceanography
Geologic Time
Eons, Eras, Periods and Epochs
Extinction events
Glaciation and Milankovitch cycles
SPRING BREAK
Cycles of the Earth
The hydrologic cycle
Atmospheric cycles: weather and climate
El Nino, beach erosion and hurricanes
Cycles of the Earth
The Rock Cycle
The structure of the earth & how do we know?
Earth’s interior: volcanoes and earthquakes
Ch. 8, 12
Ch. 10, 11
Ch. 9
Chemistry of polymers:
Making Oobleck & Gak
TED.com: Brian Cox – An
inside tour of the world’s biggest
supercollider
Materials Science
Ch. 13
Think Tank Discussion:
Future Shock
Ch. 15
TED.com: Ray Kurzweil – How
technology’s accelerating power
will transform us
Ch. 14,16
EXAM #2
Ch. 17
Ch. 18
Hop Scotch through Geologic
Time
Ch. 17, 18
Ch. 18
Rock Walk through Downtown
Houston (Handout)
Including a Stroll Along Buffalo
Bayou: Houston’s Urban
Ecology
March 31
April 2
April 7
April 9
April 14
April 16
April 21
April 23
April 28
April 30
Evolution
Darwin and Fact of Evolution
Natural Selection at Work
The New Synthesis
The Human Genome Project
Evidence of Human Evolution
Phylogeny
Phylogenetics
Gould and Rate of Evolution
Young-Earth Creationism and Intelligent Design Theory
Evolution & Second Law of Thermodynamics
The Modern Synthesis of Evolution – The Unifying Theory of
Biology
Ecology, Ecosystems and the Environment
Muir, Carson, Leopold &Environmental Philosophy
Urban Sprawl, Landfills & Soil Conservation
Impacts on Texas Gulf Coast Ecosystem
Discussion: Ozone Hole vs. Greenhouse Effect
Strategies of Life
What is life? What is Linnean Classification?
Viruses, Viroids and Prions
Pasteur & Fleming: Microbes & Antibiotics
Discussion: Antibiotic Resistance, Mad Cow
Tree of Life
Bacteria, Protozoa & Fungi
Plants
Animals
Cells and Physiology
Leeuwenhoek’s Cells & Shift in How We View Life
Parts of Cells and How Cells Get Energy
Cell Division & Cancer
Science Funding, Basic & Applied Research
A Cure for Cancer
Organic Molecules
Organic Molecules, Biological Molecules
Proteins Do Everything (Not really)
DNA: What Exactly Does it Do for You?
Classic & Molecular Genetics
Laws of Inheritance
Mendel to Dobzhansky: Peas to Flies
Watson, Crick, Franklin and DNA
DNA Repair & Mutations
Molecular Genetics & Its Future
Copying DNA: Cells & PCR
Curing Diseases with Gene Therapy
AIDS, Drug Design and Double Blind Trials
Genetically Modified Organisms and Cloning
Summary:
David Deutsch: What is our place in the cosmos?
TED.com: Brian Greene – The universe on a string
Steven Pinker: A brief history of violence
May 5
Daniel Dennett: Can we know our own minds?
Reading Day
May. 7-16
Final Exam (starts at 9 AM in N904)
Ch. 25
Caminalcules
Ch. 19
EXAM #3
Ch. 19, 20
Ch. 20
FDA Panel Discussion:
Biotechnology
TED.com: Jill Bolte Taylor –
My stroke of insight
Ch. 21
Ch. 22
Ch. 23
CDC Panel Discussion:
Nutrition Guidelines
TED.com: Dean Ornish – The
world’s killer diet / Your genes
are not your fate
EXAM #4