Name |
Position |
E-mail |
Office |
Jeff Fletcher
(Incoming) |
Instructor, ISP
Post-doc, Zoology |
fletcher@zoology.ubc.ca |
BioSci 5450
By appointment only. |
Rik Blok
(Outgoing) |
Instructor, ISP
Research Associate, Zoology |
rik.blok@ubc.ca |
LSK 303B
By appointment only. |
Credits:
1. (This course is mandatory for all students in the Integrated
Sciences Program.)
Pre-reqs:
Integrated Sciences Major or Honours option. You may take this course
at any point in your ISP program but it is recommended that you
register in your first year with ISP. It is your responsibility to
ensure schedule conflicts with other courses can be accommodated but
ISCI 300 does offer some flexibility.
Co-reqs:
None.
Web page:
http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~fletcher/isci300/
Textbook: None.
Critical analysis of
recent scientific literature that combines disciplines that students
are integrating in their Integrated Sciences curriculum. Graded
Pass/Fail.
Science is not just
a field of study, it's a way of thinking about the world around
you--trying to explain and understand your experiences and checking
whether those explanations stand up to testing. It means not accepting
what you're told because it came from an authority figure but
evaluating it for yourself. Unfortunately, the opportunity for thinking
scientifically is often drowned out in science classrooms by the sheer
volume of "facts" and equations that need to be covered. (Have you
confirmed the Krebs cycle? Are you sure F=ma ? Or did you
just memorize it for the exam?)
Of course, there are benefits to the science pedagogy
we have chosen. For example, you obviously don't have the time or means
to personally evaluate everything you want to learn. So you have to
trust that the knowledge you are acquiring is correct. But this
approach also has a hidden danger: as a student you get used to
believing what you're told and stop questioning it.
That's where this course comes in--it's all about asking
questions. Taking apart research and asking: "Does this make sense? Is
it good science?" In all, it's not a bad approach to life. If you plan
to "do" science in your career you should obviously have a good
understanding of what it is. But even if you don't, the scientific
method can be invaluable when considering difficult life choices. ![Top of page](../images/top.gif)
The course has four goals:
- To train ISP students
to critically evaluate scientific material;
- To promote public
speaking and presentation of scientific concepts to an audience with
diverse backgrounds;
- To expose ISP students
to a wide range of scientific disciplines; and
- To foster camaraderie
among ISP students.
Thanks to you for helping
me work out how to run this course. You've come up with many great
ideas I wouldn't have thought of and I hope they help you get that much
more out of the course. I think we've come up with a new course format
that will meet all four of the goals listed above. And beyond that, I
hope the course trains you all to be curious skeptics so that
you can take that mindset away with you and apply it in everyday life. ![Top of page](../images/top.gif)
Classes run weekly.
Attendance at all classes is not required. However, it is
strongly recommended that you attend the first class to receive general
course information.
Section |
Activity |
Day |
Time |
Location |
001 |
Seminar |
Tue |
12:30-2:00pm |
LSK 200 |
|