Course: 1
Science & Art
RALPH DAVIS, Albion College
June 5-7, 2008 in Midtown Manhattan, NY
This course explores overlapping themes and common interests in the fields of science and art. The presentations are designed to enhance cross-disciplinary discussions and promote classroom awareness of the broader cultural context of specific academic disciplines in science, mathematics, art and the humanities. In addition to broadly shared interests - perception, reason, coherence and order in nature, etc. - and shared concepts such as elegance, clarity, symmetry, etc., a number of more specific topics will be addressed. Historical parallels: parallel developments in the concepts of light, space and time, e.g., the convergence of relativity and quantum theory, analytic cubism and the music of Stravinsky; Paradigm shifts: major conceptual changes in art and science – ‘revolution,’ ‘progress,’ and post-modernist perspectives; Creativity: innovation, imagination and the creative personality; a critical evaluation of Poincare’s model of creativity as preparation, incubation, inspiration and verification; Genius: the notion of the extraordinary person, IQ, multiple intelligences and the role of youth; Cognition: Observations from cognitive studies, evolutionary psychology and behavioral genetics; applications of chaos and complexity theory. Further issues will be suggested by the participants.
College teachers of: all disciplines.
Prerequisites: none.
Tuition: $210 | Register and pay by credit card | Register and pay by check/money order
RALPH DAVIS has been a facilitator for a number of Chautauquas including The Creative Process in Science & Art, The Limits of Science, Paradox and Genius. He edited Leadership and Institutional Renewal and has taught at Albion College where he has been Prentiss M. Brown Distinguished Honors Professor and directed the Basic Ideas interdisciplinary program, the Honors Program and chaired the Department of Philosophy.
Email: fortuna@ic.net
Globalization and the Impact of Worldwide Poverty and Inequality
TIMOTHY PATRICK MORAN, Stony Brook University
June 12-14, 2008 in Midtown Manhattan, NY
Global economic and political integration have important consequences for the distribution of wealth and power worldwide. Thus, at the start of the twenty-first century, inequality is emerging as one of the prevailing social, political, and economic issues of our time. Contentious interpretations of both what is happening to global patterns of poverty and inequality, as well as their causes and effects are being advanced in both academic and policy-making circles - for example, in debates about the distribution of winners and losers over the course of globalization, foreign aid and world trade, the global AIDS epidemic, international migration, and human rights and social justice. This course will consider and critically examine some of the complex debates within the social sciences over the impact of globalization on poverty and inequality, both between- and within- nations. We will discuss different interpretations of what these three concepts mean, the various ways scholars measure them, the prevailing theories that seek to explain how they are linked, and the types of data being advanced as evidence. In the end, participants will get a sense of how the extremely important questions - Does globalization increase or decrease poverty? Does it raise or lower inequality? - are as much intricate, nuanced, and political as they are seemingly straightforward. The short-course will present ideas for bringing global themes into courses that focus on local- or national-level phenomenon, and is relevant for those teaching courses on social problems, economy and society, politics, and international relations, among others.
College teachers of: all disciplines, but especially social scientists;
Prerequisites: none.
Tuition: $210 | Register and pay by credit card | Register and pay by check/money order
Dr.Moran is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Sociology at Stony Brook University where he received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching.
Email: Timothy.P.Moran@stonybrook.edu
Science and Social Justice Canceled
ALAN MCGOWAN, New School University
June 9-11, 2008 in Midtown Manhattan, NY
This course will focus on the various ways that science has been used, and misused, in the cause of social justice. In addition to the science itself, we will examine the lives of several scientists who have used their science as well as their prestige to further social causes in which they believed.
Among the topics to be covered are: eugenics, IQ, the environment, particularly in its early days, race and racism, and nuclear and security issues. Among the scientists we will examine are: Albert Einstein, Charles Drew, Stephen Jay Gould, Sidney Drell, Frank von Hippel, and Marie and Irene Curie. Students will study genetics, nuclear theory, and environmental science, in the course of the weekend's work.
College teachers of: all disciplines
Prerequisites: none.
Tuition: $185 | Register and pay by credit card | Register and pay by check/money order
Mr. McGowan is the Founder and President of the Gene Media Forum, a non-profit organization that focuses on providing information on all aspects of the genetic revolution to journalists. He is also chair of the Science, Technology, and Society Program at Eugene Lang College of New School University in Manhattan.
Email: McGowanA@newschool.edu
China Confronts New Security Issues
SU HAO, Foreign Affairs University, Beijing, People's Republic of China - June 9-13, 2008 at Foreign Affairs University, Beijing, PRC
This unique, five-day short course in Beijing will provide an opportunity to engage in direct discussions with Chinese diplomats, scholars, military, and ministerial officials on their home ground. It will provide a Chinese perspective on emerging East Asian security issues of mutual interest to China, other Asian nations, and the United States. It is sponsored by the Center for International Security, Foreign Affairs University, located in Beijing, a branch of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for the education of Chinese diplomats and others preparing for international careers. Topics will include:
• Regionalism and East Asian Security Cooperation
• Security Structures in the Asia-Pacific Region
• The Korean Nuclear Crisis and Prospects for its Resolution
• Territorial Disputes in East Asia
• Counterterrorism in East Asia
• Energy Security: New Threat or Opportunity for Cooperation?
• Marine Security and the Safety of Sea Lanes in East Asia
• Role of the U.S. in East Asian Security
This five-day course will be held at the attractive Beijing campus of Foreign Affairs University. Participants reside in inexpensive housing in a modern campus residence for visiting foreign scholars or in a nearby inexpensive hotel. Applicants will receive information and advice on visa applications and other necessary travel arrangements. It is not difficult to travel to Beijing and discount air fares can often be found on the web. Participants wishing to arrive early or stay later at Foreign Affairs University in order to extend their visit to China may do so at very modest cost by making individual arrangements with the university. We estimate the cost of room, meals, cultural activities, airport transfers, etc. for the five day program to be approximately $700.
College teachers of: political science, history, international relations, social, and natural sciences.
Prerequisites: none.
Tuition: $545 | Register and pay by credit card | Register and pay by check/money order
Dr. Su Hao is professor of Diplomacy Department, and director of Center for Asia-Pacific Studies in the China Foreign Affairs University. He ever was the acting Chairman of the Department of Diplomacy, director of the China’s Foreign Relations Section and Secretary-General of the Center for East Asian Studies Center at China Foreign Affairs University. He is also affiliated with some institutions in China, such as, member of Chinese Committee, Council of Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP); board members of China Association of Arms Control and Disarmament, China Association of Asia-Pacific Studies, China Association of Asian-African Exchange, and China Society for ASEAN-China Relations. He got his B.A. and M. A. in history and international relations from Beijing Normal University and Ph. D. in international relations from China Foreign Affairs University. He took his advanced study in the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London in 1993-1995; and was a Fulbright scholar in Institute of War and Peace Studies of Columbia University and in Institute of East Asia of University of California at Berkeley in 2001-2002; and senior visiting scholar in Department of Peace and Conflict Studies of Uppsala University in Sweden in 2004. Dr. Su has been teaching and doing research works on the China’s diplomatic history, international relations in the Asia-Pacific region, strategy and diplomatic Strategy, international security. He published some books and articles in the fields of China’s foreign policy, strategic studies, security issues and international relations in the Asia-Pacific region.
China Foreign Affairs University:
China Foreign Affairs University is a sole institution of higher learning directly under the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Its mission is to meet the nation's needs for well-trained diplomats, researchers and professional personnel in international affairs, international economy, and international law. Its graduates always go into the Chinese Foreign Ministry and other governmental sectors affiliated with foreign affairs. This university also has a lot of training programs for the mid-career professionals from Chinese government and other countries’ foreign ministries.
Email: suhao@public.bta.net.cn
Pseudo-Science, Scientism, and Science: Fallacies in the Logic of Scientific Testing
GARY MAR, Stony Brook University
June 12-14, 2008 in Stony Brook, Long Island, NY
The modern sciences are among the most remarkable of human achievements yet science has been taken hostage in culture wars. Although we live in the most scientifically-impacted societies of all time, there are many popular misunderstandings about the nature of science and the logic of scientific testing. Ideological conceptions of science abound in the culture wars between creationists and Darwinists, between logical positivists and prophets of New Age science, between advocates of strong artificial intelligence and those of quantum mechanical conceptions of the mind. The purpose of this short course is to equip college teachers with tools for identifying fallacies of theory testing and to have a model of a good scientific test of a theory. This will be done through three case studies.
College teachers of: all disciplines;
Prerequisites: none.
Tuition: $210 | Register and pay by credit card | Register and pay by check/money order
Dr. Mar is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Stony Brook University. He is the director of the Philosophy Department Logic lab and the recipient of the President’s and Chancellor’s awards for Excellence in Teaching.
Using Case Studies to Teach Science--A Workshop
CLYDE FREEMAN HERREID, University at Buffalo/SUNY, National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
June 19-21, 2008 in Midtown Manhattan, NY
Case studies have been used to teach students in law and business schools for over a hundred years. These cases are stories with an educational message. Case study instruction has been used in medicine under the terminology of Problem Based Learning where each patient is a case to be diagnosed and treated. The value of the case approach in the classroom is that it puts the subject matter in context rather than presenting the material as a series of isolated facts and abstract principles. When information is put into story form it is easier to learn and remember. It has particular appeal for students put off by science taught in the traditional lecture style.
The purpose of the Case Study Workshop is to teach faculty about the different types of case study methods of instruction along with their strengths and weaknesses, how to teach with case studies, and how to write cases and teaching notes so that other individuals can use them This is a highly interactive workshop where participants experience case study teaching from the student's viewpoint first and then write their own cases which they can take home and use in their classes. An independent survey of several hundred faculty who have attended our case study workshops indicates that virtually all instructors report higher student satisfaction with this method of presentation compared to traditional lecture method, as well as greater student attendance, and higher grades.
College teachers of: all science and engineering disciplines.
Prerequisites: none.
Tuition: $210 | Register and pay by credit card | Register and pay by check/money order
Dr. Herreid holds the State University of New York's title of Distinguished Teaching Professor. He teaches the large introductory biology course at Buffalo and directs the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science. Dr. Herreid writes a regular column on the use of case study teaching in the Journal of College Science Teaching and is the editor of the recent book: "Start with a Story: The Case Study Method of Teaching College Science."
Email: CFHarreid@aol.com
Agent Orange: Abandoned Values and "A Kind of Chemical Warfare" Canceled
ELOF AXEL CARLSON, Stony Brook University
June 26-28, 2008 in Midtown Manhattan, NY
I was fortunate to have access to the Matthew Meselson collection of documents on Agent Orange and other herbicides used in the Vietnam War. These include mostly unpublished government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and numerous private documents and correspondence Meselson obtained while he was actively investigating the ecological and health effects of Agent Orange. The book I am writing tells the story of how a basic science discovery (plant growth regulators) got shifted from the university to the military and how bad judgments, false assumptions, scientific illiteracy in government, and a filter of politics can result in unnecessary and harmful applications of science. The book also tells the story of exaggerations about the ecological effects and health effects of exposure as well as the real harm done to Vietnamese and Americans who were exposed to the spraying operations. Most important it shows why straightforward answers cannot be given to the concerns of most veterans who were exposed. It was surprising to me, and it will be equally so for the participants to see how divided the military was on the effectiveness of Operation Ranch Hand for the three objectives of the spraying: destruction of crops to starve the Viet Cong; clearing bases and roads to prevent ambush; and defoliating forests to reveal enemy trails and supplies. The course will benefit those who see science and war as primarily a political or military decision making. Sadly, it is much more a story of those with authority who lack knowledge making decisions they later regret or spend their lives trying to defend. It is also a story of how easy it is to suspend moral judgment and replace it with a higher cause, usually ideology or patriotism, to justify what in peacetime we would consider criminal or irrational behavior.
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There will be some valuable science in the course -- the history of plant growth regulators from Darwin to the development of weed-killers like 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. The way herbicide and other manufacturers encourntered health problems among worksers and tracked it down (60 years later) to dioxin. The way Vietnamese health workers encountered and classified health effects and how those diffred from the way American scientists classified and interpreted them (neither the US nor the Vietnamese physicians motivated by poltics in their reporting). I think this is important for teachers to know when they discuss science and society or science and values in their courses.
College teachers of: all disciplines
Prerequisites: None.
Tuition: $210 | Register and pay by credit card | Register and pay by check/money order
Dr. Carlson Distinguished Teaching Professor, emeritus, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Stony Brook University. He is a geneticist and historian of science with ten published books, the most recent of which are The Unfit: A History of a Bad Idea and Mendel’s Legacy: The Origin of Classical Genetics. He is currently collaborating with Matthew Meselson on a book about the Agent Orange controversy.
Women and Minorities in the Sciences: How Faculty Can Make a Difference
CATHERINE DIDION, National Academy of Sciences and JAMES H. STITH, American Institute of Physics
June 5-7, 2008 in Washington D.C.
After a brief review of the current status of women and minorities in scientific fields, this course will emphasize how one can develop effective strategies for recruiting and retaining women and under-represented minority students in all scientific disciplines. This course is highly interactive and was developed to be a resource for faculty trying to encourage under-represented populations to participate in the sciences. We will explore the role of mentoring in developing future scientists and engineers, current research on women and minority scientists, and how it can have an impact on one's teaching style and strategies. Our focus will be on evaluating current methods, and on devising solutions to increase the number of women and minorities in the sciences. Readings will include accounts by women and minority scientists. The course will include feminist and minority critiques of some scientific research. We will analyze a series of actual case studies on faculty-student interactions as a tool to review how one can encourage all students in the classroom. Participants are encouraged to bring examples of courses, programs, and other activities they have developed to address women and/or minorities in science. This course will use visiting speakers, including young scientists of color, to share their experiences and give feedback on how faculty can make a difference.
College teachers of: all disciplines
Prerequisites: None.
Tuition: $200 | Register and pay by credit card | Register and pay by check/money order
Ms. Didion is the Senior Program Officer for Diversity at the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) where she provides staff leadership for NAE efforts to enhance the diversity of the engineering workforce at all levels. Before joining NAE she was the director of the International Network of Women in Engineering and Science. She also served for 14 years as the Executive Director of the Association of Women in Science. Dr. Stith has served as Vice President, Physics Resources, for the American Institute of Physics. He was formerly professor of physics at The Ohio State University and spent 21 years on the faculty of the United States Military Academy at West Point, He has been a visiting scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and is a past president of the American Association of Physics Teachers and past president of the American Association of Black Physicists. Throughout his career he has been an advocate for programs that ensure ethnic and gender diversity in the sciences.
Email: cdidion@nas.edu