Seminar in Natural Science (online)

Weekly Course Schedule

Important Notes
Visual key: Major writing assignments; field trips; quizzes
Click on each week's headings to access "Mike's Notes"
This is an "active" document and is updated frequently

Last updated 12/15/07

• Introduction to RUOnline and BGS 391
• Discuss Broad and Glanz's article, "Does Science Matter?",  in Course Documents (25 Big Questions in Science folder)  

Part I:  Methods, Models, and "Big Ideas"
Critical Thinking about Science

• Required readings:
  • Wynn and Wiggins, The Five Biggest Ideas in Science, ch. 1 and 7 (scientific method)
  • Alan Lightman's "Spellbound by the Eternal Riddle," in Course Documents (25 Big Questions folder)
  • Tom Siegfried, "In Praise of Hard Questions" (Science July 2005)

Week Three (10/1):  Reading and Critiquing Science News

• Required readings: 
  • Cornelia Dean, "Rousing Science out of the Lab," in Course Documents (25 Big Questions folder);
  • NY Times "Science Times" (browse the week's articles)
  • Mike's Questions and Tips for Analyzing Science in the News
• Review guidelines for Critique Essay (see sample papers in Course Documents)
• Establish Illinois Ecosystem Groups (Prairie, Forest, Wetland, River, Great Lakes)
  • Post your preferred ecosystem (1st and 2nd choice) by Fri., Oct. 5th to the Discussion Board

• Required readings: 
  • Wynn and Wiggins ch. 5
• Optional Websites of the Week:  Plate Tectonics and Geological Time (from the U. S. Geological Survey)
• Critique Essay due Fri., Oct. 12th, 5pm Sun., Oct. 14th, 9pm in the Digital Dropbox

• Required readings: 
  • Wynn and Wiggins, ch. 6 (evolution and life's origin)
  • Richard Lenski, "Evolution: Fact and Theory" (actionbioscience.org Sept. 2000)
  • David Quammen, "Was Darwin Wrong?" (National Geographic Nov. 2004)
• Field Trip to the Darwin exhibit at the FMNH on Sunday, Oct. 21st, 2pm (meet at the South Entrance of the museum)
• Plan ahead for your research project
  • Print and review this Introduction to the 391 Research Project,
  • Skim benefit-risk analysis as critical thinking model (ch. 8 in Wynn and Wiggins)
  • Work on Research Proposal, due next week
  • Key resource:  Finding Sources on the web and in the library

• Required reading:
  • Darwin -- a multimedia exhibit at the Field Museum of Natural History
  • Selected articles from Evolution, a special issue of the Science Times (NY Times June 2007):
    • Carol Kaesuk Yoon, "From a Few Genes, Life's Myriad Shapes"
    • Douglas Erwin, "Darwin Still Rules, but Some Scientists Dream of a Paradigm Shift"
• Research Proposal due Sun., Oct. 28th, 5pm in the Digital Dropbox

Week Seven (10/29):  Genetics I -- The Basics of Inheritance

• Required readings: 
  • DNA from the Beginning, concepts 1-23 (see Mike's Notes for details tips on site navigation)
• Quiz 1 (scientific method, geology, evolution) -- available from Tuesday, Oct. 30 through Thursday, Nov. 1st 

• Required readings:
  • DNA from the Beginning, concepts 27-31, 36, 38-41
  • Your choice of an article from the "DNA -- 50th Anniversary Special Issue" section in Course Documents (Genetics folder)
• Proposals returned

Part II:  Ecology, Biodiversity, and Conservation
Exploring the Ecosystems of Illinois and the Chicago Region

Week Nine (11/12):  Biodiversity and Ecology of the Chicago Region

• Required readings: 
  • Atlas of Biodiversity (pp. 1-13)
  • Joel Greenberg, A Naturalist's Tour of Southern Lake Michigan
  • Chicago Wilderness magazine, What Is Biodiversity?
• Annotated Bibliographies due Friday, Nov. 16, 5pm in the Digital Dropbox

Weeks Ten (11/19) thru Twelve (12/3):  Exploring Illinois Ecosystems

• List of readings for weeks 10-12 (from the Atlas of Biodiversity and selected from your annotated bibliographies submitted week 9)
• Ecosystems group members lead discussion in their respective forums
• Looking ahead to your research presentation, review:
  • Guidelines for preparing the research presentation
  • Finding sources -- choices and challenges
  • Using and documenting sources 
• Optional revisions of critique essay due Fri., Dec. 7th, 5pm in the Digital Dropbox

Week Thirteen (12/10):  Human Ecology and Conservation

• Required readings:
  • Atlas of Biodiversity (pp. 50-59)
  • Village of Schaumburg, IL, Biodiversity Plan (2004) -- Executive Summary (pp. i-vii)
  • Debra Shore, "The Greening of Sarah's Grove."  Chicago Wilderness Magazine, Fall 2004.
• Quiz 2 (genetics, biodiversity, and ecology) -- available from Wednesday, Dec. 12th through Sunday, Dec. 16th 

Week Fourteen (12/17):  Course Wrap-up  

• Post Research Presentation to the Discussion Board by Mon., Dec. 17th; respond to and discuss other presentations
• Commencement is Fri, Dec. 21st

-- I reserve the right to revise this schedule as needed --

Assignments

Field Trips

Links

Schedule

Texts

391 Home Page 

mb's Courses Page
(classes / office hours)

mb's Home Page

Lobby of Roosevelt's Alfred A. Robin Campus (opened 1996)

Roosevelt's National Landmark, the Auditorium Building, downtown Chicago

The Gage Building: Roosevelt's Center for Professional Advancement (opened 2000) and another downtown landmark

Last updated 12/15/07