Chem 197 Class Schedule

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important dates:

keys for reading assignments from course texts

SC: Stephen S. Carey, A Beginner’s Guide to the Scientific Method, 4th Edition
DL: David Lindley, Uncertainty: Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, and the Struggle for the Soul of Science
MB: Max Brockman, Ed., Future Science: Essays From the Cutting Edge
DH/NS: Diane Hacker and Nancy Somers, A Pocket Style Manual, 6th Edition
GG/CB: Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, They Say/I Say, 2nd Edition
CL: Charles Lipson, Doing Honest Work in College

Current Week

writing exercise: characters as subjects
discussion of "The Truth Wears Off," by Jonah Lehrer, , from the December 13, 2010 issue of The New Yorker
Graff and Birkenstein's They Say/I Say: Chapter 3 "The Art of Quoting," plus discussion of plagarism
first paper assignment

tour of libraries and Academic Resource Center
for next class
- read Chapter 3, pages 29-36 of Carey's A Beginners Guide to the Scientific Method.

main topic: introduction to course
experiment: observing a chemical reaction
handouts: syllabus, 250 words, engaging material through questions
for next class
- read SC: Chapter 1 and Begley, S. “The Science Wars,” from The Daily Beast blog (link)
- informal writing assignment: Describe your observations of the chemical reaction we examined in class and, adopting Carey’s notion of explanatory stories, propose several explanations that might account for your observations. Aim for approximately 250 words; pay attention to surface-level writing issues—use of complete sentences, grammar, and spelling—but do not worry about producing polished, academic writing. This assignment is due no later than 8:00 pm on Thursday, August 29th; send your assignment to me by email using the following format for the file name: yourlastname_chemrxn.docx.

main topic: initial discussion of science and the scientific method
experiment: proposing explanations for a chemical reaction
for next class
- read Pratt, J. R. "Strong Inference," Science 146, 1964, 347–353 (link)
- read Chapter 1 of Graff and Birkenstein's They Say/I Say
- informal writing assignment: Platt suggests four reasons why some fields of science advance more rapidly than others: the tractability of the study, the availability of funding, the intellectual quality of the scientists working in the field, and the quality of the research methodology in the field. Pratt gives much attention to the last, but no attention to the first three. Give some consideration to the first three of Pratt’s reasons and explore them in a paper of approximately 250 words. Bring a copy of your assignment to class to aid in discussion. I will collect your papers at the end of the class

main topic: writing from the reader’s perspective; starting with what others say
main topic: strong inference and the scientific method; objectivism, constructivism and the “science wars”
experiment: testing the explanatory stories for a chemical reaction
handouts: reader's perspective
for next class
- read Chapter 2, pages 9-18 of Carey’s A Beginner’s Guide to the Scientific Method; test your power of observations using the exercise in Box 2.1.
- read Chapter 2 of Graff and Birkenstein's They Say/I Say

main topic: a closer look at observations
strong and weak verbs: nominalizations
They Say/I Say: The Art of Summarizing
handouts: strong and weak verbs: nominalizations; readers expect...
for next class
- read Chapter 2, pages 18-25 of Carey’s A Beginner’s Guide to the Scientific Method
- read Chapter 4 of Graff and Birkenstein's They Say/I Sa

writing exercise: characters as subjects
they say/I say: the art of summarizing and responding to others
anomalous phenomen
for next class
- read article “The Truth Wears Off,” by Jonah Lehrer, from the December 13, 2010 issue of The New Yorker (link). As you read this article, keep the following in mind: Lehrer’s intended audience is readers of The New Yorker. How has he structured his essay to appeal to this audience? How do you think a different audience—the scientific community—might respond to Lehrer’s essay? What similarities are there between the types of research Lehrer used to describe the decline effect? Do you think all areas of research are equally likely to experience the decline effect? What does Lehrer identify as possible explanations for the decline effect? Can you think of other explanations?
- read Chapter 3 of Graff & Birkenstein’s They Say/I Say