The URL of this page is http://www.physics.smu.edu/scalise/P3333fa10
Physics 3333 / CFB 3333
The Scientific Method - Critical and Creative Thinking
(Debunking Pseudoscience)
© Professor John L. Cotton and Professor Randall J. Scalise
"Be very, very careful what you put into that head, because you will never,
ever get it out."
--Thomas Cardinal Wolsey (c.1475-1530)
"Science is bound, by the everlasting vow of honour, to face fearlessly every
problem which can be fairly presented to it."
--Lord Kelvin (1824-1907)
"What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which
is the exact opposite."
--attributed to Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)
PHYS 3333 satisfies a Physics elective requirement.
CFB 3333 satisfies a General Education Curriculum Cultural Formations
requirement. Students can appeal for honors or diversity credit at the
General Education Office after making arrangements with the lecturers.
Description:
This course will provide you with an understanding of the scientific
method sufficient to detect pseudoscience in its many guises:
paranormal phenomena, free-energy devices, alternative medicine,
intelligent design creationism, and many others. You will learn to
think critically and to question outlandish claims, hype, and outright BS.
Your writing will improve. You will be able to distinguish credible
sources from nonsense; you will become an intelligent consumer of information.
Expect to do a lot of reading, writing, and, most of all, thinking.
Goals/Objectives/Learning Outcomes:
Lecture Times and Place: MWF 11:00-11:50am in room
153 Fondren Science
Lecturers: Professor
Randall J. Scalise and Professor John Cotton
Office Hours:
- Scalise: Monday after lecture and by appointment in room 107
Fondren Science (see also lab 32 or 26 any afternoon until 6:00pm)
- Cotton: Wednesday and Friday after lecture and 2:00-3:00pm in room
213 Fondren Science
Contact:
- Call or leave a message at
- Scalise: (214)768-2504
- Cotton: (214)768-4096
- Leave a note in the Physics Department Office - 102 Fondren Science, or
- send email to pseudo@physics.smu.edu
Course Work:
- Weekly reading, reading quizzes, discussion,
homework, in-class writing assignments
- Two 3-page book reviews from the
Auxiliary Reading list (feel free to
suggest other titles subject to instructor approval)
- One 7-page (minimum) research paper
- One 15-page (minimum) research paper
One paper is due at midsemester; this paper can be rewritten for
a higher grade. The other paper is due at the end of the semester.
- Physics 3333 and Honors CFB 3333 students will present orally the last
week of class
- Written final examination
Check to see if we received your papers, book
reviews, or homework -- it is YOUR responsibility to check!
The book reviews and research papers must be turned in
electronically. We will not accept paper copies.
Mail your assignment to
pseudo@physics.smu.edu
or turn in a PC floppy disk
or a CD. Ascii text, RTF, or MS Word format (.doc not .docx):
double-spaced, 12-point type, Times New Roman (nonbold) font,
1-inch margins. We can not read WordPerfect or Macintosh files.
Required Course Texts:
Fighting ignorance since 2003 - pace Cecil Adams (he's not a real person, anyway)
Back to Professor Scalise's Home Page