The Scientific Method

Syllabus - Fall 2011


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Aug 22 M Lecture # 1 Introduction; Start reading Browne & Keeley
    24 W Lecture # 2 The Scientific Method; Continue reading Browne & Keeley
    26 F Lecture # 3 Induction and Deduction; Magic; Quiz on preface, chapter 1 of B&K
    29 M Lecture # 4 Assumptions;Quiz on chapter 2 of B&K
    31 W Lecture # 5 What is Pseudoscience; Quiz on chapter 3 of B&K
Sep  2 F Lecture # 6 What is Evidence; Homework #1 due by 11:00am
     5 M University holiday
     7 W Lecture # 7 The Bermuda Triangle; Quiz on chapter 4 of B&K
     9 F Lecture # 8 UFOs; Homework #2 due by 11:00am
    12 M Lecture # 9 More on UFOs; Quiz on chapter 5 of B&K
    14 W Lecture #10 Psychics; Quiz on chapter 6 of B&K
    16 F Lecture #11 More Psychics; Midterm paper's title, abstract, outline, and sources due by 11:00am
    19 M Lecture #12 Talking to the Dead; Quiz on chapter 7 of B&K
    21 W Lecture #13 More talking to the Dead; Quiz on chapter 8 of B&K
    23 F Lecture #14 Yet More Talking to the Dead; 3-page Book review #1 due by 11:00am
    26 M Lecture #15 Son of More Psychics; Quiz on chapter 9 of B&K
    28 W Lecture #16 Astrology; Quiz on chapter 10 of B&K
    30 F Lecture #17 More Astrology; Homework #3 due by 11:00am
Oct  3 M Lecture #18 Hoaxes; Quiz on chapter 11 of B&K
     5 W Lecture #19 More Hoaxes; Quiz on chapter 12 of B&K
     7 F Lecture #20 Yet more Hoaxes; Midterm paper due by 11:00am
    10 M Fall break
    12 W Lecture #21 Experiment Design; Quiz on chapter 13 of B&K
    14 F Lecture #22 Experiment Design; Homework #4 due by 11:00am
    17 M Lecture #23 Guest Speaker: Pat van Zandt, Central Libraries; Quiz on chapter 14 of B&K
    19 W Lecture #24 Eyewitness Testimony; Quiz on foreword through chapter 2 of Schick and Vaughn
    21 F Lecture #25 Eyewitness Testimony; Homework #5 due by 11:00am
    24 M Lecture #26 Conceptions about Risk; Quiz on chapter 3 of Schick and Vaughn
    26 W Lecture #27 Scams and Swindles; Quiz on chapter 4 of Schick and Vaughn
    28 F Lecture #28 Special Guest: Agent Paul Ahner, U.S. Secret Service; Quiz on chapter 5 of Schick and Vaughn
    31 M Lecture #29 Threshold Phenomena; Quiz on chapter 6 of Schick and Vaughn
Nov  2 W Lecture #30 Threshold Phenomena; Quiz on chapter 7 of Schick and Vaughn
     4 F Lecture #31 Unintended Consequences; Final paper's title, abstract, outline, and sources due by 11:00am
     7 M Lecture #32 More Unintended Consequences; Quiz on chapter 8 of Schick and Vaughn
     9 W Lecture #33 Peak Oil; Quiz on foreword through chapter 2 of Sagan
    11 F Lecture #34 Propaganda; 3-page book review #2 due by 11:00am
    14 M Lecture #35 More Propaganda; Quiz on chapters 3 and 4 of Sagan
    16 W Lecture #36 More Propaganda; Quiz on chapters 5 and 6 of Sagan
    18 F Lecture #37 How to Lie with Statistics; Midterm paper rewrites due by 11:00am
    21 M Lecture #38 Guest: Dr. Bob Gregory, on Earth's climate history; Quiz on chapters 7 and 8 of Sagan
    23 W No classes
    25 F Thanksgiving holiday
    28 M Lecture #39 Guest: Dr. Bonnie Jacobs, on Climate Change; Quiz on chapters 9 and 10 of Sagan
    30 W Lecture #40 Guest: Dr. Fred Olness, on the Flat Earth; Homework #6 due by 11:00am
Dec  2 F Lecture #41 Guest: Farley Ferrante on 2012 mythology; Final paper due by 11:00am
     5 M Lecture #42 Student Presentations and wrapup

     7 W Final Examination: 11:30-14:30 in 153 Fondren Science







Lecture Topics:

2012; Abstinence Only; AIDS Denial; Alternative Medicine; Assumptions; Astrology; Bermuda Triangle; Cannibalism; Cold Reading; Talking to the Dead; Creationism; Death Penalty; DNA, Art Fraud; ESP; Second-hand Smoke (ETS); Experiment Design; What is Evidence?; Eyewitness Testimony; Faith Healing; Flat Earth; Global Warming; Hoaxes; Intelligent Design Creationism; Induction and Deduction; Introduction; Law of Unintended Consequences; How to Lie with Statistics; Trofim Lysenko; Modern Art; Observation and Perception; Patents; Peak Oil; Polls; Probability; Propaganda; Recognizing Pseudoscience; Psychics; Conceptions about Risk; Modern Scams; Scams, Frauds, and ID Theft; The Scientific Method; Science and Religion; Shroud of Turin; Skeletons in the Physics Closet; Dr. Snow and Cholera; Barry Marshall and Ulcers; Searching for the Star; Stellar Evolution; Student Presentations; Threshold Phenomena; UFOs; Vaccines do not Cause Autism; They See Dead People, Or Do They?









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