The Scientific Method

Syllabus - Spring 2007

Don't forget to submit your research papers to Discourse - An Online Journal by the students of Southern Methodist University

Recent items of interest:

• Frank Tipler proves that God exists using General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Your Nobel Prize is in the mail, Frank.
• Bigfoot to be protected under Canada's species act
• New Noah's Ark ready to sail
• What the Bleep Do We Know?
  • CSICOP
  • Answers.com
  • Skeptico Blog
    From the last link above: 'The films producers, writers, directors, and a number of the featured "experts" are members of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment.'
    (Ramtha is an ancient spirit channelled by crackpot J.Z. Knight.) Skepdic.com
• Atom Chip Corporation
  • Patents
  • Hoax!
• Sniffex Bomb detector flunked tests; Navy still bought it
  • Patent
  • Debunked by James Randi
  • Debunked by Bruce Schneier
• Michigan Teen Builds Nuclear Fusion Device - IN HIS BASEMENT!!!
• Intelligent design event spurs protests - Dallas Morning News article by Jeffrey Weiss 24 March 2007
• Gambian President Yahya Jammeh Announces Herbal AIDS Cure - Bet you a buck it doesn't work.
• New Miracle At Church With Mysterious Orbs
  • Video
• Darwin's God
• UFO science key to halting climate change: former Canadian defense minister
• Sylvia Browne misses another one says Hornbeck kidnapped child was dead. See also Montel: Shawn Hornbeck Reading at StopSylviaBrowne.com and Randi and 800 Other Amazing Skeptics at the Scientific American blog.
• U.S. Has More Science Smarts - Sort Of
• Priest jailed for exorcism death
• Anti-Jewish memo spurs apology - Texas House Republican Warren Chisum distributed a memo by Georgia GOP Rep. Ben Bridges containing anti-evolution nonsense and links to a website (fixedearth.com) which asserts that the universe revolves around the Earth!
• U.N. Urged to Take On Asteroid Threat
• A Princeton Lab on ESP Plans to Close Its Doors
• Wisconsin Wonder Spot's Days Are Numbered
• What was that light in the sky? Unknown Freaky Orb drew eyes, imaginations across area
• Magical Thinking: Why Do People Cling to Odd Rituals? - Psychology from The New York Times
• "Study" Links Zodiac and Car Crashes
• AIDS denial is "alive and well" despite overwhelming evidence.
• Ed Mezvinsky - Nigerian Scam - Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me; fool me three times, and I must be some kind of moron.
• FDA Will Allow Breast Implants Made of Silicone
• New Methods Let Scientists Analyze Neanderthal DNA

We'll fill in more lecture topics during the term.

Jan 17 W Lecture # 1 Introduction; Start reading Sagan
    19 F Lecture # 2 The Scientific Method; Continue reading Sagan
    22 M Lecture # 3 Induction and Deduction; Magic; Quiz on preface, chapters 1 and 2 of Sagan
    24 W Lecture # 4 Recognizing Pseudoscience - What is Evidence?; Quiz on chapters 3 and 4 of Sagan
    26 F Lecture # 5 Observation and Perception; Exercise; Homework #1 due by 11:00am
    29 M Lecture # 6 UFOs and Roswell; Quiz on chapters 5 and 6 of Sagan
    31 W Lecture # 7 Threshold Phenomena; Quiz on chapters 7 and 8 of Sagan
Feb  2 F Lecture # 8 Threshold Phenomena continued; Memory Exercise; Homework #2 due by 11:00am
     5 M Lecture # 9 Probability; Memory Exercise Results; Quiz on chapters 9 and 10 of Sagan
     7 W Lecture #10 Flat Earth - Guest lecture by Professor Fred Olness (SMU Physics); 
                     Quiz on chapters 11 and 12 of Sagan
     9 F Lecture #11 More Probability; Homework #3 due by 11:00am
    12 M Lecture #12 How to Lie With Statistics; Quiz on chapters 13 and 14 of Sagan
    14 W Lecture #13 Polls; Quiz on chapters 15 and 16 of Sagan
    16 F Lecture #14 Astrology; Midterm paper's title, abstract, and outline due by 11:00am
    19 M Lecture #15 More Astrology; Quiz on foreword through chapter 2 of Schick and Vaughn
    21 W Lecture #16 Hoaxes; Quiz on chapter 3 of Schick and Vaughn
    23 F Lecture #17 Hoaxes continued; 3-page Book review #1 due by 11:00am
    26 M Lecture #18 ESP; Quiz on chapter 4 of Schick and Vaughn
    28 W Lecture #19 Psychics; Quiz on chapter 5 of Schick and Vaughn
Mar  2 F Lecture #20 Psychics; Homework #4 due by 11:00am
     5 M Lecture #21 Talking to the Dead; Quiz on They See Dead People, Or Do They?; 
     7 W Lecture #22 Talking to the Dead; Quiz on James Randi's One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge
     9 F Lecture #23 Talking to the Dead; Midterm paper due by 11:00am
    12 M              Spring Break
    14 W              Spring Break
    16 F              Spring Break
    19 M Lecture #24 Experiment Design; Dowsing; Quiz on chapter 6 of Schick and Vaughn
    21 W Lecture #25 Experiment Design; Dowsing; Quiz on chapter 7 of Schick and Vaughn
    23 F Lecture #26 Alternative Medicine; Homework #5 due by 11:00am
    26 M Lecture #27 Alternative Medicine; Quiz on chapter 8 of Schick and Vaughn
    28 W Lecture #28 Dr. Snow and Cholera; Dr. Barry Marshall and Ulcers; 
                     Quiz on chapter 9 of Schick and Vaughn
    30 F Lecture #29 Scams - Guest lecture by Special Agent Paul Ahner, US Secret Service; 
                     Homework #6 due by 11:00am
Apr  2 M Lecture #30 Modern Scams; Quiz on foreword through chapter 1 of Shermer 
     4 W Lecture #31 Penny Stocks; Quiz on chapters 2 and 3 of Shermer
     6 F             University Holiday
     9 M Lecture #32 Faith Healing; Quiz on chapters 4 and 5 of Shermer
    11 W Lecture #33 Science and Religion; Quiz on chapters 6 and 7 of Shermer
    13 F Lecture #34 Guest Lecture by Professor Ronald Wetherington (SMU Anthropology);
                     Final paper's title, abstract, and outline due by 11:00am
    16 M Lecture #35 Evolution - Guest lecture by Professor Louis Jacobs (SMU Geology);
                     Quiz on chapters 8 and 9 of Shermer
    18 W Lecture #36 (Un)Intelligent Design - Guest lecture by Professor John Wise (SMU Biology); 
                     Quiz on chapters 10 and 11 of Shermer
    20 F Lecture #37 Patents; 3-page book review #2 due by 11:00am
    23 M Lecture #38 Bermuda Triangle; Quiz on chapters 12 and 13 of Shermer
    25 W Lecture #39 Biblical Archaeology - Guest Lecture by Dr. David Joffe (SMU Physics);
                     Quiz on chapters 14 and 15 of Shermer
    27 F Lecture #40 Scientific Study of The Star; Homework #7 due by 11:00am
    30 M Lecture #41 Skeletons in the Physics Closet; Quiz on chapters 16, 17 and 18 of Shermer
May  1 T Lecture #42 (Follow Friday schedule); Final paper due by 11:00am; Evaluations; Survey

     7 M Final Examination: 8:00-11:00am in 153 Fondren Science