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The Two Cultures Physics Course a Pharmakon of Science Education

The Two Cultures Physics Course a Pharmakon of Science Education. Steve Zides Wofford College zidessb@wofford.edu. A Priori Assumptions. A well rounded person needs to understand a little science. Physics is one of the quintessential sciences.

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The Two Cultures Physics Course a Pharmakon of Science Education

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  1. The Two Cultures Physics Coursea Pharmakon of Science Education Steve Zides Wofford College zidessb@wofford.edu

  2. A Priori Assumptions • A well rounded person needs to understand a little science. • Physics is one of the quintessential sciences. • Given the right pedagogy, anyone can learn physics → A Liberal Arts Student could greatly benefit from taking a “properly designed” physics course.

  3. The Physics (for non-science majors) Course The Typical Approach: “Physics for Poets” Cover the same material that the physics majors get but dumb down the math and add a few “real world” examples. Pro: No significant alteration to pedagogy Con: No knowledge integration or retention

  4. The Physics (for non-science majors) Course The Two Cultures Approach Integrate the key physical concepts with more humanistic modes of thought, creating a knowledge dialogue. Pro: More significant knowledge integration and retention Con: More complex pedagogy and ambiguous objectives

  5. The Two Cultures Experiments Theatre – Physics Physical Aesthetics Scientific Metaphors and the Visuals Arts World on the Edge Philosophical and Scientific Perspectives on Cataclysmic Events Space and Time, Love and Loss Science Fiction Stories

  6. Pharmakon Issues • How will mathematics be handled in such a course? • How will lab be handled in such a course? • How do I assess such a course? Do instruments like tests and quizzes make any sense? • What will happen to students who try to go on in science after this class? • Who can teach these classes?

  7. Theatre - Physics Theatre • literary analysis • understanding the differences between the play and other types of fiction • thematic and structural unity • Physics • scientific method • historical development of scientific ideas • science is a work in progress • science is good at answering the “Hows” but not the “Whys”

  8. Textual Layout Science in the Ancient World The Poetics and Oedipus The Scientific Revolution Reading the Mind of God, Starry Messenger, and Leap 19th Century Science Arcadia, Darwin in Malibu, and The Enemy of the People 20th Century Science Copenhagen, The Physicists, and Waiting for Godot

  9. Physical Aesthetics: Scientific Metaphors and the Visual Arts Search for Truthby René Magritte

  10. Example Topic: Force Metaphors in Art Force Mass Vector Pieta by Michelangelo The Tragedy by Pablo Picasso The Death of Marat by Jacques- Louis David

  11. World on the Edge In these linked courses, we explored philosophical questions that arose as we studied the science relating to potential cataclysmic or apocalyptic events.

  12. Topical Outline I) Dangerous Scientific Endeavors Nanotechnology, Artificial intelligence, and High-Energy Physics II) Warfare and Weapons Biological, Chemical, and Nuclear Weapons III) Over-population and Over-consumption Energy, Waste, Air Quality, and Climate Change IV) External Events Cataclysmic Astronomy, Natural Disasters, and Alien Invasion V) Why Prolong the Human Race? Surviving in space and Planetary colonization

  13. “Space and Time, Love and Loss”Science Fiction Stories • Good science fiction is both good science and good fiction. In this learning community, we will read short stories by the best writers in the field, writers who know the principles of physics as well as the techniques of characterization and plot. We will discuss the stories from both a literary perspective, focusing on the conflicts and complexities of the human condition, and a scientific perspective, focusing on the physical rules that seem to structure our universe.

  14. Quantum Mechanics“Ripples in the Dirac Sea” • Classical Mechanics“Crucifixion Variations” • Relativity “Think Like a Dinosaur” • “Built Upon the Sands of Time” • “Beyond the Aquila Rift” • “On the Orion Line” Planetology • “Light of Other Days “ Nuclear Physics • “At the Rialto” Light and Optics Telling Our Stories

  15. Assessment All these classes have a 50 question post assessment with space for open ended comments.

  16. Assessment All these classes have a 50 question post assessment with space for open ended comments. The results of these post-assessments are ridiculously good.

  17. Assessment All these classes have a 50 question post assessment with space for open ended comments. The results of these post-assessments are ridiculously good. In fact, too good!!

  18. Assessment All these classes have a 50 question post assessment with space for open ended comments. The results of these post-assessments are ridiculously good. In fact, too good!! Is it possible that these classes have lapsed into a form of entertainment (or social activity) rather than an authentic educational experience??

  19. The Two Cultures Physics Coursea Pharmakon of Science Education Steve Zides Wofford College zidessb@wofford.edu

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