This course welcomes students into a culture of interdisciplinary learning that engages their abilities to examine Biology and the Arts and draw salient and significant connections between these disciplines. We incorporate various learning strategies—intellectual, visual, aural, written and kinetic—that allow the students to undergo a highly textured learning experience.
Students in this course will simultaneously explore the relationships between scientific method (developing hypotheses, collecting evidence and interpreting the experimental data) and the artistic process (creating ideas, developing themes and crafting a presentation). Augmented with readings covering biology, critical theory and aesthetic philosophy, this course will be a unique opportunity for students to understand the (all too often tacit) relationship between science and the arts and to foster an appreciation for both.
Kolbert, E. 2006. Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change. Bloomsbury USA, 240 p. Note that this is the UW Common Book for the 2007-2008 academic year.
Maimon, EP et al. 2005. The New McGraw-Hill Handbook. McGraw Hill, 984 p.
Selected readings by authors such as Plato, Dante, Gould and Kuhn.
Every day during lecture, discussion and sometimes even workshops, we'll ask you to reflect on your work. You will record these reflections in your journal.
These shorts assignments build off of the workshops that we have in class. Sometimes they ask you about your field trips (to the Wetlands on campus or the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture). Other times they'll help you master skill sets, like how to improve your writing. Still others walk you through science labs, like measuring fossil skulls or growing plants.
This paper is your chance to study what you choose, so long as it encompasses an aspect of biology and art. We help you with the initial brainstorming, and you'll work through many iterations of the paper. Your idea will grow from topic, to report, to a dialog between you and a friend, to first and second drafts of a more formal paper. A major goal of this paper is to see how your writing matures as you revise.
Practice making your point succinctly, with evidence.
Discuss each day's readings. Why did we assign them? How do they relate to that day's topic? How do they relate to the themes in the course as a whole? Can you help everyone in your group participate equally?
One of the major advantages of a school like UWB is that you can get one-on-one attention from your professors. So start now! We will help ensure that you're getting what YOU want from this class.