SCI 105 Text Review Project
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Last Revised: May 29, 2002

Angell, Marcia    Science on Trial      Rating: 4 out of 5     ISBN 0-393-31672-6

From the book jacket: "In the early 1990's, sympathetic juries awarded huge damages to women claiming injury from silicone breast implants, leading to a $4.25 billion class-action settlement that still wasn't large enough to cover all the claims.  Shockingly, rigorous scientific studies of breast implants have now shown that there is no significant link between breat implants and disease.  Why were the courts and the public so certain that breast implants were dangerous when medical researchers were not?  The answer to this question reveals important differences in the way science, the law, and the public regard evidence -- and not just in the breast implant controversy."

Eddie Thomas: Angell's book is well-written and accessible to the students.  It presents, to my mind, some eye-opening material and helps reinforce the need for the general public to be educated in the ways of science.  I am pretty satisfied with the book, but I find that it is slightly longer than I would care for.

Joel Dopke: This text provides an overview of the legal battle concerning compensation for the real, implied, or imagined health consequences of the implantation of silicone breast implants.  Angell writes on a level that works for our freshman/sophomore students, essentially making most of her points in the first three chapters of the text and restating them as she continues.   In addition, Angell reinforces many of the 'how science/research is conducted' ideas we try to get across as she clarifies her points. 
     In general, students like this book, and I find discussion to be spirited.  There are many opportunities for group projects.  In four semesters of using this text, I've never had a problem with inappropriate student comments during discussion.  I like to use this text in conjunction with the 80-minute Frontline video available from Media Services.  The video gives faces to the text's major characters, and shows the passion they feel toward their respective causes.  I will likely continue to use this book for two reasons:  (1) it addresses so many of the concepts we try to get across in the course; and (2) students enjoy reading and discussing it.

Bronowski, Jacob    Science and Human Values      Rating: 4 out of 5      ISBN 0-06-097281-5

Frank Dane: Brownowski provides thorough, but sometimes difficult to read, essays on the importance of creativity, responsibility and consensus in science.  The first time I used it the students judged it to be much better than Giere, which they read first.  The second time I used it, the students read Brownowski first and complained that the vocabulary was too difficult (although they didn't actually use the word vocabulary).  The final essay, The Abacus and the Rose, is an entertaining look at academic politics, but I think it's lost on the students unless the instructor spends considerable time explaining the essay.

David Crowley: I close the semester spending two and a half weeks discussing J. Bronowski’s collection of three essays, Science and Human Values.  I like to discuss this book at the end of the semester, after Giere, because it brings the class back to the big question…”What is science and how is it done?”  The book also talks about the interaction between science and society and about how science is a creative and imaginative activity.  Since I spend some time at the beginning of the semester talking about these issues, I feel Bronowski is an appropriate way to close.
     Students tell me they would like to spend more time on Bronowski, because the reading is somewhat difficult to get through.   I allow students to discuss the reading in class, following questions that I prepare for them.  These discussions seem to go pretty well, especially if the students are motivated by a group quiz at the end of class.  However, it is difficult for the students to understand Bronowski completely in only 45 minutes.  We did spend considerable time discussing Bronowski as a large group, but I sometimes feel that I speak too much and spoil student discovery of Bronowski.
     I plan to continue to use Bronowski at the end of the course, perhaps dedicating another period or two to this book.   Student essays on the final exam showed that many understood Bronowski’s points and that the reading made them reconsider their notions of what science is, how it is practiced, and how it affects our society.

Carey, Steven    A Beginner's Guide to the Scientific Method      ISBN 0-534-52843-0

Derry, Gregory    What Science Is and How It Works

Djerassi, Carl    Cantor's Dilemma

Easton, T.A.    Taking Sides: Clashing Views...      Rating: 4 out of 5

David Crowley: Based on my initial experience in this course, I decided to incorporate a new type of text in an attempt to accomplish several things: 1. Promote more group activity outside of class.  Groups had to get together outside of class and come up with arguments and counter-arguments to use in a panel discussion format.  2. Promote critical thinking and analysis on the part of the student about scientific and technological topics that should be relevant to their lives.  3. Give the course some variety; complement Giere and Bronowski with timely issues from science and technology.
     To accomplish these goals, I had students, in their groups, rank the Issues in the Taking Sides volume according to their preference for presentation.  This way, students had a hand in the subjects they would be discussing, making it more personal and making them decision makers in the class.  I tried to match up groups who had common preferences and then I posted a schedule online, letting groups know when their presentations (each group had to be involved in two presentations) were.  A week before the presentation, students were assigned a ‘side’ that they would support in the panel discussion.  They were also directed to materials designed to help them construct their cases.  Students were asked to meet with me prior to their presentation, although I did not make this mandatory.  On the day of the presentation, I moderated the discussion, following a set procedure outlined in the following section (structure of panel discussions).  Students sat in rows in front of the rest of the class.  The two groups not presenting completed an evaluation sheet prior to and during class that evaluated the reading and the panel discussion.
     Issues we discussed: Is Science a Faith? Is it ethically permissible to clone human beings? Can humans go to Mars now? Is the use of animals in research justified? Should the internet be censored? Is it worthwhile to continue the search for extraterrestrial life?
     Overall, I think that the students enjoy these discussions, at least at the level of taking a break from Giere or Bronowski.  The discussions themselves were OK – some students really seized on the chance to “argue” their side and some were quite creative, coming up with visual aids, etc. to strengthen their arguments.  I think that some of the problems with this exercise were internal to the groups in that not all group members were preparing adequately for the assignment.  Perhaps a way to remedy this would be to make a mandatory pre-discussion meeting with me which all group members must attend.  This would be difficult to organize, but it would allow me to assess how well the group was preparing and if all members were involved.
     Groups did not go very deeply into some of the issues and it was difficult at times to keep the groups from debating, rather than discussing.  Personalities came into play a great deal here, and some students tended to dominate the discussions at times (e.g., panel discussion of Is Science a Faith? became very personal and nonproductive.  I would not use this issue again with a panel discussion format).  Some improvement in developing arguments, counterarguments, and a well organized presentation were noted from the first discussion to the second, but it would be nice to have each group do three discussions.  It was difficult to finish our discussion in one period (50 minutes is quite short for this type of discussion) and so we often had a “wrap-up” discussion as a class the following period.  This means that a third group assignment would make it difficult to cover everything else I do in SCI.
     I’d be happy to share any of the materials I use.  Many of them are available at the publishers website, dushkin.com.

Feynmann, R.P.    The Pleasure of Finding Things Out     Rating: 4 out of 5 (5 out of 5 with "Infinity" video)

Jeff Hugdahl: This book is a compilation of a number of seminars/talks/writings by Nobel Prize Winner Richard Feynman. Several give a date when the interview or talk occurred (ranging from the 1960’s through the 1980s, Feynman died in 1988), useful for putting his comments in some kind of social context.
     One of the benefits of using this text is that the students need not read the entire book in order. In fact, of the thirteen readings, I typically have the students read seven or eight of them. Several are particularly appropriate for Scientific Inquiry, while some are important for gaining a better understanding of who Feynman was, and how he became that person.
     I have used several of the chapters early in the semester as the class struggles to find an adequate definition of science. Chapters one (The Pleasure of Finding Things Out), eight (What is Science?), help students begin to understand how Feynman become a scientist, and his relationship with his father. Chapter eleven (It’s as Simple as One, Two, Three) details how Feynman continues to probe the world around him, developing ideas and experiments to test them. These chapters are useful in discussions on how science is actually done. Interestingly, in “What is Science?” Feynman does not come out with a dictionary definition of Science, and this allows students to struggle and argue as they attempt to come up with their own definition.
     Chapter three (Los Alamos from Below) is a fun chapter to read, as Feynman reveals a bit more about his life as he worked on the atomic bomb project in Los Alamos, as well as his relationship with his ill wife. I haven’t really worked the chapter into class proper beyond discussing some of the more interesting exploits.
     Chapters four (What Is and What Should Be the Role of Scientific Culture in Modern Society) and six (The Value of Science) are good introductions to how science plays a role in our everyday lives (or how it can be argued that science is irrelevant to a large number of people). Feynman discusses how scientists should be involved in political decisions, and the concept of peer review makes an appearance.
     Chapter thirteen (The Relation of Science and Religion) is a very good chapter for getting students over the fear that the main goal of ‘Science’ is to destroy or disprove religion. He does discuss the effect of the questioning nature of science and how that affects the religious beliefs of a hypothetical student. I think the students can actually take a lot away from this chapter. At the very least, I get plenty of discussion on the day we talk about this.
     Chapter ten (Cargo Cult Science: Some Remarks on Science, Pseudoscience, and Learning How to Not Fool Yourself) is a nice chapter on junk science, providing a good opportunity to also talk about how science should be done, as well as presented (to other scientists and the general public).
     Finally, at the end of the semester, I got a copy of the movie “Infinity.” The movie chronicles the life of Feynman from his early years through the death of his first wife. A common theme throughout the movie was Feynman’s thirst for knowledge, and how he would actually use a scientific attitude in his daily life. Some of the scenes in the movie had come up previously in our readings (early on in the movie, Feynman is being led by his father to discover the principle of inertia, an activity also related in Chapter one of the book). I thought the movie was a good way to finish our discussion of Feynman, and, assuming that the portrayal of Feynman was reasonable accurate, the students could get a better understanding of who Feynman was.

Giere, Ronald    Understanding Scientific Reasoning     Rating: 3 out of 5     ISBN 0-15-501625-3

Joel Dopke: Students seem to universally dislike the Giere text.  Unlike so many of the extended cases we use, this book feels like a text (complete with 'end of chapter exercises').  Students have told me that they feel that parts of Giere are written in an almost condescendingly simple way (the Program), and others are confusingly complex (statistics).  The utility of Giere lies in the fact that it provides a framework for some of the necessary sections of the course (statistics, studies, deduction, etc.).  I found this text to be useful as I started teaching SCI, but am looking to replace it with something students will embrace more readily.

Hoffman, Roald; Djerassi, Carl    Oxygen      ISBN 3-527-30413-4

Lee, J.A.    The Scientific Endeavor

Polkinghorne, John    Beyond Science: The Wider Human Context

Rhodes, Richard    Deadly Feasts

Shermer, Michael    Why People Believe Weird Things     Rating: 4 out of 5      ISBN 0-7167-3090-1

From the book jacket: "Why do so many people believe in mind reading, past-life regression therapy, abductions by extra-terrestrials, and ghosts?  What has led to the rise of 'scientific creationism' and the belief that the Holocaust never happened?  Why, in this age of supposed scientific enlightenment, do we seem to be more dangerously confused than ever?"

Frank Dane: Shermer provides an interesting and highly accessible way to introduce the notion of critical analysis of claims and empiricism.  I used the entire book, but the point became laborious toward the last third of the book.  I will use selected chapters in the future.  It is an extremely effective medium through which to discuss science versus pseudoscience and nonscience.

Stevenson, Leslie; Byerly, Henry    The Many Faces of Science     ISBN 0-8133-2017-8

Watson, James    The Double Helix      ISBN 0-393-95075-1 (Norton Critical Edition paperback)

Ziman, John    Reliable Knowledge      Rating: 2 out of 5     ISBN 0-521-40670-6

Dale Moore: The John Ziman text Reliable Knowledge was the core text used in all sections of SCI 105 in the program’s inaugural year.  Ziman covered the meta-content issues of theory and model building, communication among scientists, and limitations on scientific knowledge.  The typical use of this type of core text has been distribution of the text chapters over the semester with case studies to provide context between chapters.  (There are seven chapters in Reliable Knowledge).  Ziman’s reading level challenged students.  This did, however, result in a significant amount of in-class discussion on the text.  Major criticisms of Reliable Knowledge included: Examples drawn primarily from physical science did not engage the students, and Ziman’s emphasis on the limitations of behavioral and social science misled students to reach negative conclusions about some scientific disciplines.   After one year of use, Reliable Knowledge was discontinued as the uniform SCI 105 core text.  The following year, Ziman’s more recent An Introduction to Science Studies (ISS) was used in some sections of SCI 105, but it scored lower than all other core and case study texts (Angell, Bronowski, Carey, Stevenson & Byerly, and Watson) on student evaluations.  In ISS, Ziman expanded on the meta-content from Reliable Knowledge with more discussion on the sociology, politics, and economics of science, especially the connection to research and development.  As compared with Reliable Knowledge, the sections are shorter in ISS, but there are more of them (with appropriate descriptive headings), as well as more chapters.  (There are sixteen chapters in ISS.)  While these texts might provide interesting reading for SCI 105 instructors and help them to identify appropriate learning objectives for course meta-content, the Ziman texts are not generally recommended as core texts for SCI 105.  

Ziman, John    An Introduction to Science Studies     Rating: 2 out of 5     ISBN 0-521-34680-0

For review: See Reliable Knowledge, above.

SCI 105 Text Review Project Web Page / Spring 2002