RELG 340 - Science and Religion
Module 10
Module Learning Objectives and their relationships to Course Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this Module, you will be able to :
- Describe and discuss the Biological side of the Science and Religion dialogue. (CLO A)
- Describe and discuss current theories of cosmology and the origin of the universe. (CLO B)
- Describe and discuss current theories of the origin of life. (CLO C)
- Describe and discuss current theories of evolution. (CLO D)
Readings
- The Language of God : chapters 3, 4 and 5
- Notes for this Module
InterNet Links for this Module
- Biographies of people mentioned in the readings
- Links for this Module
- Remember - always cite your sources
Reading Report 10
- From chapter 3 : What do you think Kant meant by the quotation given on p. 57?
- What does Stephen Hawking see as the ultimate question for everyone?
- What is the name for the current scientific theory about the start of the universe, and what does it postulate?
- How did Robert Jastrow conclude "God and the Astronomers", and what do you think he meant?
- What does the theory of the Big Bang imply about Creation?
- According to current theories, what were the odds of matter and anti-matter cancelling one another out completely, resulting in the universe becoming pure radiation without matter?
- According to current theories, what would have happened if the rate of expansion of the universe after the Big Bang had been smaller than it was?
- According to current theories, what would have happened if the rate of expansion of the universe had been greater than it was?
- According to current theories, what is remarkable about the "strong nuclear force"?
- How many physical constants are critical for the maintenance of a stable universe, and what are some of them?
- What is the Anthropic Principle?
- What is Arno Penzias' response to the Anthropic Principle?
- What advice from Augustine of Hippo (Saint Augustine) does Dr. Collins quote?
- From chapter 4 : Summarize William Paley's "Argument from Design". What is the flaw in this argument?
- What two questions can we not answer from science alone?
- What was Gregor Mendel's contribution to science?
- What did Archibald Garrod demonstrate about "inborn errors of metabolism"?
- Which biochemical substance is capable of transferring inherited characteristics? Who discovered this, and when?
- Who were the four people who were responsible for elucidating the structure of DNA, and what is its structure?
- In which cellular structures is DNA found?
- What sort of molecule carries information from the nucleus of the cell to the cytoplasm, and what sort of molecule is produced at the ribosome?
- What is striking about the genetic code when we investigate various organisms?
- From chapter 5 : Who was the first director of the Human Genome Project, and how did he get it started?
- What was Dr. Collins' reaction when he learned that he was being considered as the next leader of the Human Genome Project, and how did he come to his decision?
- About how many protein-coding genes are there in the human genome, and how does this number compare with those for simpler organisms?
- What striking feature of the human genome is revealed when different members of our species are compared?
- How did the malaria parasite demonstrate the process of evolution during the late twentieth century?
Use MSWord or a text editor such as Notepad to prepare and save your work, then submit it as one document.
Discussion Board 10
Thread - Whom would you most like to have been, or to have had as a mentor :
Immanuel Kant, Robert Jastrow, Arnio Penzias, Gregor Mendel, Archibald Garrod, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin?
Choose whom you would most like to have been, or to have had as a mentor, write an account of his/her life, and say why you chose him/her rather than any of the others.
Replies to 2 of your classmates' threads - If possible, choose Threads which deal with different people.
What are your thoughts about the people chosen, and their influence on the dialog between Science and Religion?
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
