9:30-10:45A   TR    BH 237

How are religion and science related?  Can scientific conclusions be used
to argue for or against claims in religion?  Can religious convictions be
appealed to in science?  How is the method of science related to the
method of religion, or theology?  In this class, we will examine these,
and other questions, with an aim towards a careful and open discussion of
the issues that they raise.  We will examine those issues from two points
of view: historical, and contemporary. We will look at some episodes from
the history of science, such as the Scientific Revolution and the
reception of Darwin's theory of evolution, and discuss how science and
religion interacted in these episodes.  We will also look at contemporary
material, especially from contemporary physics and biology, and discuss
how science and religion might be interacting in those cases too.  The
reading for the class will consist mostly of books, to include Ian
Barbour's book Science and Religion.  Major assignments will include a
take-home mid-term and a final paper, with other minor assignments
interspersed.