FRS 170: Scandals and Blunders in Science

Winter 2007

Course Description: This course will explore how science works and what can happen when things go wrong. Sometimes individuals falsify data or artifacts. Sometimes individuals overinterpret patterns at the limit of detection. Through the process of science, both kinds of problems can be discovered and the record set straight. Cases to be examined include Cold Fusion, Piltdown Man, and Polywater.

Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Muzyka, Olin 214, 238-5413, muzyka@centre.edu

Office Hours: 10:30-11:00 M-F, 2:30-3:30 M-F and by appointment.

Required Textbooks:

• False Prophets: Fraud and Error in Science and Medicine by Alexander Kohn (please note that this book is out of print and is not available at the campus bookstore)
• Cantor's Dilemma, by Carl Djerassi
• Intuition, by Allegra Goodman
• New York Times (available on campus)

Grading:

Participation	20%
Presentations	30%
Papers	30%
Final exam	20%

Attendance is expected at every class meeting, and will be monitored.

Participation. Your active engagement in this course is important to help you learn the material. Another aspect of your participation grade will be how well you work with other team members when we work in groups.

Classroom Behavior. Students are asked to exhibit classroom behavior that is respectful and considerate of the others in the class and not distracting or disruptive. Please arrive on time, turn off cell phones, and do not wear hats in the classroom. In addition, you should not leave and reenter the classroom in the middle of class (save in cases of dire necessity).

Student Disabilities. Students with physical impairments and learning disabilities will sometimes need accommodations to help them have an equal opportunity to learn. It is the student's responsibility to inform the College of any disabilities for which he or she seeks accommodation. If you wish to seek any accommodations for disabilities, you must initiate the process at the beginning of the term, for relief cannot always be granted at the last minute and will not be granted after the fact. Students should contact Dr. Mary Gulley, the Assistant Dean for Advising, in the Office of Academic Affairs. She is charged with reviewing all documentation for disabilities and with coordinating any accommodations offered to students.

Academic Honesty. Students are reminded of the regulations governing academic honesty, especially with regard to plagiarism and other forms of cheating. Copying the work of another student or using outside sources without proper attibution are serious breaches of academic honesty. These regulations are found on pp 22-23 in the Student Handbook.