Facilitating Scientific Thoughtfulness for Non-Science Majors

Abstract

Science is not about the collection of factual data, nor is it centrally concerned with the search for universal or even limited truth. “Fact” and “truth” are attributes commonly espoused by both scientist and non-scientist alike, yet they are actually ancillary to the purpose of the uniquely human endeavor known as science. Science is, at its core, both a mode of thought and a powerful, successful mechanism for the rational exploration of nature. Far too often, particularly at the undergraduate level, students are overwhelmed with the mass of factual data science has uncovered, and they are rarely or never exposed to the beautiful interconnectedness of modern science. The success of reductionist approaches to scientific questions coupled with exponential growth of scientific specialization has thrown up major barriers to the scientific education of non-science students. Ensuring that colleges and universities continue to produce students with a foundation in scientific literacy is fundamental to a greater public understanding of science, and ultimately, the long-term continuance of the scientific enterprise.In the spring of 1997 the Honors Council at Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne (a regional campus of the Indiana and Purdue system of approximately ten thousand undergraduate students) called for proposals for ten upper-division pilot courses from throughout the university. In response to that call, an undergraduate seminar course based upon the theory and practice of scientific thought was developed. With enriching student thoughtfulness as an ultimate goal of this new course, six interrelated teaching tools were fused to create a challenging learning experience for nonscience majors. Socratic seminars and open forums provide opportunities for student-driven dialog on issues of scientific thought, scientific truth, and the diverse controversies currently associated with modern scientific research. Critical evaluation essays provide a mechanism through which students can expand their thoughtfulness on these questions in a written format. Critical reasoning projects and numerical literacy puzzles are smaller, more directed, learning instruments through which students are asked to think both logically and creatively to solve specific problems. Individual and group projects afford students the opportunity to further expand their creative thoughtfulness. Together these pedagogical techniques form a dynamic and extremely flexible learning environment in which students are challenged to expand their personal thoughtfulness.