Teaching Molecular Biology with the Historical Accounts in The Eighth Day of Creation

Abstract

The Eighth Day of Creation is a narrative history of molecular biology by science journalist Horace Freeland Judson. It uses first-person interviews to tell the story of how scientists in the mid-20th century discovered the basic rules of life that we now call the Central Dogma. The book presents both an in-depth analysis of the foundational research and a look into the lives of the scientists involved. We used this book as the primary text for an advanced undergraduate seminar course at the University of Washington in winter 2020, a class designed to help students critically think about approaches to science, the role of social factors in scientific progress, and the conceptual development of paradigm shifts. In this piece we reflect on our approach designing the course and our experience teaching it and share our syllabus (annotated with some reflections on the course) as inspiration for others