Origins of Ideas and Ideas of Origins IDH 1002 – Spring 2016 the Honors College Florida International University

Origins of Ideas and Ideas of Origins IDH 1002 – Spring 2016 The Honors College Florida International University

Classrooms and Professor Contacts Lecture/large-group classes: Tuesdays at 3:30 PM in SIPA 125 or in POD Group Rooms Individual sections meet on Thursdays in the rooms noted below

POD Group 1 (GL 245) Brian Peterson Michael Christie 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM, GC 271A Section: 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM, Office hours: By appointment, DM 396 Office hours by appointment, EC 2763 [email protected]; (305) 348-2343 [email protected]; (305) 348-7392

Sian Evans POD Group 4 (PG6-1121) Section: 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM, GC 279A Joan Baker Office hours: By appointment, OE 243 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM, GC 273B [email protected]; (305) 238-9981 Office hours: By appointment, DM454c [email protected]; (305) 348-3873 Joseph Lichter Section: 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM, Helen Cornely Office hours: MW 3-5pm, CP307 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM, GC 271A [email protected]; (305) 348-6209 Office Hours by appointment AHC3 - Room 538 [email protected] (305) 348-1968

POD Group 2 (GC 280) Joseph Lichter Ruben Garrote 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM, AHC4-202 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM, GC 273A Office hours: MW 3-5pm, CP307 Office hours: By appointment, DM 233 [email protected]; (305) 348-6209 [email protected]; (305) 348-4100

Bernard Gerstman POD Group 5 (SIPA 125) 11:00 AM–12:15 PM, GC 275B Regina Bailey Office hours: By appointment, CP 232 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM, GL 139 [email protected]; (305) 348-3115 Office hours: By appointment, DM 233 [email protected]; (305) 535-2649 Mary Adelyn Kaufmann 11:00 AM–12:15 PM, GC 271A Mary Adelyn Kaufmann Office hours: By appointment, DM 233 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM, GC 278B [email protected]; (305) 348-4100 Office hours: By appointment, DM 233 [email protected]; (305) 348-4100

POD Group 3 (GL 165) Jose Rodriguez Adam Gorelick 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM, GC 278B 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM, GC 273A Office hours: By appointment, DM 233 Office hours: By appointment, DM 233 [email protected]; (305) 348-4100 [email protected]; (305) 348-4100 Juan Carlos Espinosa Scott Kass First Year Seminar Coordinator 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM, GC 275B [email protected]; (305) 348-4100 Office hours: By appointment, DM 233 [email protected]; (305) 348-4100

Course Overview This semester we will be exploring the origins of ideas and ideas of origins through narrative, science and culture. We will be building on our introductory work on basic epistemology, ideas of self, extra- dimensional analysis, research, language and culture, etc. Students will continue to develop and execute their freshman thesis project while collectively we will turn our attention toward the dialogue and relationship between science and art. We will explore each separately and together as methods of access to knowledge and experience.

“Both ‘scientists’ and ‘non-scientists’ have a tendency to regard science and culture as different and parallel (if not competing) things, between which one can (or must) choose . . . science is not conceived of as an alternative (either neutral or competitive) to culture but rather as a central component of a human culture more broadly understood--a component that existed long before the term ‘science’ was coined and will long outlast current understandings of science as a specialized or privileged activity that can be engaged in only by members of a self-perpetuating professional community.” --- Paul Grobstein

What qualifies as science? What is its history, and how does the scientific community work? How do humans fit into the natural order, and what constitutes personhood? We will look at science as practice, as narrative, and as social phenomenon. We will also revisit ideas from the Fall semester to discuss the implications of new ideas and human action on society and our environment. How do advancements in specialized scientific fields influence the evolution of language and our mental maps of reality? New scientific insight offers new paradigms for understanding the universe.

Broadly speaking, what is art? How does it function in respect to accessing knowledge? We will investigate the examples of film, drama, music, and visual art in an effort to approach an epistemology of art. Ultimately, we will focus in on drama as narrative and performance—and as avenues for new ideas about self, society, and nature. New artistic insight offers new paradigms for experiencing the universe.

Can we speak then of both science and art as media for the transformation of human consciousness?

On Tuesdays, the entire first-year class will meet together in SIPA 125 or in the room assigned to your POD group for a lecture, discussion, film or other presentation. On Thursdays, students will meet in their assigned sections to explore more deeply the subject of the Tuesday session. Students are expected to come to class prepared (i.e., having read/listened to assigned material, brought their iClickers to participate fully in class discussions and activities. IDH1001-1002 is a web-assisted course using the learning management system Blackboard. Assignments, electronic readings, the discussion board, quizzes, video, music and supplementary material will be found there. You MUST use Blackboard to be able to participate in the course. Your usage is diligently tracked by the Blackboard system and is available to your professors. For more information on Blackboard and e- Campus, visit http://ecampus.fiu.edu/.

Course Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: • Describe and discuss seminal issues in the theory of knowledge covered in this course. • Incorporate into their reflections on contemporary social, moral, political, scientific, issues, etc. apply pertinent concerns raised in class with respect to: what knowledge is, how it is acquired and understood, and the role it plays in societies. • Recognize and articulate the ways in which perception, conception, memory, and language affect our ideas about the nature and origins of human beings and of our societies. • Recognize different approaches to the questions of natural and human origins. • Describe and discuss how different ways of knowing can cause conflicts in contemporary society.

Guidelines for Written Work All written work must consistently adhere to the MLA Formatting and Style Guide. Students are advised to carefully proofread all papers before submitting them. All students are encouraged to take advantage of the University resources for writing to be found in the Center for Excellence in Writing, a full-service writing center providing writing assistance and feedback to university students. All written work is submitted through Turnitin. Plagiarism can result in expulsion from the Honors College and will have a negative effect on your entire college career. All written work must include your name, Panther ID number, course number and the name of the professor on the title page. It must be double spaced, 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left and right) and in 12 point font, Times New Roman or Calibri.

Assignments Thesis Rough Draft 10% Due February 12 (between 4,000 and 7,000 words) Thesis Final Draft 50% Due March 21 (between 6,000 and 7,000 words) Notebook 10% Due April 7 Theatre Project 10% Performances during Week 8 Synthesis Project 10% Final presentations on April 19 Participation 10% Total 100%

Freshman Thesis: All students will be writing and presenting a thesis at the end of the academic year. They will be selecting a topic in collaboration with their instructor. Although student will be given general subjects to work with around the fifth week of the fall semester, they must tease out a reasonable and feasible topic. Students will be responsible or finding the topic, preparing a research question or statement, planning a preliminary literature review by the end of the semester. The final thesis will have a minimum of 7,000 words excluding references, chart, and diagrams. The rough draft accounts for 10% of your grade, while the final draft is 50% of your final grade.

Notebook: The Notebook Project is an opportunity to explore a natural setting of your own choosing that also may prove to be a portal through which you can explore and expand your own perceptions and consciousness and in the process soak up some of Nature’s peace and beauty. There is a rich literary and scientific precedent for this kind of personal experience. Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle, Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, A.R. Wallace’s The Malay Archipelago, H.D. Thoreau’s Walden and Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek are just a few examples. What they have in in common is a long span of time over which they were written and an intense enthusiasm or love the writers felt for their subject. Near the end of IDH-1002 in the spring, your journals will become the source of a personal Reflection Paper which will be part of your evaluation for that course. Notebooks are due on April 7, and represent 10% of your final grade.

Theatre Project: Each section will present a production of Constellations. Your role and participation in the project will count for 10% of your final grade.

Synthesis Project: Students will put together a presentation of an idea or ideas that combine elements of art, science, and social communication. The final product should take a creative form. Examples can include performances, exhibits, video, spoken word, scientific experiments, installations, demonstrations, and other forms capable of expressing your idea(s). The Synthesis Project is designed as a collaborative project for small groups and up to entire sections. Project presentations are scheduled for Tuesday, April 26. The projects should be fun. No Powerpoints allowed. The project is 10% of your final grade.

Participation: Attendance does not count as “participation.” It is a requirement. The consequence of unexcused absences is explained below. Students are expected to come to class prepared, i.e., read or viewed the assigned material, completed homework, etc. and be prepared to participate in class discussions, group projects, and other activities. Participation is 10% of your final grade.

Course Materials

Required Reading (Print, Blackboard) Printed Materials • Nick Payne, Constellations: A Play, Faber & Faber, 2014. ISBN-10: 086547771X. Purchase at Bookstore.

Blackboard Materials (PDF & external links) • George F. R. Ellis, “Does the multiverse really exist? Proof of parallel universes radically different from our own may still lie beyond the domain of science,” Scientific American, August 2011. • Ralph Waldo Emerson, On Nature. • James Gorman, “Considering the Humanity of Non-Humans,” The New York Times, December 9, 2013. • David Grimm, “Lawsuits seek ‘Personhood’ for Chimpanzees,” Science, December 6, 2013. • Daniel J. Levitin, This is your brain on music: The science of a human obsession,” Electronic edition, 2006. • Sarah Reardon, “NIH to retire all chimpanzees,” Nature, November 18, 2015. • Oliver Sacks, “The last hippie,” in An Anthropologist on Mars, 1995. • Oliver Sacks, “The power of music.” Brain: A Journal of Neurology, electronic edition (2528- 2532), 2003. Retrieved from dx.doi.org/10.1093/brain/aw1234

Required Video/Web • Imre Lakatos, Science and Pseudoscience, mp3 • Distinguishing Science and Pseudoscience (Quackwatch) • Drawing the Line Between Science and Pseudoscience

Websites for Science-Art Days March 29 • Xavier Cortada, visual artist, FIU Artist-in-Residence CARTA and SEAS • Colin Foord, marine biologist, and Jared McKay, composer, Coral Morphologic** • Tom Pupo, architect, urbanist & entrepreneur, Honors College alumnus, instructor • Fiorella Terenzi, FIU astrophysicist & composer • Nick Mastrovito, musician, music program coordinator for the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind

April 5 • Susan Caraballo, curator, artistic director Art Center South Florida, Honors College alumna • Jose Vilar Portela, FIU doctoral candidate, editor Jai-alai Magazine, writer & activist • Leslie Neal, ArtSpring, choreographer, advocate** • Camila Alvarez, filmmaker & photographer, Right to Wynwood, Honors College alumna • Carmen Pelaez, writer & actor

Selected Background Material on Science-Art and the Integration of Ideas • Sci Art Sci (blog) • Eco-Art: A Profusion of Terms • Scientific American (blog) • What is the common ground between art and science? And how is Beethoven like Darwin? • Princeton University Art of Science Youtube Channel • Dennis Dutton: A Darwinian Theory of Beauty? (TED Talk) • Mae Jemison on Teaching Arts and Sciences Together (TED Talk) • Social Sculpture Research Group • Harold Pinter, “Art, Truth, and Politics,” Nobel Prize Lecture • Rolling Stone Magazine: Rock List Readers’ Best Protest Songs

• Marina Abramović, An Art Made of Trust, Vulnerability and Connection (TED Talk) • Discover Magazine: Scientists turn experiments into art • The Synergy Project: An Experiment in Art and Science Collaboration • Materials Research Society, Science as Art • Incredible Science! • Ellen Fullman, Long String Instrument • Agitprop Train • 100 Crayons Melted • Big Bang Theory • Spin Art

Course Calendar Outline

Week 1 Science and Pseudoscience January 12 (Meet in SIPA 125) Guest lecturer: Stephen Charman, FIU Department of Psychology

January 14 Discussion of Science and Pseudoscience, Validity of Sources and Bias § Imre Lakatos, Science and Pseudoscience, mp3 § Distinguishing Science and Pseudoscience (Quackwatch) § Drawing the Line Between Science and Pseudoscience

Week 2 History of Science (Meet in PODS) Coordinator: Joseph Lichter

January 21 Work on Thesis – Benchmark: Complete Outline of Paper

Week 3 Science and the Social: Personhood January 26 (Meet in SIPA 125) Lecturer: Sian Evans READ: Gorman, Grimm, Reardon

January 28 Work on Thesis – Benchmark: 1,000 to 2,000 words

Week 4 The Role of Science and the Arts in Knowing: Introduction February 2 (Meet in PODS) Coordinator: Regina Bailey, Joseph Lichter READ: Sacks, “The Last hippie”

February 4 Discussion

Week 5 The Quantum Multiverse February 9 (Meet in SIPA 125) Lecturer: Bernard Gerstman READ: Ellis

February 11 Rough Draft and Peer Review

Week 6 Theatre of Ideas and Some Practical Advice February 16 (Meet in SIPA 125) Guest lecturer: Michael Yawney, Theater

February 18 Start to Read Constellations

Week 7 The Role of the Arts in Knowing: Music February 23 (Meet in PODS) Coordinator: Mary Adelyn Kaufman READ: Levitin (Introduction, chapters 3, 9, Appendix A); Sacks, “The Power of Music”

February 25 Continue Reading Constellations

Week 8 Perform Constellations March 1 (Meet in PODS)

March 3 Continued

Week 9 The Role of the Arts in Knowing: Film March 8 (Meet in PODS) Coordinator: Adam Gorelick

March 10 Discussion

SPRING BREAK

Week 10 The Role of the Arts in Knowing: Visual Arts March 22 (Meet in SIPA 125) Coordinator: Regina Bailey

March 24 Informal Oral Presentations

Week 11 Science and Art Together March 29 (Meet in PODS) POD 1: Xavier Cortada, visual artist POD 2: Colin Foord, marine biologist & Jared McKay, composer (invited) POD 3: Tom Pupo, architect, maker, & entrepreneur POD 4: Fiorella Terenzi, astrophysicist & composer POD 5: Nick Mastrovito, musician

March 31 Introduce Synthesis Project Begin Brainstorming

Week 12 Artistic Expression and Social Message April 5 (Meet in PODS) POD 1: Susan Caraballo, curator POD 2: Jose Vilar Portela, writer & editor POD 3: Leslie Neal, choreographer (invited) POD 4: Camila Alvarez, filmmaker & photographer POD 5: Carmen Pelaez, writer & actor

April 7 Hand in and Share Notebooks

Week 13 Work on Synthesis Project April 12 (Meet in PODS)

April 14 Continue work on Synthesis Projects

Week 14 Work on Synthesis Project April 19 (Meet in PODS)

April 21 Finalize Synthesis Projects

Week 15 Sharing Synthesis Projects April 26 Location TBD

April 28 Decompression

Finals Week POD-luck – Review of Semester

Class Policies and Procedures

Policy on laptops and electronic devices for students attending Tuesday sessions in SIPA 125 ● The use of laptops and tablets is forbidden in SIPA 125. ● Students who have a legitimate need to use a laptop or other electronic device in class, must present proper documentation to the instructor. ● The use of all other electronic devices is prohibited. Devices will be subject to confiscation for the duration of the class session and will be returned to students at the end of the session. ● Laptop use in the PODs and in individual sections is determined by each professor.

Attendance/Classroom Etiquette Attendance is required and will be reflected in the final grade. You are expected to be on time for class and to remain in class for the duration of the lecture. Material will be covered in class that is not covered in the readings, thus each absence will negatively affect your ability to do well on assignments. Students will be allowed 2 absences. All other absences will adversely affect your grade. Please see the chart below for more information.

Number of Estimated Grade Unexcused A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F Absences 2 A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F 3 B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F F F F 4+ F F F F F F F F F F F F

Attendance in the large group session will be taken by iClicker. All students must have one by the end of the second week.

Students will behave in a courteous manner at all times. Talking in class is disruptive and shows a lack of respect for the lecturer, your fellow students and others present in the room.

Honors College Requirements and Policies

Registration in this course implies an acceptance of and compliance with the Honors College policies for students and the FIU Code of Academic Integrity.

Honors Citizenship Requirements Beginning in Fall 2014, Honors College students are required to accumulate at least 20 citizenship points each academic year (Fall and Spring) by attending Honors College activities. Students attending only one semester (Fall or Spring) are required to accumulate 10 citizenship points. See http://honors.fiu.edu/academics/policies/citizenship/.

Student Portfolios The Honors College will be using a portfolio method to assess students’ learning outcomes. The portfolio allows for maximum flexibility in gauging student learning. Students decide (with instructor consultation) what “artifacts” or assignments to include for consideration in their portfolios to demonstrate successful achievement of each of five key student learning outcomes over the 4-year Honors experience. See www.honors.fiu.edu/portfolios.

Academic Misconduct Procedures and Penalties In The Honors College, the term “honor” refers both to academic accomplishment and character. Students in Honors should therefore adhere to and be held to the highest standards of personal academic accountability. Academic dishonesty in any form, including plagiarism, is antithetical to the very definition of being an Honors student at FIU. Consequently, an Honors College student found responsible for academic misconduct will be dismissed from the College.

An Honors faculty member may bring charges of academic misconduct against an Honors student if the faculty member suspects plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct. The faculty member will decide whether to pursue informal resolution, file formal resolution charges, or take no further action, and will follow the procedures outlined in the Honors College website (http://honors.fiu.edu/academics/policies/), and the Academic Misconduct Procedures, available at http://www.fiu.edu/~oabp/misconductweb/1acmisconductproc.htm.

Please refer to the following documents for additional information:

FIU Code of Academic Integrity – http://www.fiu.edu/~dwyere/academicintegrity.html. FIU Honors College Student Handbook – http://honors.fiu.edu/handbook0910.html FIU Honors College Plagiarism Policy – http://honors.fiu.edu/current_policy_plagiarism.html

Religious Observances Every effort will be made, where feasible and practical, to accommodate students whose religious practices coincide with class requirements or scheduling. Please make sure to notify your instructor at the beginning of the semester of which dates you will be absent or any anticipated problems with completing course work.

Physical, Mental and Sensory Challenges Every effort will be made, where feasible and practical, to accommodate students who are so challenged. Should you require accommodations, contact the Disability Resource Center, if you have not done so already.