The last day of summer slips away...

Tomorrow, I think it is fair to say that my summer ends. I have work-related obligations that trump everything else, and so I return, kicking and screaming, to the workforce and to play my role as a Productive Member of Society(TM).

So, it's almost time to begin working on my new class syllabus. It's a class I have never taught before, but that's how I always do it. It keeps teaching interesting, and it keeps me learning. This semester I am teaching a class on Science and Pseudoscience. I can't wait.

What will I cover, I wonder? And that's a good question. I have a couple of nifty new readings lined up, some ol' standbys that never fail, and some other stuff as well. I hope to draw on a variety of media and help students explore the concept of science. It is also my desire to put students in contact with people doing science in Atlanta. A number of local schools have excellent degree programs in the sciences, especially Emory and Georgia Tech, and I will see if I can't enlist some of those departments in training writers who can speak with some confidence about science.

We will read Kuhn. We'll read Sagan. We'll read Velikovsky, Dawkins, Shermer. We'll read Freud. We'll read Answers in Genesis (barf), we'll read Lysenko. I have an extensive session set aside for discussions of public health and vaccination. I have a speaker Skyping in to my class to discuss alternative medicine with them. I would like to discuss archaeology vs. biblical archaeology, and might ask a speaker to visit my classes to discuss those topics.

Will I talk about Intelligent Design vs. Evolution? I think I might. This semester, I think it is appropriate.

Also, go here. I freaking love Futurama.

HJ