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Dr. Brian Regal
Associate Professor for the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Department of History, LHAC 212
email: bregal@kean.edu
Course Description:
An examination of the history of evolution studies, focusing on the controversial aspects of human evolution and how it impacts health care, religious culture, politics, and public education, from the 1600s to the present. The larger question of how evolution turned from science to contentious cultural issue.
Course Objectives:
Students will gain a familiarity with the concept of evolution and its relationship to science, society and religion. The lives of important scientists, researchers and philosophers of evolution as well as important discoveries and advances in the field. Social impact of evolution science upon religion, politics, the arts and culture will be studied. Students will apply methods of historical research and analysis to the topic, gain experience studying the hominid fossil record and show expertise through a series of examinations and written research projects. Basic methodologies and theories of studying the past as well as gain an understanding of the mechanics of human evolution and the hominid fossil record.
Illustration from T.H. Huxley's Man's Place in Nature (1863)
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Syllabus (available soon) (NOTE: the syllabus is subject to change over the course of the semester).
Additional required readings
• The Elusive Basis of Creation Science
• The Most Important Biblical Discovery
• Bad Hair Days in the Paleolithic
• Science as an Apologetic for Creationism
Supplemental Readings: recommended but not required
• Anti-Evolutionism and Creation in the United States
• Evolution's Struggle for Existence in Schools
• Creationism in the 20th Century
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On-Line Resources:
• A leading organization which battles anti-evolutionism
NCSE National Center for Science Education
• Study human evolution as a career? Check this out.
School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University graduate program
• Creation Museum
http://www.creationmuseum.org/
• Darwin On-Line All things Darwin including correspondence and diaries:
• The Dispersal of Darwin More great Darwin stuff
http://thedispersalofdarwin.blogspot.com/2008/07/archives-of-natural-history-siren.html
• Evolutionary Biology Resource page, St. Anselm College
http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/jpitocch/resevol.html
• Talk Origins Archive
http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/other-links.html
• Human Origins and Evolution in Africa, Indiana University, Bloomington
http://www.indiana.edu/~origins/
• Dover Pa. Intelligent Design case, American Radio Works
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/inteldesign/
• Hear my friend Professor Holly Dunsworth, Penn State University, discuss human evolution on National Public Radio (5/11/2008):
This I believe, NPR
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90311455
Jack Chick's anti-evolution wonderland
http://www.chick.com/default.asp
The primates of London (old Grant Museum)
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• Kean University Department of History Main Page
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