Information Session: The Interaction of Science and Religion, AS-I T280 940 (CRN 25891)

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

5:00 PM-6:00 PM

Thinking about winter registration? Students entering the sophomore level or above are invited to explore a new online course with a spring break travel component, The Interaction of Science and Religion.

How did science emerge as one of the most powerful tools for gaining new knowledge? What role did religion play in science's development over the past five millennia? What were the major issues in science and religion? What insight can science and religion bring to the issues facing humanity in the 21st century?

This course aims to answer these questions by following an evolutionary progression beginning with the Big Bang, moving through chemical and biological evolution, to the science and religion of early cultures (Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans), exploring paradigm-changing scientists (Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Darwin, and Einstein), and concluding with recent advances in neuroscience that impinge on understanding the mind and soul. Religious influences of cultures and individuals will be discussed relative to their influence on scientists and the influence or not on their scientific discoveries.

The course is a combination of lectures, guided readings, journaling and discussions during the quarter that will be brought alive through visits to historical sites in Italy, Germany and Switzerland. Sites visits are designed to deepen the connection between science and religion through guided visits to places such as the Vatican, the Vatican observatory, the Galileo Museum, the Einstein Museum and the CERN supercollider, to better understand how scientific discoveries were colored by the culture, religion and politics of many famous scientists.
This course includes both an online (2 credit) and study abroad (1 credit) portion. Students are required to take both sections as follows:

• Winter Term (online): The Interaction of Science and Religion, 2 credits

• Spring Term (study abroad): The Interaction of Science and Religion, 1 credit

The Interaction of Science and Religion (AS-I T280 940, CRN 25891) is open to students entering the sophomore level or above in any major. The course is taught by Fraser Fleming, PhD, chair of Drexel’s Department of Chemistry. Permission of instructor is required for registration. Students will need to register and complete additional paperwork prior to the start of the course. Please email Tina Lewinski (tml37@drexel.edu) for more information.

Contact Information

Tina Lewinski
215.895.0567
tml37@drexel.edu