I cannot promise this will work, as it involves some risk of irritating the
anti-evolutionary students even further, but it has worked for me twice.
I tell students that I, as a religious person myself, have never had a conflict with
evolutionary theory. I send the complaining students to the book of Genesis where
they will find not one, but TWO stories of the creation. I ask them to locate the one
where life starts out as firmament, then comes along things swimming in the sea, and
after that some crawl up onto firm ground, then some fly, then come along humans at
the very end of the process. I ask them to compare this to evolutionary theory and
then see if there needs to be such animosity between the two ideas. I had good
luck--both students found this exegesis fascinating.
Patricia Keith-Spiegel
<<< [EMAIL PROTECTED] 3/ 4 2:47p >>>
Thanks, all, for the suggestions regarding how to deal with students
who appear to think it inappropriate to "figure out how things work." Today
we started the chapter on motivation, which gave me the opportunity to
discuss exploration/manipulation/curiosity motives, their adaptive value in
both humans and nonhumans, and how old-school learning theorists had
problems explaining why animals will actually work for the opportunity to
explore (what is the biological need leading to the drive whose reduction
reinforces behaviors). The class seemed to enjoy the discussion and joined
into it (which is rare in a class of 100).
Now I seek advice on a second problem. This is the first semester I
have taught intro in several years. Years ago I learned to avoid the word
"evolution" -- whenever I would speak it, 2 or 3 students would stand up and
walk out. I learned to speak of "natural selection," not evolution. Last
week I slipped up and let the word "evolution" be part of the lecture a
couple of times. Now I am suddenly receiving religious mailings in my
campus mailbox (Awake!), religious brochures slid under my office door while
I am in class, and when I exit a classroom, I find persons I do not know
addressing me by name and explaining how I am bound by sin and only Jesus
can save me. If only I had not let the word "evolution" slip. I don't
really want to spend class time debating evolution versus creationism. Is
it wise to continue to try to avoid this confrontation or would a different
course of action be more productive?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karl L. Wuensch, Department of Psychology,
East Carolina University, Greenville NC 27858-4353
Voice: 252-328-4102 Fax: 252-328-6283
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://core.ecu.edu/psyc/wuenschk/klw.htm
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