Here's something you might be interested in.
THE RUINS OF THE OLD AZTEC CENTER, SDSU - Starting this fall, science majors at San Diego State University will be able to fulfill their Godless Monkeyman Evolution requirement in a new and unusual way: by studying the accounts of creation offered in the Bible, the Koran, and other sacred texts from around the world. SD on the QT spoke with the course's designer, Professor Darwin Marx, about how the course came to be.
"Really," said Marx, "the inspiration for this course came from Professor Roy Whitaker, a colleague of mine here at SDSU who recently instituted a course on Atheism, Humanism, and Secularism within the University's religious studies program. What began as a general attempt to increase diversity within the program found its focus in light of the rise of neoatheists such as Dawkins and Harris, and the rise of worldwide irreligiosity in general. Whitaker argued on KPBS's Midday Edition that it was 'very important that we seek to develop global citizens in this religious and irreligious world,'"
"As I listened," recalled Marx, "I found myself agreeing. What's more, I found myself wanted to do something to aid Whitaker in his cause. I began working in close conjunction with the Creation & Earth History Museum in Santee to develop a curriculum that would do justice to the bolder claims made by creationists, with excellent results. Those guys have really put a lot of thought into this. Today, my new course, 'The Six-Day Souffle: Creationism and the Rise of Life on Earth,' is an attempt to do for students of evolutionary science what Professor Whitaker is seeking to do for students of religion."
That was the so-called "internal" cause for the course's creation. But, adds Marx, "while I am certainly the course's creator, there were also environmental changes that influenced its development. In terms of external factors, there were a couple of things at work. One was that there is a general persistence of religion-based belief about the origin of the world around the globe. Another was the rise of the neocreationists, notably Republican Presidential candidates like Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry. How are students - who are, it should be noted, of voting age - going to make informed decisions about the candidates if they don't understand their worldviews? Professor Whitaker wants global citizens; I want good Americans. And I think it's wonderful that a Professor of Religion and a Professor of Science can work in tandem to achieve those mutually beneficial goals."
THE RUINS OF THE OLD AZTEC CENTER, SDSU - Starting this fall, science majors at San Diego State University will be able to fulfill their Godless Monkeyman Evolution requirement in a new and unusual way: by studying the accounts of creation offered in the Bible, the Koran, and other sacred texts from around the world. SD on the QT spoke with the course's designer, Professor Darwin Marx, about how the course came to be.
"Really," said Marx, "the inspiration for this course came from Professor Roy Whitaker, a colleague of mine here at SDSU who recently instituted a course on Atheism, Humanism, and Secularism within the University's religious studies program. What began as a general attempt to increase diversity within the program found its focus in light of the rise of neoatheists such as Dawkins and Harris, and the rise of worldwide irreligiosity in general. Whitaker argued on KPBS's Midday Edition that it was 'very important that we seek to develop global citizens in this religious and irreligious world,'"
"As I listened," recalled Marx, "I found myself agreeing. What's more, I found myself wanted to do something to aid Whitaker in his cause. I began working in close conjunction with the Creation & Earth History Museum in Santee to develop a curriculum that would do justice to the bolder claims made by creationists, with excellent results. Those guys have really put a lot of thought into this. Today, my new course, 'The Six-Day Souffle: Creationism and the Rise of Life on Earth,' is an attempt to do for students of evolutionary science what Professor Whitaker is seeking to do for students of religion."
That was the so-called "internal" cause for the course's creation. But, adds Marx, "while I am certainly the course's creator, there were also environmental changes that influenced its development. In terms of external factors, there were a couple of things at work. One was that there is a general persistence of religion-based belief about the origin of the world around the globe. Another was the rise of the neocreationists, notably Republican Presidential candidates like Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry. How are students - who are, it should be noted, of voting age - going to make informed decisions about the candidates if they don't understand their worldviews? Professor Whitaker wants global citizens; I want good Americans. And I think it's wonderful that a Professor of Religion and a Professor of Science can work in tandem to achieve those mutually beneficial goals."