May 04, 2024  
2016-2017 Catalogue 
    
Catalog Navigation
  Catalogue Home
  The College of Wooster
  The Academic Program
  Areas of Study
  Course Descriptions
  Special Programs and Educational Opportunities
  Student Resources
  Degree Requirements
  Academic Policies
  Admissions, Expenses, and Financial Aid
  The Directories
  Academic Calendar
  Travel Directions
  Campus Map
HELP
2016-2017 Catalogue [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

RELS 26725 - Religion & Science in American History

Course Credit: 1
Does religion originate with an accident of our brain structure? Why did Robert Oppenheimer describe witnessing the first nuclear explosion as akin to seeing the Hindu god Shiva? Did Deism, the idea that God created the universe and its laws and then stepped away, shape the political lives of key Americans such Thomas Jefferson? How did a trial in Dayton, Tennessee, in 1925 about the legality of teaching evolution shape conservative Christianity for decades to come? Why have religious people used scientific ideas and language to justify religious claims? Would verification of the existence of the Higgs Boson, the so-called God particle, change how religious people think? In addition to religious studies students, those in history, sociology, geography, biology, physics, chemistry, and psychology may find this class of particular interest. Please join us for a class that explores these and other issues that have shaped the complex relationship between science and religion throughout American history. [R]