Go to the following link to a Washington Post article written by Shankar Vedantam, published on February 5,
- Although it is dated, the issues are still relevant, as teaching standards that inject religious
interpretations into science classrooms are currently still being debated in several states, Texas being one.
Write an essay on your own reaction to the article based on your own views and what you have learned in
this class. In your essay, you should first provide a summary of the major points of the article, and then
provide a reasoned discussion of your own reaction to each of the points, and finally your own overall view
of the debate on the teaching of religious interpretations in a science classroom. Remember, the debate is
not whether religion should be taught, but whether religious interpretations should be taught as an
alternative to scientific evidence in a science classroom in institutions supported by public funds. Use
material we have discussed in class, terms we used and defined in the class, as well as material from the video
and other assignments, where appropriate, to support your reasoning. The essay should not be written as if
this class you suffered through did not exist. - If you are paying attention to the news currently, there are
many protests happening in the US to demand an immediate or imminent end to social distancing
measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, using slogans such as “Liberate XX” or “The cure cannot
be worse than the disease”. Use the last paragraph in your essay to draw any connection, if any, based on
your opinion, between the recurring demand to insert non-natural explanations in a science classroom and
the current demand to quickly end social distancing. - Your essay should be no more than 8 pages, double
spaced, 12-point font size. To anticipate some of your questions, yes, 8 pages is the maximum and there is
no need to turn in exactly 8 pages. It is fine if you can write a well-reasoned essay in fewer than 8 pages.
It is important to write the essay, then go over it again and edit it for spelling errors, clarity, organization,
clarity again, and so on, and do it all over again at least one more time.