[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-595419-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-595419-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","teaching-the-broad-interdisciplinary-impact-of-evolution","Teaching the Broad, Interdisciplinary Impact of Evolution","","Evolution shapes not only biology but also multiple academic disciplines. This text reports a course at Marian College (Indianapolis) in 2002, 2004, and 2006, designed as an interdisciplinary tribute to Darwin’s ideas. Faculty from non-biological fields addressed how evolution broadly, and Darwin specifically, influenced literature, language, history, politics, theology, art, and sociology. Student feedback was strongly positive, indicating the format improved understanding of both the humanities and evolutionary science.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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document?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The course focused on the broad, interdisciplinary impact of evolution, especially Darwin’s ideas, across multiple academic fields.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How were instructors from different disciplines involved?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Professors from non-biological disciplines spoke with the class about how Darwin, common ancestry, evolution, and natural selection affected their own fields of study.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What evidence of course effectiveness is mentioned?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Student comments were overwhelmingly positive and suggested the course format influenced students’ thinking about both the humanities and the science of 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Haberski2, Jamie Higgs2, Patrick Kiley2, Michael Maxwell Jr.2, William Mirola2, and Jamey Norton2.  \n1School of Mathematics and Sciences, Marian College, 3200 Cold Spring Road, Indianapolis, IN 46222 2School of Liberal Arts, Marian College, 3200 Cold Spring Road, Indianapolis, IN 46222  \nEmail: [dbenson@marian.edu](dbenson@marian.edu)  \n*Corresponding author  \nAbstract: As perhaps the most encompassing idea in biology, evolution has impacted not only science, but other academic disciplines as well. The broad, interdisciplinary impact of evolution was the theme of a course taught at Marian College, Indianapolis, Indiana in 2002, 2004, and 2006. Using a strategy that could be readily adopted at other institutions, professors from other, non-biological disciplines were asked to speak with the class regarding the impact of Darwin specifically or evolution more broadly on their field of study. A political scientist, literature expert, language professor, historian, theologian, art historian, and sociologist have all participated in this course. Student comments have been overwhelmingly positive and suggest the course format affected their thinking with respect to both the humanities and the science of evolution.  \nKeywords: art, Darwin, evolution, history, interdisciplinary, language, literature, sociology, theology Introduction  \nSince the 19th century, evolutionary theory has had an enormous impact not only on science, but on Western society as a whole. The ―honors evolution‖ course described here was designed as an educational tribute to the all-encompassing influence of evolution.  \nRecent studies indicate that although state standards for the teaching of evolution are improving (Lerner, 2000) college students are still not well grounded in evolutionary theory (Alters and Nelson, 2002). Many writers have proposed methods for teaching evolution in college that allow students to understand the process of science (DeSilva, 2004), discuss case studies (Farber, 2003), and gain experience in the field (Zervanos and McLaughlin, 2003) . These methods offer important improvements to the teaching of evolution today. However, in today‘s interdisciplinary academic environment, while pedagogical changes are important, it is equally important to modify and enhance course content to benefit biology majors and non-majors alike. For example, evolutionary theory in biology also has farreaching implications in the disciplinary studies of language, art, literature, political science, history, and theology.  \nOne-hundred and fifty years after Darwin proposed a mechanism for evolution it has permeated all but the most blind corners of biology. That evolution and Darwin‘s mechanism have affected the study of biology may not be surprising to university students. However, the examination of how Darwin‘s  \nidea has impacted disciplines outside of biology will open students‘ eyes to the broad, interdisciplinary impact of this biological theory. This, in turn, may help students understand the biology behind the theory more fully.  \nThis was the premise for a course one of the authors (D. Benson) taught with the help of many of his colleagues (the other authors) in the fall 2002, 2004, and again in 2006. The class began as a typical, although short, introduction to the science of evolution. We covered the usual topics of natural selection and other mechanisms of evolution, Hardy-Weinberg, speciation, sexual selection, evidence, and human evolution. To give students a sense of the power of Darwin‘s argument, they read several chapters of The Origin of Species, (Darwin, 1859) . The point of this portion of the course was to give students a good grounding in the biology behind the theory. Without this background, the diverse discussions that followed would have been uninformed.  \nThe second half of the course involved colleagues from non-science disciplines expl","cbCaiky5qSsIXfNO","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiky5qSsIXfNO","pdf",133061,"English","# Abstract\n## Course Design and Rationale\n## Evidence and Student Outcomes\n## Course Structure and Activities\n## Examples from Participating Disciplines","[{\"question\":\"What was the main theme of the course described in the document?\",\"answer\":\"The course focused on the broad, interdisciplinary impact of evolution, especially Darwin’s ideas, across multiple academic fields.\"},{\"question\":\"How were instructors from different disciplines involved?\",\"answer\":\"Professors from non-biological disciplines spoke with the class about how Darwin, common ancestry, evolution, and natural selection affected their own fields of study.\"},{\"question\":\"What evidence of course effectiveness is mentioned?\",\"answer\":\"Student comments were overwhelmingly positive and suggested the course format influenced students’ thinking about both the humanities and the science of evolution.\"}]","Teaching the Broad, Interdisciplinary Impact of Evolution | PDF",1792081105,13]