Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: ORIGINS, FAITH, SCIENCE: THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE IN MONOTHEISM AND MODERN SCIENCE (WILL RICE)

Department: College Courses

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Language of Instruction: Taught in English

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1

Description: Our very existence poses the so-called greatest question: Why is there anything at all? Moreover, that humans have long asked such a transcendental question poses yet another: How did beings with such capacity for self-reflection come to exist? Whatever our answers, they shape the whole trajectory of our lives and communities. In this course, we focus on some of the most influential answers to the question of origins. Specifically, we consider, What do the monotheistic faiths and modern science say about origins of life, and how harmonious or conflicting are their visions? We study both the original historical context and modern-day interpretations of the religious texts, as well as the history of evolution as an alternative origins framework. At the end of the course, students will prepare a project with their personal synthesis of origin accounts in an answer to the question, “How compatible are faith and science?” No background knowledge is required, and diverse viewpoints are encouraged. There will be no exams.