City University of Hong Kong Information on a Gateway Education Course offered by Department of Asian and International Studies with effect from Semester A in 2014 / 2015 Part I Course Title: Course Code: Course Duration: Poetry and Science GE3101 1 semester Proposed Area: (Please insert 1 for the single primary area, and 2 for the secondary area if applicable. Students will only earn credit units from the primary area.) 1 Arts and Humanities Study of Societies, Social and Business Organisations 2 Science and Technology No. of Credit Units: 3 Level: B3 Medium of Instruction: English Medium of Assessment: English Prerequisites: (Course Code and Title) Precursors: (Course Code and Title) Equivalent Courses: (Course Code and Title) Exclusive Courses: (Course Code and Title) Part II 1. Abstract Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. Immanuel Kant Poetry begins with delight and ends in wisdom. Robert Frost The course will introduce poetry that is related to specific themes in nature and in the sciences, and essays by scientists that comment on the respective theme. Via a diverse topical approach that addresses such issues as ecology, creation and evolution, wo/man and universe, poetic observation and scientific observation, subjectivity and science, nature in poetry and nature in science, genetics, 1
astronomy, and medicine students are challenged to take an interdisciplinary approach to the mixing of science and verse. Both poetry and science are related to seeing, analyzing, and knowing. This course will look at the various processes of knowing, and how such knowledge is turned into wisdom. 2. Course Aims This course aims to engage students in narrowing the gulf between the two cultures of science and poetry. Students of all disciplines learn to discuss fundamental topics in science and poetry that are related to human values and life choices. The course will introduce poetry that is related to specific themes in nature and in the sciences, as well as essays by scientists that comment on the respective theme. Some questions this course seeks to address are: Is there a relationship between poetry and science? How are nature and science represented in poetry? Can poetry and science benefit from each other? Most readings address enduring questions that challenge students to consider a variety of perspectives and modes of representation and to find their own answers. In addition to writing some science- and/or nature-related poetry themselves, this course has some out-of-classroom activities at the Science Museum, the World Wildlife Fund, and the HK Botanical and Zoological Gardens. For the Science Museum, students select poetry from readings or their own to recite in the related sections at the museum. This is accompanied by posters that feature the poem. The purpose for the other sites is to read and discuss certain poetry in a science-related location, for example, to read Emily Dickinson s poetry in the Botanical Gardens. The course will always be taught together by one literature faculty and one science faculty. 3. Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs) Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to: No. CILOs 1. Explain the elements of poetic thinking and science-related thinking (fundamental knowledge) 2. Demonstrate an ability to examine a variety of themes concerning science and life and their reflection in poetry. 3. Analyse the connections between science and poetry with regard to specific themes 4. Acquire skills for literary and cultural analysis that are applicable to other themes and enquiries (interdisciplinarity) 5. Apply knowledge and talent in a creative context (recitals; writing) Weighting (if applicable) 2
4. Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs) (designed to facilitate students achievement of the CILOs - Some TLAs may address more than one CILO.) TLAs CILO No. Hours/week (if applicable) Lectures: introduce essential concepts and theories, main CILO 1-3 poems and essays Group and classroom discussions based on weekly guided CILO 2,3 reading questions Readings of poems and essays; short reflective writing to CILO 2-4 present knowledge intelligently. Use of various CATs (writing games, minute papers) Short analytical essay assignment; write poetry using scientific materials; A final group project in which students should express the poetic representation of an aspect in the sciences in a creative way. CILO 4, 5 CILO 5 5. Assessment Tasks/Activities (designed to assess how well the students achieve the CILOs Some assessment tasks/activities may address more than one CILO.) Type of Assessment Tasks/Activities CILO No. Weighting Remarks (if applicable) In-class quizzes (2) to test and reward students CILO 1-3 10% (x2) 20% understanding of basic information and concepts, as well as historical contexts. Participation in class discussion. Tutorial attendance and participation. CILO 2, 3 10% 10% Response papers (200 words) that make a CILO 2-4 10% (x2) 20% connection between poems and essays (2) 1. Essay on a topic of their choice, making a thematic link between poetry and science. 2. Writing a poem based on scientific materials Group project of no more than three students for presentations; presented in tutorials (Youtube video, song, scrap book, etc.) CILO 4 20% 10% 30% CILO 5 20% 20% 3
6. Grading of Student Achievement: Refer to Grading of Courses in the Academic Regulations Refer to Grading of Courses in the Academic Regulations (Attachment) and to the Explanatory Notes. Letter Grade A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D F Grading criteria in relation to CILOs In class: Strong evidence of original thinking; good organization of course materials and presentation; capacity to analyse and synthesize; superior grasp of subject matter; does readings and assignments; active participation Writing: Evidence of a firm grasp of new materials. Can approach a text or a theme using a variety of approaches and analytical tools; writes well. Presentation: shows full understanding of concepts and contents; all relevant information is included; purpose of presentation is clear and expressed creatively In class: Evidence of grasp of subject; some evidence of critical capacity and analytic ability; reasonable understanding of issues; evidence of familiarity with literature and other concepts; does readings and assignments; active participation Writing: Evidence of knowledge; can approach a text or a theme with some analytical and creative tools; writes well. Presentation: shows understanding of presented topic; information included is sufficient; purpose of the critical reflection is achieved. In class: Evidence of partial understanding of the subject; ability to develop solutions to simple problems in the material; medium participation Writing: shows knowledge of approaches and analytical tools, but only limited ability to apply them; Presentation: shows partial understanding; material chosen for presentation is selective; purpose of presentation is only partially achieved. In class: Sufficient familiarity with the subject matter; understands concepts only marginally; hesitant to participate Writing: shows limited knowledge; has difficulty applying concepts; can only make simple connections Presentation: concepts are sketchy; reflection not critical; information is incomplete; purpose is not adequately achieved In class: Little or no evidence of familiarity with the subject matter; weakness in critical and analytic skills; limited, or irrelevant use of literature; no participation Writing: has very limited knowledge of subject matter and no ability to apply concepts; style is inappropriate Presentation: topic is inadequate; information is incorrect and inadequate; there is no clear outline; analysis is not comprehensible; purpose is not achieved Grading of student achievement: Standard (A+, A, A- ) 4
Part III Keyword Syllabus: Philosophy of science, science, scientific thinking, poetry, creative thinking, man and the natural world, the language of science and of poetry, sovereignty of science, science of subjectivity, biology, chemistry, geology, astronomy, women and science, Metamorphoses, ecosystem, nature and beauty, Charles Darwin, evolution, Thomas Kuhn, Madame Curie, medicine and poetry, constellations, genetics, natural selection, functional texts, creative texts; Carl Sandburg, Edgar Allan Poe, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Vachel Lindsay, Alberto Rios, Bob King, Stephen O Connor, Richard, Kenney, Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, William Carlos Williams, Philip Appleman, Jorie Graham, Emily Dickinson, Alan Shapiro, Herbert Morris, Christina Rossetti, David Ignatow, Richard Brautigam, Adrienne Rich, Kurt Drawert, Walt Whitman, Alice Moore, Alissa Leigh. (Selections are tentative and subject to change) Recommended Reading: Text(s): Various poems (see Weekly Schedule and Keyword syllabus) Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species (excerpts; Gutenberg) Dickinson, Emily. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. 3 vols. Ed. Thomas H. Johnson. Cambridge: Belknap (Harvard UP), 1955. Hoffmann, Roald. Science, Language, and Poetry. in Motivating Science: Science Communication from a Philosophical, Educational and Cultural Perspective. Edited by. Nigel Sanitt. London: Pantaneto Press, 2005. 71-75.. "The Metaphor, Unchained. American Scientist 94.5 (2006): 406-7.. "The Essence of Nature in the Art of Charles Seliger. In Charles Seliger, the Nascent Image. Exhibition Catalogue, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York (1999). Kuhn, Thomas S. Logic of Discovery or Psychology of Research? In Cohn, ed. Philosophy of Science. 11-19. Longinus. On the Sublime (Gutenberg) Marr, Jackson M.. A Still Great Voice: The Golden Sovereignty of Science and Human Behaviour. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour 80.3 (November 2003): 311-12. Morley, David. Creative Recognitions: Science, Writing and the Creative Academy. 2007. (online) Murphy, Michael. Grey Matter. 2009. (online) Orsini, Daniel J. "Emily Dickinson and the Romantic Use of Science." Massachusetts Studies in English 7.4/ 8.1 (1981): 57-69. Roberts, Neil. The Science of the Subjective. 2005. (online) 5
Roethke, Theodore. The Lost Son and Other Poems. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., 1948. Snyder, Laura J. Is Evidence Historical? In Cover, ed. Philosophy of Science. 460-80. Williams, William Carlos. Of Medicine and Poetry. The Autobiography of William Carlos Williams New York: New Directions, 1967. Chapter 43. Secondary Text(s): Bilyeu Gordon, Bonnie, ed. Songs from Unsung Worlds: Science in Poetry. Boston: Birkhauser, 1985 Crawford, Robert, ed. Contemporary Poetry and Contemporary Science. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006 Faggen, Robert. Robert Frost and the Challenge of Darwin. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2001. Ferris, Timothy, ed. The World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics. New York: Back Bay Books, 1993 Heath-Stubbs, John and Philip Salman, eds. Poems of Science. Penguin, 1984. Mayes, Frances. The Discovery of Poetry: A Field Guide to Reading and Writing Poetry. New York: Harcourt, 2001. Hoffmann, Roald. A Passion for Chemistry and Art. L Actualite Chimique Canadienn, 20-21 (March 2008).. "Disbelief, Poetry, and Religion." Rendezvous: Idaho State University Journal of Arts and Letters 31.2 (1997): 5-18. Oliver, Mary. A Poetry Handbook: A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry. New York: Harcourt, 1994. Cover, J.A. and Martin Curd, eds. Philosophy of Science: The Central Issues. New York: Norton, 1998. Online Resources: Poetry and Science: An E-zine: http://www.helpstoknow.com/html/ps/index.htm Scitalk Connecting Writers and Scientists: http://www.scitalk.org.uk/ Lablit The Culture of Science in Fiction and Art: http://www.lablit.com/ Poetry Foundation: www.poetryfoundation.org University of Liverpool, Centre for Poetry and Science: http://www.liv.ac.uk/poetryandscience/index.htm The Poetry Society (with a special project on poetry and science): http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/ 6