LIBS 119: Culture Wars

Course Description

This course explores the aspects of the conflict between religion and science in America using the Scopes Trial of 1925 as the primary case study. The trial centered on the teaching of certain ideas generally thought to be part of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution via natural selection. These claims will be evaluated by examining the science of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species". The political debate will be examined first in the context of Thomas Jefferson's writings on democratic policy and science, and then from the perspective of early populist and fundamentalist reaction to Darwinism. The subsequent development of Darwinism patterns in American social, ethical, and literary thought will also be explored, as will the rise of the modern creationist movement. The course will conclude with an analysis of the political, educational, and scientific response to that movement.