Stephen,
I discussed your idea with a colleague in Philosophy this morning. We agreed that we really like the Hitchens article because it is so direct and succinct in how it addresses this critical issue; however, it is probably too partisan to assign in class a few days before students might be voting. (As Jon Stewart said to Campbell Brown the other night, "truth has a liberal bias.") We both thought that we would wait until after the election to assign the article to a class. The issue will still be important at that point. I hope that it will not be as critical as it has been for the past eight years. Dennis From: Steven Specht [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 7:25 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Defending the Fruit Flies from Sarah Palin :: Inside Higher Ed Dear Colleagues, This line is of particular interest to me right now since we were just talking about issues such as these in my research methods class. I have had two cousins die as a result of cystic fibrosis and another who just received a double lung transplant and is surviving the disease. I inform my class that some of the biggest breakthroughs in the battle against this disease has come from work (funded with tax dollars from NIH) with oysters. A "science" journalist (or politician) might create a sensational headline by asking why a scientist is getting millions of dollars for studying OYSTERS! I explain to my class that this animal model provides easy access to the types of ciliary cells that are compromised in individuals who suffer from cystic fibrosis. All of a sudden, a light goes on with my students. I hope they'll remember the point in years to come. But here's the $64K question. I found the Slate article concise and convincing. I would like to distribute it in class tomorrow. BUT, I try to avoid partisan politics in the classroom (I know... it's VERY difficult when you're trying to celebrate intelligence). I would appreciate hearing what do y'all think of me using this article in class? -S On Oct 28, 2008, at 3:11 PM, Dennis Goff wrote: Christopher Hitchens also commented on Palin's view of the value of scientific inquiry in his latest column in Slate. As usual, he says exactly what is on his mind. http://www.slate.com/id/2203120/ Dennis Dennis M. Goff Chair, Department of Psychology Professor of Psychology Randolph College (Founded as Randolph-Macon Woman's College in 1891) Lynchburg VA 24503 [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Christopher D. Green [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 3:39 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Defending the Fruit Flies from Sarah Palin :: Inside Higher Ed There was an item on the Sarah Palin's comment about French fruit fly research in today's Inside Higher Ed. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/10/28/palin It includes a quotation on the subject from the always entertaining blog of evolutionary biologist PZ Myers, Pharyngula: "This idiot woman, this blind, shortsighted ignoramus, this pretentious clod, mocks basic research and the international research community. You damn well better believe that there is research going on in animal models - what does she expect, that scientists should mutagenize human mothers and chop up baby brains for this work?" Chris -- Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada 416-736-2100 ex. 66164 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ ========================== --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ======================================================== Steven M. Specht, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Chair, Department of Psychology Utica College Utica, NY 13502 (315) 792-3171 "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King Jr. --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
