Chapter
Critiques

Exam
Questions

Cluster
Descriptions

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At four points in the course you will be asked to hand in a one-page single-spaced critique of one or more of the chapters in Haught's book, Science and Religion.   See the course calendar for the due dates for each of these. Each is worth up to 10 points. 

Basic assignment:

In each critique, rank the four positions -- conflict, contrast, contact, and confirmation -- and give a good explanation for your ranking. 

Guidelines on how to do this well:
         You need not give equal time to each of the four positions.  The positions at the top and bottom of your rankings, for example, may evoke from you fuller analyses or response than the other two.  But do give some brief evaluation of the strengths or weaknesses of each of the positions, within the limits imposed by the single-page requirement.
        The purpose of these critiques is to provide evidence that you have read and understood the chapters.  Say enough to show this clearly and you have 10 points for the assignment.
        On assignments that include more than one chapter, you can condense your answer by referring to positions you have taken on previous critiques.  In that case, please attach the graded copy of your previous critiques to the current one.  In the case of the critique that covers chs 5, 6, & 8, you do not have to give separate answers for each of the chapters but can blend the content of those chapters a bit.  To this critique also attach a 1/2 page outline of how you will approach the "cosmos" part of exam #3.

Length
As the calendar indicates, one single-spaced page is sufficient. Exception:  for the critique due Oct. 15 you will need up to two pages.  You can use 10 point type (preferably Ariel in that case for ease of reading) to help get it all on one page, or you can set the top and bottom margins to .8 each if you want more room.  But please make the side margins one full inch each (Word sometimes uses 1.25 as the default for left and right margins).

Special Critique on pp. 37-39 of the Reader, on Miracles, due Friday, Sept. 24..
Rather than have you respond to the Hume and Geisler handouts, I would like you to use this critique assignment to mull over three pages worth of background on miracles.  Here are the questions.

A review of Reader, pp. 37-39.    This includes:
1. Explaining which form of miracles you find reasonable to believe in, of the 6 on p. 37 – and WHY – and which not.
2. Selecting one or more of the beliefs on the top of p. 38 which you do not believe in – and explaining WHY.
3. Reading the “sample case” on cystic fibrosis and answering the questions in the last paragraph of that section.
4. Stating which of the miracles listed at the bottom of p. 39 you find plausible and which not – and WHY.
Then go back over your answers and identify explicitly any of your conclusions or beliefs that conflict in some way with “cosmological naturalism.”