Below is the revised Syllabus given to the ETUSD Board of Trustees at the January 1, 2006 meeting.
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December 29, 2005

Syllabus for Philosophy of Design

Teacher: Sharon Lemburg

Class Title: "Philosophy of Design"

Ideas, beliefs, and theories about the origin of life.

Objective:

Philosophy is a class about ideas and theories. It is about beliefs. It is addressing the question, what do you think and why. It is about a search for wisdom and truth. This class will discuss various views on the origin of life, in order to gain a better and broader understanding of the views that are held by society. This class is not meant to guide you into a certain belief, but to allow you to search, become aware of the differences, and gain a better understanding of world views on origins.

Outline of Course Topics: Each heading gives a general idea of the topics that will be discussed either by lecture, video, internet, or guest speaker.

1. What is Philosophy?

• How does philosophy influence individual lives?
• What disciplines does philosophy cross over into or influence?
• How does philosophy affect religious beliefs or science?

2. What is the Theory of Evolution/Darwinism?

• What is the history of evolutionary theory?
• What is evolution and how does it work?
• What is the evidence for evolution?
• What are the misconceptions?

3. What is Intelligent Design/Creationism?

• Why is this a movement and why is it gaining momentum?
• Why is it so threatening to society, the educational system, and evolutionists?
• Is Intelligent Design based on science or faith?
• What evidence does it bring, and is the evidence measurable data?
• How doe Intelligent Design differ from Creationism? And how is it similar?

4. Philosophies concerning Origins?

• A summary of ideas.
• How does the Philosophy of Intelligent Design differ from the Theory of Evolution? Are these ideas concerning origins philosophies or are they science?
• How does this debate concerning philosophies affect society? How does it affect you, the student?

Note:

• The ideas presented under each topic will be covered by lecture, video presentations, and guest speakers. Equal time will be given to each idea or philosophy. Presentations may vary depending on the available resources.
• Due to the fact that I am unable to obtain a speaker in support of evolution at this time, I have purchased a video series from PBS, that will be used to understand what evolution teaches, its relation and effect on society and culture, and the history behind it. This video series was presented on national television by PBS in 2001. I will be using a overhead presentation directly from the internet which was created by the University of California Museum of Paleontology with the support provided by the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. I will also be referring to a textbook entitled Evolution vs. Creation by Eugenie C. Scott (as recommended by Ken Hurst).
• Ideas of philosophies concerning Intelligent Design/ Creationism will be presented by the instructor through videos and guest speakers. Students will be able to bring questions from their research, form the videos, or from their own knowledge.
• Equal and balanced instruction will be given on all philosophies.
• Students will also be given time to research the subject matter.
• At the conclusion of the course, students will discuss and share their comments, concerns, opinions, and position on the subject by writing a paper stating their position and evidence to support that position.

Suggested Videos & Internet Source:

• Evolution by PBS (2001): 600 minutes of tape
• www.berkeley.edu/evosite/evohome.html Understanding Evolution for Teachers
• Unlocking the Mysteries of Life: The scientific case for intelligent design.
• Where does the evidence lead? Exploring the theory of intelligent design.
• Chemical to living cells: Fantasy or Science?
• Focus on the Origin of Life: an interview with Dean H. Kenyon, Professor of Biology at San Francisco State University (1994).
• Focus on the Origin of Life: an interview with Dr. Charles Thaxton
• The Theological Roots of Modern Science: Dr. Henry F. Schaefer, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Georgia (no date).
• Focus on Origins Series: How Darwinists Think by Phillip E. Johnson
• Focus on Origins Series: Raising Question About Evolution in the Schools by Phillip E. Johnson
• A Critique of Darwinist Icons: Lecture and Interview with Jonathan Wells (2002).
• Focus on Origins: A Panel Discussion On the Theory of Evolution (2003).
• On the Origins of Phyla: Interview with James W. Valentine (1999).
• Icons of Evolution: the growing scientific controversy over Darwin (2002).
• 2001 Darwin, Design & Democracy Conference with Jonathan Wells
• The Triumph of Design and the Demise of Darwin, featuring Phillip Johnson (1999).

• Note: Not all the videos will be used, but I wanted to list all possible videos. Some portions of videos may be used and other may not be used at all. There is 600 minutes of Evolution videos, plus overhead presentations from the listed internet source. The remaining videos have to do with intelligent design.

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