Darwin and Darwinism (Topics in History of Science)

HST 427 / 527 • Winter 2008

Instructor: Richard H. Beyler

Drop-in office hours: TuTh 2-3 • Otherwise by appointment • Cramer Hall 441-O

Telephone: 503-725-3996 • E-mail: beylerr@pdx.edu

Themes.  The development of theory of evolution, as primarily articulated by Charles Darwin, is arguably one of two or three episodes in the history of modern science which have had the deepest and widest-ranging ramifications.  Not only has evolutionary theory become foundational for biology, but also generated attention and controversy in a variety of cultural and social domains including the social sciences, philosophy, politics, literature, and religion.  Conversely, however, the theory of evolution did not appear out of nowhere, but was itself the product of a specific and complex historical context.  This course explores the social, cultural, and scientific context of Darwin’s work, and then considers aspects of the social, cultural, and scientific appropriation and transformation of this work.

Texts.  Assigned texts for the class are available for purchase at the PSU Bookstore and possibly elsewhere.  Copies are also available on reserve at the PSU’s Millar Library.

Appleman, Philip, ed. Darwin. 3rd ed. Norton Critical Editions. New York: W. W. Norton, 2001.

Browne, E. Janet. Charles Darwin: Voyaging. New York: Knopf, 1995; repr. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Pr., 1996.

_____. Charles Darwin: The Power of Place. New York: Knopf, 2002; repr. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Pr., 2003.

(Note:  you might find the volumes by Browne packaged together as Charles Darwin: A Biography.)

Farber, Paul L. The Temptations of Evolutionary Ethics. Berkeley: Univ. of California Pr., 1998.

Ruse, Michael. The Darwinian Revolution. 2nd ed. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Pr., 1999.

For some assignments (see below), we will make use of some on-line resources, namely:

The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online:  http://www.darwin-online.org.uk

Darwin Correspondence Project:  http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/Departments/Darwin

Objectives.  Members of the class should expect to develop or improve their ability to:

• identify and describe major themes and events in the development of evolutionary ideas.

• interpret primary texts in historical context.

• analyze changes and continuities in the historical relationships between science and other cultural and social domains.

• find and analyze relevant information on and interpretations of these themes.

• write about and discuss (describe, interpret, compare) these subjects in a critically informed way.

Requirements.  The formal requirements are based on various components totaling 100 points.

• Regular attendance and participation:  10 points.

• Archive reports:  3 @ 6 points.  During the term, you will complete three short reports based on archival materials available on-line at the Darwin Correspondence Project (www.lib.cam.ac.uk/
Departments/Darwin) and at The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online (darwin-online.org.
uk).  In the case of the correspondence, you will undertake a kind of “treasure hunt” starting from one of the letters cited in our main texts.  From the Complete Works, you will look at, some of the unpublished manuscripts and notebooks by and about Darwin available there.  The archive reports are due at the four times noted in the syllabus.  You should turn in three of these (that is, you can “pass” one time).  In each case, there will be several different options to choose from.  More details about this assignment will be provided in a separate handout.

For the remaining 72 points, choose from among the following options.  Proviso:  undergraduates (HST 427) must take either the mid-term exam or the final exam or both.

• Textbook response essays:  4 possible @ 8 points.  These will be short papers, each around 4 pp., on questions relating to our main textbooks:  Browne I, Browne II, Farber, and Ruse.  Guiding questions will be distributed in advance, and the papers are due on the dates noted in the syllabus.

• Primary source response essays:  4 possible @ 8 points.  These are similar to the above assignment, but are based on the primary source readings found in the Appleman anthology.  Guiding questions will be provided; see the syllabus for the due dates.

• Research paper:  24 points.  This is a paper which develops a thesis connected to some aspect of the history of evolutionary ideas, based on independent research.  There is no fixed length, but around 15 pp. (20 pp. for graduate students) is probably reasonable.  No later than week VI, you are required to turn in a proposal including a statement of the topic, outline or draft introductory paragraph, annotated working bibliography, and copies of working notes.  You should also then schedule an appointment with me to talk about your project.  The proposal must be approved in advance before you proceed with this assignment.  The research paper is, frankly, more work than some of the other assignment options.  However, if you are interested in some aspect of our topic that we don’t cover in class–and there are many important aspects of the topic that we won’t be able to cover–this is a chance to explore it.

• Mid-term exam:  24 points.  This will comprise short answer (identification) and essay questions on our readings, lectures, and discussions.  Undergrads must take at least one exam.

• Final exam:  24 points.  Similar in format to the mid-term.  The short-answer questions will concentrate on the second half of the term; essay questions may be cumulative.  Undergrads must take one or both of the two exams.

• Graduate students (HST 527) have a modified set of requirements.  See the separate handout.

Other general policies.  Written work must be typed and should conform to standards of correct usage.  Both “content” and “form” will be considered in grading.  Papers may be turned in either in hard copy or as e-mail attachments in MS Word format.  Material taken (quoted, paraphrased, summarized) from other sources must be properly cited, and the sources properly documented; failure to do so constitutes plagiarism.  Chicago / Turabian citation style is preferred, but MLA style is also acceptable.  I reserve the right to give just a grade (and no comments) on late papers.  They are also subject to a penalty of up to one letter grade, unless there is a compelling reason for their being late.  For PSU policy on incompletes, see the Bulletin.

ANTICIPATED SCHEDULE (subject to change!)

AR = archival report; PSRE = primary source response essay; TRE = textbook response essay

Wk. I, 8-10 Jan.  Introductions.  Thinking about science historically.  Some political, social, and cultural backgrounds.  The Scientific Revolution and its legacy.

Reading:  Ruse, chap. 1.

Wk. II, 15-17 Jan.  Late 18^th- and early 19^th-c. natural history.

Reading:  Appleman:  Paley (41-44), Lamarck (44-49).  Browne I, part 1.  Ruse, chaps. 2-4.

Wk. III, 22-24 Jan.  Charles Darwin:  early biography and cultural context.

Reading:  Appleman:  Lyell (49-52); Herschel (52-57); Whewell (57-61); Darwin, Voyage … (67-81).  Browne I, part 2.  Ruse, chaps. 5-6.

Due Thu. 24 Jan.:  AR #1.  PSRE #1 (Paley through Darwin, Voyage).

Wk. IV, 29-31 Jan.  Darwin as professional(izing) naturalist.  World-historical context.

Reading:  Appleman:  Wallace (61-64), Darwin, “On the Tendency …” (82-87); Darwin, “An Historical …” (87-94); Hooker (276-80).  Browne I, part 3.  Ruse, chap. 7.

Due Thu. 31 Jan.:  TRE on Browne I.

Wk. V, 5-7 Feb.  The Origin of Species:  structure and reception.

Reading:  Appleman:  Darwin, Origin … (95-174); Beer (645-52).  Browne II, part 1.

Due Thu. 7 Feb.:  AR #2.  PSR #2 (Wallace through Beer)

Wk. VI, 12-14 Feb.  Scientific problems of evolution in the late 19^th c.

Reading:  Appleman:  Darwin, Descent … (175-254); Sedgwick (265-70); Jenkin (271-75); Huxley, “On the Relations …” (280-85).  Browne II, part 2.  Ruse, chap. 8.

Mid-term exam Tue. 12 Feb.

Due Thu. 14 Feb.:  Proposals for research papers.

Wk. VII, 19-21 Feb.  Darwinian influences in the social sciences and philosophy (I).

Reading:  Appleman:  Hofstadter (389-95); Huxley, “Evolution” (501-7); Levine, “Darwin and Pain” (639-44); Stevenson (653-58); Levine, “Darwin Among …” (658-64).  Browne II, part 3.  Farber, chaps. 1-3.  Ruse, chap. 9.

Due Thu. 21 Feb.:  AR #3.  PSRE # 3 (Darwin, Descent, through Levine, “Darwin Among …”).  TRE on Browne II.

Wk. VIII, 26-28 Feb.  Darwinian influences in the social sciences and philosophy (II).  Eugenics.

Reading:  Appleman:  Carnegie (396-98); Kropotkin (398-403); Dewey (483-89); Krutch (664-66).  Farber, chaps. 4-6.  Ruse, chap. 10.

Due Thu. 28 Feb.:  TRE on Ruse.

Wk. IX, 4-6 Mar.  The religious reception of Darwinism.

Reading:  Appleman:  NAS (289-300); section “Mainstream …” (527-33); section “Fundamentalist …” (534-76); section “Personal …” (577-612).  Farber, chaps. 7-9.

Due Thu. 6 Mar.:  TRE on Farber.

Wk. X, 11-13 Mar.  From the evolutionary synthesis to ecology, sociobiology, and genomics.

Reading:  Appleman:  Bowler (319-25); Gould, “On Punctuated …” (342-49); Eldredge (349-55); Grant (377-84); Wilson (409-14); Gould, “Biological …” (415-19).

Due Thu. 13 Mar.:  AR #4.  PSRE #4 (Carnegie through Gould, “Biological”).

Exam week.  Thu. 20 Mar., 10:15 (note time!):  Final exam.  Research papers due.