MSE 1700
Last Updated
- Schedule of Classes - December 11, 2024 7:49PM EST
- Course Catalog - December 11, 2024 7:09PM EST
Classes
MSE 1700
Course Description
Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2024-2025.
Scientists excitedly announce their latest result—"it's a breakthrough!"—and science journalists and others proclaim that the breakthrough will revolutionize our lives. But is it so? Or are they speculating, exaggerating, or complicit in fraud? Some scientific breakthroughs do change our lives (CRISPR-Cas9) while others fade away ignominiously (Theranos). Case studies will help us develop a critical eye: we will read red-hot announcements along with dispassionate retrospectives, identifying the signs that distinguish flimsy or inflated claims from solid and credible statements. To detect hype, we need only common sense and logical reasoning, not specific or deep scientific expertise. Using carefully constructed and richly argued essays, along with dialogues and speeches, we will interpret and assess the claims of some prominent examples of trumpeted breakthroughs.
When Offered Fall.
FWS Session.
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Credits and Grading Basis
3 Credits Graded(Letter grades only)
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Class Number & Section Details
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Meeting Pattern
- MWF Upson Hall 152
- Aug 26 - Dec 9, 2024
Instructors
van Dover, R
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Additional Information
Instruction Mode: In Person
For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.
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