Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Page 1
Department: Apologetics
Campus: On Campus
Course Title: Physics & Astronomy
Course Number: SC502 (for M.A.) or SC802 (for D.Min.)
Credit Hours: 3
Semester/Year: Summer 2015
Hugh Ross PhD in Astronomy, University of Toronto
Jeff Zweerink PhD in Astrophysics, Iowa State University
818 Oak Park Road
Covina, CA 91724
Tel: (626) 3351480 (Ask for Krista or Sarah at Reasons Institute)
Email: learning@reasons.org
SC502 (802)
Page 2
SC502 (802)
Page 3
SC502 (802)
Page 4
1,000 points
Final grades will be determined on the following basis for D.Min. students:
Attendance and participation................................................................... 100 points
Study questions (8 questions x 50 pts. each) ......................................... 400 points
Book review ........................................................................................... 150 points
Research paper ....................................................................................... 200 points
Final exam... 150 points
TOTAL
1,000 points
SC502 (802)
Page 5
SC502 (802)
Page 6
STUDY QUESTIONS
Answer the following questions based on the lecture and reading material. Each response should
be at least 500 words.
1. Compare and contrast a one-creation model of non-Christian religions with the two- creation
model of Christianity?
2. Summarize the major points of what the Bible says about the origin, history and current
properties of the universe. How you might use this information as a bridge in evangelism
with an unbeliever?
3. Describe the process for how astronomers make measurements of the physical and chemical
properties of the universe, galaxies, stars and planets. Comment on the reliability and
trustworthiness of these methods.
4. Describe three ways exoplanet research has contributed to our understanding about the nature
and design of our solar systems planets.
5. Why do scientists think pursuing the unification of the four fundamental forces will produce
good scientific results, and how has the pursuit yielded additional evidence for design in
the universe? Summarize how you might use insights from particle physics as a bridge in
evangelism with an unbeliever.
6. Summarize and assess the evidence for the multiverse. How do some unbelieving scientists try
to use the multiverse to account for evidence for the beginning and design of the
universe? How does the multiverse affect the way Christians use cosmological and
teleological arguments for the existence of God? Why do certain theories of the
multiverse ultimately fail to support atheism?
7. Describe some ways that you think Christian apologists could possibly overstate design
evidence. What will you do to avoid these pitfalls?
8. Discuss the potential usefulness of string-theory and multiple dimensions might be useful in
your personal evangelism with unbelievers. What could be some of its potential limits or
pitfalls? [for D.Min. students only]
SC502 (802)
Page 7
GRADING RUBRIC
Study Questions
for M.A. STUDENTS
Evaluation Criteria
FORM (020 points; 25%)
Length, Font, Spacing, Margins (10
pts.)
Spelling, Grammar and Writing Style
(10 pts.)
Score
Comments
SC502 (802)
Page 8
GRADING RUBRIC
Study Questions
for D.MIN STUDENTS
Evaluation Criteria
FORM (012 points; 25%)
Length, Font, Spacing, Margins (6 pts.)
Spelling, Grammar and Writing Style (6
pts.)
Score
Comments
SC502 (802)
Page 9
What interest or personal involvement does the author have with the material
included in the book?
What are the books strengths? What are the authors best/most persuasive
arguments?
What are the books weaknesses? What are the authors weakest/least persuasive
arguments?
Did the author adequately support his thesis? Why or why not?
Does the books content, style, level of difficulty fit its intended audience?
SC502 (802)
Page 10
GRADING RUBRIC
Book Review
Evaluation Criteria
FORM (040 points; 25%)
Organization and development of the
essay (15 pts.)
Font, Spacing, Margins, and Length (10
pts.)
Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation (15
pts.)
Score
Comments
SC502 (802)
Page 11
exoplanets
multiverse
Example: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130807134508.htm
The article must have appeared within the last 12 months.
(2) Locate an online version of the original peer-reviewed article on which the popular story is
based.
Example: http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v111/i4/e041301
(3) Carefully read the abstract of the peer-reviewed article. You are not required to read the
entire technical article; just the abstract. It might also be helpful to read the final paragraph or
two where the researchers summarize their findings.
(4) Craft an 800-word essay analyzing the findings of the peer reviewed article and integrating it
with a Christian worldview. Your analysis should include a clear statement of the
researchers thesis and a summary of their findings. (Note: the news articles posted on
science news web sites tend to not report the scientists findings accurately, so read the
abstract of the technical article carefully.) You should also include insights from the lecture
and reading material, as well as relevant biblical material, to tie it to the Christian faith.
Your essay should be in the spirit of a Todays New Reason to Believe article or Science
News Flash podcast on the reasons.org web site.
Example: http://www.reasons.org/articles/3-surprising-new-exoplanet-finds
SC502 (802)
Page 12
To help you get started, you might consider using this search engine for astronomy papers and
abstracts at http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html.
Here is a list of common academic journals that cover topics related to physics and astronomy:
New Scientist
Science
Astrophysical Journal
Icarus
SC502 (802)
Page 13
GRADING RUBRIC
Case Study
(for M.A. students only)
Evaluation Criteria
FORM (040 points; 25%)
Organization and development of the
essay (5 pts.)
Font, Spacing, Margins, and Length (5
pts.)
Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation (5
pts.)
Score
Comments
SC502 (802)
Page 14
B. General Guidelines
Great care should be taken to respectfully evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each
side of the debate, as the tone of the analysis will be weighted as a significant part of the
final grade.
C. Content
The following content should be included in your research paper:
Background Information:
Provide sufficient background so that the general reader can appreciate the context of the
research.
How certain are the researchers of the conclusions they drew from the study?
SC502 (802)
Page 15
Did the research provide answers to the questions that motivated the study? Why or why
not?
What are the implications of the study for the evolutionary paradigm? For creationist
models?
Considerations:
Endnotes:
Include references to popular resources or review articles that will provide the general
reader with the necessary background information to appreciate the significance of the
study.
As you discuss the implications of the work, give references that support your points.
http://www.reasons.org/articles/honing-in-on-dark-energy-design
http://www.reasons.org/podcasts/creation-update-2/testing-general-relativity-and cosmic-creation
http://www.reasons.org/articles/tnrtb-classic-exoplanet-studies
http://www.reasons.org/articles/the-higgs-boson-discovered-or-nonexistent
http://www.reasons.org/articles/tnrtb-classic-the-benefits-of-bombardments
SC502 (802)
Page 16
GRADING RUBRIC
Research Paper
(for D.Min. students only)
Evaluation Criteria
FORM (050 points; 25%)
Font, Spacing, Margins, Length (12
pts.)
Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation (12
pts.)
Organization and Development (13 pts.)
Quality of references and citation format
(13 pts.)
Score
Comments
SC502 (802)
Page 17
Computer w/ MS Word
SC502 (802)
Page 18
GRADING RUBRIC
Final Exam
Evaluation Criteria
FORM (040 points; 25%)
Font, Spacing, Margins, Length (10
pts.)
Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation (15
pts.)
Organization and development of the
essay (15 pts.)
CONTENT (0110 points; 75%)
Demonstrates an accurate
understanding of the different
perspectives presented, identifying
key ideas, evaluating their strengths
and weaknesses (50 pts.)
Incorporates relevant ideas from
course lectures and readings into the
essay (30 pts.)
Uses appropriate academic tone and
accurately represents contrary
positions in a fair manner (15 pts.)
Issues are applied appropriately to
the students life and evangelism (15
pts.)
TOTAL SCORE (0150 points)
Score
Comments
SC502 (802)
Page 19
Jones, Andrew Zimmerman. String Theory for Dummies. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2009).
Kasting, James F. How to Find a Habitable Planet. Princeton, NJ; Woodstock: Princeton
University Press, 2012.
Pincock, Stephen. The Origins of the Universe for Dummies. (Hoboken, NJ:
Wiley, 2012).