Course Syllabus

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JST3600 - 0W60 Judaism and Science

Judaic Studies Program, History Department, College of Arts and Humanities

3 Credit Hours

Table of Contents

 

Instructor Information

  • Instructor: Rabbi Sanford Olshansky (See Instructor Introduction in "Getting Started" module.)
  • Office Location: History Department, Trevor Colbourn Hall (TCH)
  • Office Hours: By Appointment
  • Phone: 321-704-0702 (mobile)
  • Digital Contact: Sanford.Olshansky@ucf.edu or ravsandy613@gmail.com

Course Information

  • Term: Fall 2022
  • Course Number & Section: JST3600 - 0W60
  • Course Name: Judaism and Science
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Class Location: Online
  • Course Modality: W

Course Description

An examination of the relationship between Judaism and modern science, including consideration of biblical, rabbinic and mystical teachings, especially concerning creation, cosmology and human life. The course will deal with both medieval and modern attempts to harmonize religious beliefs and scientific discoveries about the universe and life on earth. It will compare and contrast Jewish teachings about creation and cosmology with modern scientific discoveries.

Course Materials and Resources

Required Materials/Resources

  • Schroeder, Gerald, The Science of God, Free Press, New York, 2009
  • Matt, Daniel, God and the Big Bang, Jewish Lights, Woodstock, VT, 1998
  • Additional readings to be supplied by instructor.

Optional Materials/Resources

It is recommended (but not required) that students have access to one of the following:

  • Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) with English Translation, Jewish Publication Society (JPS) or other modern translation
  • Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in English Translation, Jewish Publication Society (JPS) or other modern translation
  • Holy Bible (Old and New Testaments) Revised Standard Version (RSV) or other modern translation

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Students will understand the challenges of reconciling science and religion from a Jewish perspective.
  • Students will be able to interpret challenging texts, analyze logical arguments, and balance conflicting viewpoints.
  • Students will be able to analyze the big unanswered questions about the apparent conflict between religion and science.
  • Students will be able to evaluate how Jewish sources, from late antiquity to today tried to reconcile science and religion.

Course Activities

Success in this course will require diligent and conscientious work on the following activities:

  • Weekly viewing of online lectures (rich content pages).
  • Weekly reading of assigned textbook sections and supplementary materials provided by instructor.
  • Weekly participation in Online Discussion. (See specific requirements in "Getting Started" module.)
  • Weekly Quizzes of 10 multiple choice questions each, based on online lectures and assigned readings.
  • Two Short Papers at 6-week intervals. (See Short Paper Guidelines in "Getting Started" module.)
  • Midterm Exam of 30 multiple choice questions to be completed online by Sunday, October 10, at 11:59 pm.
  • Final Exam of 30 multiple choice questions to be completed online by Saturday, December 10, at 11:59 pm.

See detailed course schedule below.

Activity Submissions, Instructor Responses

All discussions, quizzes and exams will take place within Webcourses. Short Papers will be uploaded to Webcourses.

Discussion participation must conform to "mutual respect" practices described in "Getting Started" module.

I will generally comment on student discussion responses within the same week that they are posted.

I will generally respond to email and Webcourses messages within 24 hours. I will grade written assignments within 1 week.

I will respond promptly to voice or text messages to my mobile number listed above. (Urgent matters only, please.)

Attendance/Participation

Students are expected to log in to this class in Webcourses at least twice a week and to submit assignments when due.

  • Because all work is done in Webcourses, it should not be late due to minor illness, car trouble, etc.
  • Because class discussions are interactive, discussion participation should take place on a regular weekly basis.
  • Late quizzes, discussion participation, and assignments will be accepted for full credit in cases of documented extenuating circumstances such as serious illness, family emergencies, special curricular requirements (e.g. judging trips, field trips, professional conferences, military obligations, severe weather conditions, and religious holidays, per UCF Undergraduate Catalog).

Make-up Exams and Assignments

Per university policy, you are allowed to submit make-up work (or an equivalent, alternate assignment) for authorized university-sponsored activities, religious observances, or legal obligations (such as jury duty). If this participation conflicts with your course assignments, I will offer a reasonable opportunity for you to complete missed assignments and/or exams. The make-up assignment and grading scale will be equivalent to the missed assignment and its grading scale. In the case of an authorized university activity, it is your responsibility to show me a signed copy of the Program Verification Form for which you will be absent, prior to the period in which the absence occurs. In any of these cases, please contact me ahead of time to notify me of upcoming needs.

Assessment and Grading Procedures

Assignment

Percentage of Grade

Discussions

20%

Quizzes

20%

Midterm Exam

15%

2 Short Papers

 

30%

(15% each)

Final Exam

15%

Total

100%

 

Letter Grade

Points

A

93 – 100 points

A-

90 – 92 points

B+

87 – 89 points

B

83 – 86 points

B-

80 – 82 points

C+

77 – 79 points

C

73 – 76 points

C-

70 – 72 points

D+

67 – 69 points

D

63 – 66 points

D-

60 – 62 points

F

59 and below

Consult the latest Undergraduate or Graduate catalog for regulations and procedures regarding grading such as Incomplete grades, grade changes, and grade forgiveness.

Course Schedule

Week 1: August 22-28 Introduction and Big Bang Theory
Introduction to course
Questions to address, others beyond our course
Einstein’s big mistake, expansion of universe
Big Bang Theory, anticipated in Kabbalah

Reading: Schroeder - Preface, Prologue, Chapter 1 (Pages xi to 19)

Reading: Matt - Preface & Chapter 1 (Pages 11 to 31)

Week 2: Aug. 29 - Sept. 4 Schroeder I: Age of the Universe
15 billion years vs. 6 days in Genesis 1
Einstein: time is relative, “time dilation” at high speeds
Correlation to expansion of universe
Correlation to cosmic background radiation

Reading: Schroeder - Chapters 2 & 3 (Pages 21 to 62)

Reading: Matt - Chapter 2 (Pages 36 to 46)

Week 3: September 5-11 Early Post-Biblical Creation Beliefs
Philo of Alexandria: 1st century CE
Sefer Yetzirah: 8th to 10th centuries CE
Middle Eastern revival of Greek philosophy
Saadia Gaon: 10th century CE

Reading: Matt - Chapter 3 (Pages 47 to 57)

Reading: Sefer Yetzirah (English Translation) - linked to course module

Week 4: September 12-18 Medieval Biblical Interpretation
Jewish methods of Bible interpretation
Alternate readings of Genesis 1:1 and 1:2
Northern European rabbis on creation stories (Rashi, Rashbam)
Mediterranean rabbis on religion and science (Rambam, Ramban, Ibn Paquda)

Reading: Matt - Chapters 4 and 5 (Pages 59 to 90)

Week 5: September 19-25 Schroeder II: Age of Earth and Life
Scientific estimates for age of Sun and Earth
"Cambrian explosion" of multicellular life.
Walcott discovers and hides Cambrian evidence.
Alignment of biblical and scientific creation calendars

Reading: Schroeder - Chapters 4 and 5 (Pages 63 to 85)

Week 6: Sept. 26-Oct. 2 Origins of Life on Earth
Definitions of life/living organism
Abiogenesis: Life Creating Itself
Miller-Urey amino acid experiment
Protein to Organism Pathways

Reading: Schroeder - Chapters 6 (Pages 87-105)

FIRST SHORT PAPER DUE OCT. 2

Week 7: October 3-9 Origins of Life on Earth - Part 2
DNA and RNA Structures and Functions
Key Origin of Life Questions
Origin of Pre-Biotic Molecules
James Tour's Critique of Abiogenesis

Reading: Schroeder - Chapter 7 (Pages 107-120)

MIDTERM EXAM DUE OCT. 10

Week 8: October 10-16 Schroeder III Human Origins - Part 1
Darwinian Theory of Human Evolution
Skeletal Similarities, Analogous Structures
Human Evolution: The Math Doesn't Work
Latent Genetic Library, Convergent Evolution

Reading: Schroeder - Chapters 8 and 9 (Pages 121-151)

Reading: Berlinski - "God of the Gaps"

Week 9: October 17-23 Schroeder III Human Origins - Part 2
Genesis 2 Spiritual Subtext
Berlinski's Critique of Randomness
Gelernter: "Giving Up Darwin"
Cambrian Explosion and Intelligent Design

Reading: Schroeder - Chapters 8 and 9 (Pages 121-151)

Reading: Berlinski - "God of the Gaps"

Week 10: October 24-30 Conditions Needed for Life - Part 1
The Big Bang Revisited
Weinberg: The First Three Minutes
Elementary Forces of Nature
Formation of Stars and Planets

Reading: Schroeder - Chapter 12 (Pages 183-197)

Reading: Weinberg - "Life in the Universe"

Week 11: Oct. 31-Nov. 6 Conditions Needed for Life - Part 2
Home Sweet Earth
Why We Needed an Old Universe
Universal Constants of Physics
The Anthropic Principle

Reading: Schroeder - Chapter 12 (pages 183-197)

Reading: Weinberg - "Life in the Universe"

Week 12: November 7-13 Einstein's (and others') God
Dyson and Davies: Einstein and Spirituality
Moore: Darwin's Religious Beliefs
Polkinghorne: Quarks and Creation
Sources for Further Study

Reading: Schroeder - Chapters 10 and 11 (Pages 153-182)

SECOND SHORT PAPER DUE NOV. 13

Week 13: Nov. 14-20 Additional Viewpoints
Gould: Ever Since Darwin
Davies: God and the New Physics
Collins: The Language of God
More Sources for Further Study

Reading: Schroeder - Epilogue and Appendices (Pages 199-218)

VACATION WEEK: NOVEMBER 21-27

Week 14: Nov. 28-Dec. 4 Consciousness and Soul
Mind-Body Dualism in Western Religion
Davies: Mind and Self-Awareness
Kurzweil, The Age of Spiritual Machines
Fuchs-Kreimer, "Science and Spirit: Reconstructionist Theology"

Reading: Fuchs-Kreimer, "Science and Spirit" (linked to module)

FINAL EXAM DUE DECEMBER 10

University Services and Resources

Academic Services and Resources

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Non-Academic Services and Resources

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If you are a UCF Online student, please consult the UCF Online Student Guidelines for more information about your access to non-academic services.

Policy Statements

 

 

Course Summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due