Attendance will be recorded at the beginning of the period and late arrival will be counted as an absence. Since it is reasonable to expect a few absences for minor illness, a death in the family, and college-sponsored activities such as field trips and athletic events, a student can be absent four times without penalty. This course has been designed to promote and develop general literacy in science. The lectures and exercises deal with the principal themes, models, and theories in the primary divisions of natural science.-astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. Because science so dramatically affects our society and its destiny, it is essential for persons to become generally informed about the principal features, the potential, and the limitations of scientific knowledge.
Scientific knowledge comprises our best objective understanding of the universe.
Yet, it is not a static body of knowledge. It is an organic, evolving understanding constructed by the creative energy of the human mind. And though it is a construct of human imagination, it is not arbitrary. This course should provide at least the minimum literacy necessary for one to keep abreast of future developments in scientific knowledge as presented in newspapers, magazines, and on television. It is hoped, also, that one will be able to deal more effectively with the many issues confronting our society in consequence of scientific developments.