Interpretation and Argument, Fall 2004, Section D

Syllabus (The syllabus includes the complete course description, list of texts, assignment due dates/daily schedule, and more).

Summary of Sandra Harding's The Science Question in Feminism (by me) This is a sample of a summary essay. It deals with an entire book, but it nevertheless covers much of what I want you to do in summary, addressing both the problem as Harding sees it, and her solution. However, the language could have been simpler and more clear.
Three Ways to Improve Your Writing: This document consists of a not-so-good summary, and clear-cut suggestions on how to improve it.

Summary Sample Two: This sample is an improved version of the previous, after the recommended changes have been made.

Required Readings, roughly in order of class coverage (updated regularly: see syllabus for full bibliographic citation)

Science and Literature Segment: I have decided to link to these online versions of Peacock's, Shelley's, Huxley's and Arnold's essays in the interests of conveniencce and increased access. We will discuss citation of these text in class, for those who will want to cite them in their upcoming papers.

Thomas Peacock, "The Four Ages of Poetry"
Percy Shelley, "A Defence of Poetry": This is a very good online version, a new encoded transcription from the photographic facsimile in The Bodleian Shelley Manuscripts: A Facsimile Edition, XX, ed. Michael O'Neill (New York and London: Garland, 1994): 20-83; PR 5401 1986 v20 Robarts Library. The source of the facsimile is Bodleian Library Ms. Shelley e.6., Editor: Ian Lancashire, Rep. Criticism On-line (1996).
Thomas Huxley, "Science and Culture" (1880).
Matthew Arnold, "Literature and Science" (1882).
C.P. Snow, The Two Cultures (first printed 1959)
John Brockman, "The Emerging Third Culture" (1995).

Biodeterminsm Segment
- Essays About "Genetic Determinism":
  - Garland, Allen, E., "Science Misapplied: the Eugenics Age Revisted"
  - Reviews and other "Gattaca" material:
Additional items of interest:

Social Text

The hoax, published in Social Text: "Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity", by Alan Sokal
Revelation of the hoax in Lingua Franca: "A Physicist Experiments With Cultural Studies," by Alan Sokal
Social Text's editorial response to Sokal's Lingua Franca article: This Site was down the last time I tried it
more to follow

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