Darwin Day Teach In 2009

WHY: This year marks two important events, Darwin's 200th birthday, 12 February 2009, and the 150th anniversary of Darwin's publication of On the Origin of Species. Darwinian theory provides the theoretical basis for modern biology, biomedical research and many other disciplines. Even so, evolutionary theory has low acceptance in the general population. A recent Gallup poll found that 43 percent of Americans reject evolution as a cause for human origins. Although students need the best possible education in an increasingly competitive and technically driven world, teaching about Darwinian evolution and other critical scientific issues (e.g. big bang, global warming) is under attack in our schools. Our goal is to use the occasion of the Darwinian Bicentennial to promote the understanding and acceptance of Darwinian evolution to broaden both students and the general population's appreciation of Darwin's contributions and their effects on understanding our world.

WHAT: We have planned a Darwin Day Teach-In that spans the campus. We are suggesting faculty teaching courses during the week of February 9-13 give a special lecture or discussion in their courses about how understanding Darwinian evolution is important to the subject covered in their course. Because Darwin was a leader in using science to address the human condition, his general approach touches nearly all subject areas on campus. The role of Darwinian evolution are widely recognized in diverse fields such as psychology, philosophy, animal and plant breeding, anthropology, music and art, engineering, family relations, geology, biochemistry, sociology, government and politics, sex relations, economics, education, kenisiology, health, medicine, human development, business relations. In other areas, Darwinian approaches have less often been applied and we suggest that this teach-in may offer an opportunity for faculty to explore the relationship of Darwinian evolution to subjects they research or teach.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED: We ask faculty to devote one class period of their course on February 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13 to a special educational event (lecture, debate, discussion, film, survey, field trip etc.) that focuses on some aspect of how Darwinian evolution affects our understanding of the world. To list your course's event: sign up for Teach-In.

We hope to produce a long list of Teach-In events spanning all colleges at Maryland that will be celebrate the Darwin Day bicentennial. This list will be valuable in showing the importance of Darwinian theory across many academic disciplines and provide a map for interested individuals to become educated about the importance of evolution in many different intellectual contexts.

For more information, contact Gerry Borgia or Karen Carleton.