COR 3801 Science, Truth, and Doubt; from Galileo to the Age of Disinformation

400 years ago, Galileo became a symbol of scientific heroism when he fought against entrenched belief and an anti-scientific culture. He lost. Galileo's story isn’t black and white and this course will explore some good and bad reasons why people doubted that the Earth goes around the Sun. We'll learn the basics of astronomy and explore many of the places where Galileo and his peers lived and worked.

We will then turn our attention to contemporary issues in the public uptake of science. Drawing on current events, we'll study how and why very different perspectives can emerge around seemingly clear-cut facts. And we will explore how skepticism, cognitive bias, and technology can add to or lessen these divides.

In class, through experiences in Florence, and in a capstone project, students will grapple with truth, untruth, information, disinformation, and the public understanding of science.

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