Intelligent Design – Policy and Politics
(led by Julie Homchick (Communication) and Mott Greene (Earth and Space Sciences))
Monday, May 4th, 2009,  12:00 – 1:20 pm, Communications 202

This session will serve as part II of the winter quarter session on Intelligent Design and Pluralism. In this previous session, we read work by intelligent design advocate John Angus Campbell and ID opponent Kenneth Miller. Based on these readings, we explored how science is characterized by each side of this debate in terms of democracy and pluralism. Moving from these readings, this quarter’s session will explore how ideas of science and democracy have played a part in policy and politics concerning evolution and intelligent design. We will focus on the development of the Wedge Document by the Discovery Institute and the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial in 2005.

Listen to an audio recording (mp3) of the discussion.

Readings:

The Wedge Document: http://ncseweb.org/creationism/general/wedge-document
(This is the famous leaked document that outed the Discovery Institute’s strategies for integrating ID into schools and other venues.)

Eugenie Scott and Glenn Branch. ‘Intelligent Design’ not accepted by most scientists. National Center for Science Education. August 12, 2002.
http://ncseweb.org/creationism/general/intelligent-design-not-accepted-by-most-scientists
(In this reading, Scott and Branch criticize the efforts of the Discovery Institute and explain why ID should not be taught in schools.)

Kitzmiller v. Dover timeline. National Center for Science Education. October 17, 2008. http://ncseweb.org/creationism/legal/kitzmiller-v-dover-timeline
(In 2005, Judge John E. Jones ruled that teaching intelligent design in public school classrooms was unconstitutional. Here is a brief outline of events leading up to the trial.)

Please read the introductory paragraph and listen to the presiding judge of the Kitzmiller v. Dover case, John E. Jones III, read excerpt from his decision: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/id/judge.html
(click hyperlink ‘audio highlights’ and listen to the six short files).

(For the full text of the 139 page decision, see “Tammy Kitzmiller et al v. Dover School District Memorandum Opinion.”Judge John E. Jones. Case no. 04cv2688. Dover Pennsylvania. The United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, 2005. Sections A-E. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/dover/kitzmiller_v_dover_decision.html)

John G. West. “Dover in Review.” Discovery Institute: January 6, 2006. Section I. http://www.discovery.org/a/3135
(In a lengthy review of Jones’ decision, the Discovery Institute responds with this writing (among many others). Please read section I and skim the rest of the document.)

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