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Professor
of Education
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Welcome to the Homepage of
Linda S. Gottfredson
Syllabi
for Current and Recent Courses:
Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection unsettled devoutly-held
beliefs about what it means to be human: our origins, obligations, and
special place among all living creatures. Evolutionary thinking still
provokes strong opposition in some communities, but it has become the
guiding paradigm in the biological sciences. What can evolutionary science
teach us, however, about what it means to be human-not just a hairless ape
with opposable thumbs and deadlier technology? The new field of
evolutionary psychology is producing some intriguing answers-and even more
interesting questions. It marshals many kinds of evidence, from
prehistoric "bones and stones" to self-reported behavior in intimate
relationships, to explain how humans evolved such big brains, and at what
cost; why the sexes differ in size, perceptual skills, mating strategies
and longevity; whether infanticide and ethnocentrism are the dark shadows
of once-adaptive human behaviors; and if human innovation in the last
500,000 years has itself influenced the course of human evolution. Like
philosophers over the ages, the field also seeks the hidden causal
essences in human behavior-the human universals in love, sex, war, family,
loyalty, hierarchy and reciprocity. Evolutionary research also provides
insight into practical matters, such as why pregnant women get morning
sickness and modern populations are getting so fat. In addition to probing
the general assumptions, methods and findings of evolutionary psychology,
this class will debate how likely it is to explain, undermine or enhance
our humanity.
By 2003, just 50
years after discovering of the double helix, scientists had mapped the entire
human genome. This is one of the scientific triumphs of the Twentieth
Century, yet it also poses some deeply unsettling political and moral
challenges. Some people welcome its possible benefits to human health and
well-being, but others fear that the new genetic knowledge and technologies
will threaten our freedoms and degrade our humanity. This course will examine
the wide range of ethical issues associated with genetic research and
technologies. Students will first get a basic grounding in different ethical
philosophies, from early Greece to modern times, as well as in the genetic
science involved. From that foundation, they will then analyze specific
questions often debated in the press, movies, literature, and Congress, such
as privacy, discrimination, stigmatization, new medical therapies and
reproductive technologies, genetic engineering, and cloning.
Is intelligence just a narrow academic skill, as some
critics claim, or does it provide practical advantages in everyday life? What
is life like for people of low, average, or high intelligence? And just what
is intelligence anyway, and why do people (even siblings) differ so much in
intelligence level? This course examines old discoveries as well as new
surprises in the scientific study of intelligence. We will also closely
examine various IQ tests to help understand why the differences they measure
have practical value in virtually all arenas of social life, but especially
education and work. There is a wide dispersion in intelligence within all
societies, and we will ponder the special challenges that such variation
poses for democratic societies such as ours. Please visit the course
syllabus.
Educational
Assessment for Classroom Teachers (EDUC451)
Tests and assessments are a major part of a teacher's job.
They are also major tools of educational reform today. We will examine the
various aims and techniques of assessing student learning. You will learn how
to create and evaluate different kinds of classroom assessments, as well as
how to interpret standardized tests administered by the school district to
all students or by school psychologists to individuals students. We will
discuss the strengths and limitations of different kinds of tests, as well as
the lively politics surrounding them. We will also discuss how to give
feedback on student performance, including how to assign grades and conduct
parent-teacher conferences. Please visit the course syllabus.
Educational
Assessment for Classroom Teachers (EDUC 451-080, Honors Section)
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