CORE 328 - The Discovery of Deep Time:Cultural and Scientific Perspectives

Institution:

Colgate University

Subject:

Description:

W. Peck The discovery of the antiquity of the Earth is one of geology's fundamental contributions to science. In the late 18th and 19th centuries new findings about the depth of Earth's geologic history and fossil record came into contact with deeply held religious and cultural understandings of creation and the place of man in the universe. Recognition of the Earth's vast age set the stage for Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection and ties directly to our understanding of how old fossil-bearing rocks are and how long evolution has had to operate. More recently, controversy over climate change has provoked similar questions: how long has our present climate lasted, and what has been the scale of climate change in the past The idea of an old Earth is still seen as controversial by many who still successfully argue against deep time in attempts to influence public policy. Knowledge of the Earth's vast age has reached past scientific controversy and influenced all aspects of life, including religion, poetry, art, and architecture. This course explores the changing cultural and scientific views of the age of the Earth, with a focus on the lines of evidence used to determine Earth's age using primary sourc

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.colgate.edu

Phone Number:

(315) 228-1000

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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