This is a new, experimental course for NJU undergraduate students provided under the aegis of the university’s Do-It-Yourself (DIY) course program. This course takes advantage of the opportunities inherent in a university – as a community of scholars – to gather a group on students interested in natural history together together on a regular basis with a senior faculty member to read works of intellectual merit, and discuss/debate their propositions, bringing the experiences, interests and insights of each individual to bear on the discussion. Like a book club, the participants will decide what work (or works) to read, which may be a single-author book, and edited collection of essays, or a series of technical articles of the chosen individually by the participants.
The general goal of the course is to expose students to the broad topical range of natural history; the history of work in these areas, the core issues that each generation of natural history researchers must confront, and current summaries that seek to synthesize the more detailed contributions of individual investigations to the overall advancement in these fields. In addition, the informal, but in depth, format of this course should be an excellent way of (i.) supplying broad topical exposure in an organized, easy-to-digest context, (ii.) encouraging critical thinking, (iii.) encouraging debate among students over different approaches to the resolution of core questions in the areas of natural history research, (iv.) encouraging students to get into the habit of seeking out and reading thoughtful essays on major topics as well as becoming more familiar with the historical development of thought in natural history, (v.) foster practice in critical thinking in both individual and collective contexts and, (vi.) providing experience leading discussions in a more informal seminar-style presentation situation. Of course, since all the works read during the seminar will be written originally in English, this course will also (vii.) provide practice reading, understanding, evaluating and discussing scientific and philosophical arguments made in English.
Norman MacLeod
Organizer: 自然史论文的精读（英文）
Professor, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering
Zhu Gongshan Building, Room 464
Nanjing University
163 Xianlin Avenue
Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023
China
Phone: +86 198 5280 0990
E-Mail: NMacLeod@nju.edu.cn
MacLeod NJU Courses Site 