ADDRESSING THE CONTROVERSY: TEACHING A GEOLOGY COURSE ON THE CREATION-EVOLUTION DEBATE

In recent years much of the scientific community's attention has shifted from dealing with the efforts of scientific creationists to that of the Intelligent Design (ID) movement. Because the popular arguments of the ID movement are primarily focused on biochemical complexity the current nature of the controversy might create the illusion that the criticism has moved on to non-geological topics, or worse, that scientific creationists have lost their bite. In reality, scientific creationism and its public support are alive and well in the United States.

Traditionally much of the efforts spent by scientific creationists are focused on discrediting geological evidence in support of an ancient Earth. Indeed, the modern creationist movement that culminated in the formation of the Institute for Creation Research began with the 1961 publication of Whitcomb and Morris's The Genesis Flood,which focused almost entirely on geology. These geological roots are reflected in the movement's current primary research and outreach efforts that include the Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth (RATE) project which seeks to discredit radiometric dating techniques, and public educational tours to Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite National Parks, as well as Mount St. Helens.

Geologists should continue to take an active approach in addressing the geological criticism of scientific creationists. I present a model for how to teach a course about the creation-evolution issue from a geological perspective. This model is based on an intensive undergraduate-level reading seminar which I teach at Central Washington University. The course explores the ethical and religious issues that motivate the anti-evolutionist movement, analyzes creationism's criticisms of modern geology, and surveys the historical and current legal issues that the discussion has raised. Students read key-pieces of literature that have shaped the public debate, and learn about responses by the geological community.

I will discuss ways on how to approach such a potentially hot-topic issue within the classroom, provide course outlines, reading lists, and tips on additional available educational resources.