Field of Science

Get a B.S. in biology without taking evolution

At Southwestern Adventist University in Texas, Biology majors don't have to take a single class of evolutionary biology. In fact, as far as I can see there are no evolution classes offered at all. They do require the students to take religion classes ("religion elective").


[Click for larger image - also to enjoy the Lorem ipsum dolor sit placeholder still going strong.]

This shouldn't come as a surprise, given the recent push from the Seventh-Day Adventists to force the Adventist universities to teach creationism.

9 comments:

  1. Did anyone notice the "Lorem ipsum" text? You all know that this is a standard "stand-in-place" text, nowadays for text processing systems (but much more ancient that that). So, whoever bothered to compose the "Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology" text for this "university", didn't even bother to replace the "Lorem ipsum" passage. Possibly thought that this was an important Latin text describing that degree.

    It appears I can't ever not be surprised at the depth of inanity these people can deliver.

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  2. Degree descriptions are supposed to involve Latin? LOLWUT? Srsly, are these guys like in the 12th century or something?

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  3. Ok, makes a lot more sense after some wikiing. Also, zzril is definitely nowhere near Latin-looking. Although "pain itself" as an awesome way to describe a degree... >_>

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  4. Also. you did notice there's no evolution in the curriculum, right?

    [I took the snapshot to eternalize the Loren ipsum text.]

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  5. Evolution! Who needs that in biology?

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  6. To be honest, we don't really have an evolution requirement either >_> but not for political/religious reasons as much as just the bureaucratic history of the program. Apparently, it just never really happened, and they're working on fixing that. We get like barely a month on evol in ecology (for the fucking last time: ecology is but one TINY miniscule component of evolution FFS, what about all the other processes that happen in biology!?!?!? GRRR [/pet peeve]), and another month or so in first year (also with ecology >.< ) You can successfully avoid it aside from a couple bits and pieces in various classes though...

    Wishlist:
    - Make evol a requirement for ALL biol students
    - STOP EQUATING EVOLUTION WITH ECOLOGY!!!!!!!1!one

    Just had to get that out. Carry on. ^_^

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  7. Psi, do hurry up and make it a requirement.

    But, at least you do have courses on evolution, right? As far as I can see (and I could be wrong), SWAU doesn't.

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  8. Of course we do have courses on evol, and our school is big in some fields of evolutionary biology. But again, such things tend to fall through the cracks between departments, as well as getting avoided to not piss off the pre-meds (who should get the hell out and form their own program anyway >.<).

    I shall use mah undergrad POWAZ to make that a requirement, brb. I'll threaten them with less-than-satisfactory instructor/course evaluations! MWAHAHA! I'm so scary and powerful it hurts! ^_~

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  9. Let's keep in mind, also, (or simply advertise the fact) that until I taught a course on evolution at Caltech in 1995, nobody taught it there. And after I stopped teaching it, almost ten years later, it's not taught anymore. Now, Caltech's no bible college. I suppose it is simply acknowledged as obvious, and it is acknowledged in any biology class. Also, there is a class on primate evolution.

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