Why does Singapore pledge itself “to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation”, as though these three phenomena were synonymous? What did Lee Kuan Yew mean when he said: “I am an agnostic. I believe in Darwinism, that evolution is how humans came about.”
This multidisciplinary module addresses these questions by examining the overlapping concepts of evolution and progress in such key areas as: natural science and technology; sociology and theology, history and politics, economics and literature. Issues addressed include: the difficulty of differentiating between “true” science and pseudo-science; the use and interpretation of “scientific” evidence; eugenics and Herbert Spencer’s “social Darwinism”—an influential movement which claimed that the laws of evolution applied to historical, economic and social progress.
The module culminates with an examination of the ways in which notions of evolution and progress are integral to Singapore’s history and identity. Ideas about the future of the nation are addressed in terms of economic, technological and cultural development, and the utopian concept of being an Intelligent Island, and a hub of Asian progress.
RHETORICAL INTRODUCTION
Because critical reading is the foundation of high quality academic writing, most of the set readings in this course serve a dual function. To:
- be the subjects of your spoken and written analysis and criticism.
- act as templates that show you different ways of writing essays.
To achieve these twin objectives, particular emphasis is placed on developing your:
- understanding of how critical essays are designed to produce rhetorical effects.
- awareness of he social contexts, functions and effects of criticism. EG When, where, and for what kind(s) of readership, was each essay written?
- ability to compare often radically different approaches to a common topic.
- understanding of possible reasons why critics may have expressed extreme views and/or written in ways that seem alien or unacceptable now.
The principle objective of the course is to teach you how to write increasingly complex and sustained papers that are persuasively argued and challenging to the reader, whilst being rigorous, balanced and fa4 August, 2008 argumentation. A dialectical approach involves the consideration of counterarguments and counterevidence, materials that help you to reconsider your original position in order to produce a stronger case. So when reading extremist critics you should consider what counterevidence and counterarguments their argument may suppress or fail to take into account.
Each paper will go through a draft stage. Your draft will be discussed in a private conference with me, and sometimes by your colleagues in peer review meetings.
PAPER 1: 2-3 pages
PAPER 2: 3-4 pages
PAPER 3: 6-8 pages
READINGS
Unit 1—Evolution, Natural Selection, and `Progress’
- Charles Darwin. Chapter 4. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection 1859.
- Darwin Recapitulation and Conclusion from On the Origin of Species final chapter/Chapter 14.
- Herbert Spencer Progress: Its Law & Cause 1857.
Unit 2—Social Darwinism, Devolution and Degeneration
- Darwin The Descent of Man. Chapter 21—Conclusion. (1871) 1874.
- E. Ray Lankester Degeneration 1880.
- Francis Galton `Eugenics: Its Definition, Scope and Aims’ 1904.
Unit 3—Singaporean Progress?
- William Gibson, “Disneyland with the Death Penalty” Wired 1.04 1993.
- Ien Ang and Jon Stratton “Straddling East & West: Singapore’s Paradoxical Search for a National Identity.” 1995.
- Jonathan Kwok, “The Incompatible E4 August, 2008arium.” UWC2101K Sample Student Paper 3.
- Robbie Goh. “Things to a void: Utopian Discourse. Communality and Constructed Interstices in Singapore Public Housing.” 2003.
- Chua Beng-Huat, “Singaporeans Ingesting McDonald’s.” 2000.
- Kalinga Seneviratne, “Kitty kitsch turns Singaporeans into Pavlov's dogs”. Asia Times online February 12 2000.
UWC2101K FURTHER READING (OPTIONAL, EXTRA READINGS)
Charles Darwin
(Useful for Papers 1 and 2)
- Janet Browne, Darwin's `Origin of Species’: A Biography. New York: Atlantic
Monthly P, 2006.
- Adrian Desmond and James Moore, “Introduction” to Charles Darwin’s, The Descent of
Man: Selection in Relation to Sex. London: Penguin, 2004.
- Jonathan Hodge and Gregory Radick eds. The Cambridge Companion to Darwin.
Cambridge: Cambridge U P, 2003
- Jonathan Howard. Darwin: Past Masters. Oxford: Oxford U P, 1982. (Recently
reprinted as Darwin: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford; Oxford U P, 2001)
- Diane B. Paul “Darwin, social Darwinism and eugenics.” In The Cambridge Companion
to Darwin: 214-239.
- C. Kenneth Waters, “The Arguments in the Origin of Species.” In The Cambridge
Companion to Darwin: 116-139.
Herbert Spencer
(Useful for Papers 1 and 2)
- Heine Andersen, “Herbert Spencer.” Classical and Modern Social Theory. Ed. Heine
Andersen and Lars Bo Kaspersen. Oxford.: Blackwell Publishers, 2000: 34-43.
- Mike Hawkins, Social Darwinism in European and American thought, 1860-1945:
Nature as Model and Nature as Threat. Cambridge: Cambridge U P, 1997.
- Antonello La Vergata, “Herbert Spencer: Biology, Sociology, and Cosmic Evolution.”
Biology as Society, Society as Biology: Metaphors. Eds. Sabine Maasen, Everett
Mendelsohn, and Peter Weingart. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1995: 193-230.
- Michael Taylor, Philosophy of Herbert Spencer (Continuum Studies in British
Philosophy). London: Continuum, 2007.
- Jonathan H. Turner, “Herbert Spencer.” The Blackwell Companion to Major Social
Theorists. Ed. George Ritzer: 81-104.
- Robert M. Young, “Herbert Spencer and 'Inevitable' Progress,” Victorian Values:
Personalities and Perspectives in Nineteenth-Century Society. Ed Gordon Marsden. London: Longman, 1998. Available thru IVLE
Francis Galton
(Useful for Paper 1)
- David Bradshaw, “Eugenics: `They Should Certainly Be Killed’,” A Concise Companion
to Modernism, Ed. David Bradshaw. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2003
Available thru IVLE
- Martin Brookes, Extreme Measures: The Dark Visions and Bright Ideas of Francis
Galton. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2004.
- Michael G. Bulmer, Francis Galton: Pioneer of Heredity and Biometry. Johns Hopkins
University Press, 2003.
- Richard Lynn, Eugenics: a Reassessment. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2001.
POLICIES
Attendance, punctuality & deadlines
Attendance is compulsory. Absence will be permitted because of serious problems (EG illness, family crisis) if properly documented. Students who miss classes are responsible for keeping up with the work assigned.
All essays and drafts are due in class on the date specified. Unexplained late work will not be accepted. If you have a legitimate reason for not being able to submit a piece of work, contact me before the deadline.
Also it is particularly important that you: attend all 3 of your individual Conferences to discuss your drafts and are punctual for your appointments. Lateness is unacceptable because it not only delays me, but it also wastes the time of all students waiting for their conferences.
ASSESSMENTS
1. Participation (EG in conferences and presentations) - 15%
2. Paper 1 - 20%
3. Paper 2 - 30%
4. Paper 3 - 35%
Links
Folio www.usp.nus.edu.sg/writing/folio/index.html
The Writing Centre www.usp.nus.edu.sg/writingcentre/wcresources.html
The Complete Works of Charles Darwin online http://darwin-online.org.uk/
Elizabeth Anne Devan, A variety of mini Merlions at Fullterton Waterboat House Souvenirs. Illustration to “Singapore’s Merlion: An Identity behind the Icon?” Folio volume 6, 2007. |
