On July 9th, Bill Purves wrote: "I'm not a believer in
having the accumulation of specific facts be the point of a course.
Put a nickel in me, and I'll bore you to tears explaining why
I think there is virtually NOTHING specific anybody needs to know
at the undergraduate level."
PLOPPP.......(the sound of a nickel).....I wonder if Bill could expand a bit
on this? Aren't we preparing biology majors for MCAT & GRE exams, and for
careers in biology that require knowledge of some "specific facts"? And
wouldn't we like non-majors to be at least conversational on biological
topics? Bill's statement is a little disconcerting to someone who actually
learned alot as an undergraduate, and now spends a lot of time trying to
prepare accurate, well-organized, up-to-date lectures to undergraduates!
Dave Robinson
Biology Dept
Bellarmine College
Louisville, KY
