Five thumbs up for this outstanding curriculum on eugenics,   Rich Cairn ! I encourage everyone in the TPS Teachers Network to take a look at the lesson and its corresponding slides, then either use the resources or pass them on to   STEM  colleagues and others. What an amazing product of a TPS grant! 

Hi   Rich Cairn ! I agree with   Mary Johnson  that is an incredible resource for teachers! I really like the question about the flaws in the science of the chart. It might also be interesting to talk about the bias that led to the construction of the visualization.

I came across this source that summarizes the "science" behind the eugenics movement (https://www.loc.gov/item/23006429/). I think it is important for students to uncover the idea that deep analysis needs to be conducted to determine if presented evidence actually supports the claim being made.  Most of the scientific studies linked in this report are related to genetics, but do not support eugenics (based on many of the reasons you included in the PPT). Similarly there are big scientific names linked with the studies that might make students think that there is expert support for the claims. This presents a great place for students to consider who is considered an expert on a topic.  

  Michael Apfeldorf  and I have talked several times about what was meant by several of the umbrella terms that were utilized at this time period (i.e. insane, idiot), especially since these designations were used in several of the statistical atlases. In a science class, it might be interesting to compare these diagnoses to 21st century diagnoses; how has the science progressed? what does the scientific community understand today that they did not know then?  

I would love to adapt this lesson for use in a biology class!   

Thank you for sharing these! I love the idea of distinguishing facts and beliefs--this would be an interesting thing to look at with students in the classroom. I would be curious how they differentiate some of the claims made in the articles about phrenology. 

  Julie Schaul  

The link to the Sunspots article reminded me of rabbit hole I went down prepping for a presentation recently that never fully formed.  It's connected to a likely coronal mass ejection from the sun in 1859 which was the most intense geomagnetic storm in recorded history.  This event is referred to as the Carrington Event after a British Astronomer who happened to be observing the sun and recorded the event - not really knowing what was happening.

The event caused a global aurora borealis for weeks.  This obviously makes for some interesting reading in the Chronicling America Collections.  One article which might be of interest to the pseudoscience conversation is from The New York Herald on 9/5/1859 which discusses accounts of various groups struggling with the scientific understanding of the day and the folklore and superstitions that were being spread about. 

If there is any interest in learning more, my very rough notes with links to primary and secordary sources can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y4phycf_4ieYEIeqXRAbdxfNl6zAhxsEUYqcuI9oQhQ/edit?usp=sharing 

I'll probably formalize this into something someday, but for now, please let me know your thoughts.

This is a great source! It relates so nicely to some of the resources that   Julie Schaul  shared. It would be great to have a classroom conversation with students about the role "beliefs" play in the construction of scientific knowledge. 

I couldn't resist digging up this scene from the end of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, by Mark Twain, published in 1889. The Yankee and his young engineers are holed up in a castle with the forces of reaction surrounding them... 

“Stand to your guns, men! Open fire!”

The thirteen gatlings began to vomit death into the fated ten thousand. They halted, they stood their ground a moment against that withering deluge of fire, then they broke, faced about and swept toward the ditch like chaff before a gale. A full fourth part of their force never reached the top of the lofty embankment; the three-fourths reached it and plunged over—to death by drowning.

Within ten short minutes after we had opened fire, armed resistance was totally annihilated, the campaign was ended, we fifty-four were masters of England. Twenty-five thousand men lay dead around us.

Of course, in the novel, the engineers die because they are surrounded by all those dead. Magic and superstition win in the end, and Merlin sends the Yankee back to his own time. 

The artist must have had this scene from Twain in mind. How does literature contribute to understanding of how people in the past perceived these debates? 

  Jacqueline Katz , I do not know if this referral might be of some help, but I received an email from the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture this morning that started with this:

"The Solar Eclipse and Mercury in Retrograde got us (the new direction of USDAC includes a crop of astrology enthusiasts, apparently!). Thank you to everyone who persevered through a Zoom link mix up and joined our Spring Network Gathering on April 19, 2023."

I did not attend the meeting, and in fact, I've only recently signed up for USDAC emails, so it's likely I have no idea what I'm talking about! Nevertheless, let me share the recording of the meeting. I have not listened to very much of the recording yet, so I don't understand the presence of astrology enthusiasts. I have listened just enough, however, to appreciate the strong focus on cultural possibilities, so at least there's that.

The email was signed by a Carol Zou whose title was "Secretary of Intentional Community." That's a job title I'd never seen before now.  

Jaqueline - I am (again) way outside my area of expertise, but I would love to see a translation of this document. They are way cool! How are these practices similar to or different from Chinese feng shui? 

I would be a bit cautious in using the term "pseudoscience" for these rich cultural expressions. They may not align with modern scientific principles, but they do have a rich history. And their goal of aligning humans with the world is profoundly lacking from the financial and/or politically driven motivation of much modern research, with catastrophic results for everyone on earth. My central question would be: What can we learn about a conversation between evidence-based science and traditional culture? 

Note that I have no such caution about calling out the pathetic pseudoscience of practices such phrenology or eugenics. They had no cultural history and just made up facts to fit their political biases though they shamelessly claimed to be modern science. 

Keep up the great work!