A Texas creationist institute has taken another step towards being able to award masters degrees in science education. An advisory council has recommended that Texas approve the degree which the Institute for Creation Research wants to offer (AP, NY Times).
“The Institute for Creation Research equips believers with evidences of the Bible’s accuracy and authority through scientific research, educational programs, and media presentations, all conducted within a thoroughly biblical framework,” the ICR’s website declares.
“They teach distorted science. Any student coming out from the ICR with a degree in science would not be competent to teach in Texas public schools,” says Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education (AP again).
According to San Antonio Express-News, the advisory team concluded: “It is fair to say that the proposed master’s degree in science education, while carrying an embedded component of creationist perspectives/views, is nevertheless a plausible program.” A team of independent experts visited the ICR campus in November. They found the degree “generally comparable” to others offered in the state’s smaller universities. This experts’ report was send to the Certification Advisory Council, which approved it and sent it on to Raymund Paredes, commissioner of higher education, says the paper.
Paredes will give his verdict to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, who will likely consider the masters programme in January.
On the one hand this is a totally stupid move: creationism is not a science and anyone attempting to teach science from a creationist view point is going to – at best – produce ignorant and misinformed students. On the other hand, does it really matter what name you give a degree? In the UK ‘science’ masters degrees are sometimes awarded for history courses and ‘Master of Arts’ degrees for physics.
Creationists are already teaching science in schools and that is the problem, not the creation (groan) of unwarranted degree titles.
Strangely, PZ Myers and Richard Dawkins both seem to be silent on the issue at the moment and I can’t find any editorials on the topic in the Texas press…
Related news: Don’t mess with Texas education – November 30, 2007