bandsupply4

Evolution Korea The economic crisis that swept across Asia prompted a major reappraisal the old system of government and business alliances, and public management of risk. In Korea, that meant a shift in the development paradigm. In a controversial decision, South Korea's government has asked textbook publishers to ignore requests to eliminate examples of evolution from high school science books. This includes the evidence supporting the evolution of horses and the avian ancestral Archaeopteryx. 1. Evolution and Religion A South Korean creationist group has pushed textbook publishers to eliminate evidence of evolution from high school science texts. The decision was the result of a campaign run by the Society for Textbook Revise (STR) which is an branch of the Korea Association for Creation Research that aims to clear textbooks on biology of “atheist materialism.” The STR claims that such materialism creates an image of negativity for students, leading them to lose faith. When the STR's campaign made the news, scientists from all over the globe expressed alarm. Jae Choe, an evolutionary biologist at Ewha Womans University, Seoul and wrote an email to Nature's editor that South Korea had succumbed to religious prejudice. He was backed by colleagues around the country, who formed an organization called Evolution Korea to organize a petition against the changes to the textbooks. Some scientists are worried that the STR will expand to other parts of the world, where creationism is increasing. The letter to Nature warned of the anti-evolutionist campaign putting pressure on textbook revisions, especially in countries with large Christian and Muslim populations. extra resources is especially strong in the evolution debate. 26 percent of South Koreans belong to of a religion with the majority of them practicing Christianity or Buddhism. Many Koreans also adhere to Ch'ondogyo – a philosophy based upon Confucian principles, which emphasizes harmony in the social, personal self-cultivation and self-respect. Ch'ondogyo teaches the human being is one with Hanulnim, the God of Sun and that heavenly blessings can be achieved through good works. All of this has made creationism a fertile field. A number of studies have demonstrated that students who have a religious background are more hesitant about learning evolution than those without religion. The underlying causes are not clear. Students who are religious may be less knowledgeable about scientific theories, making them more vulnerable to creationists and their influence. Another reason could be that those with religious backgrounds might view evolution as an idea that is agnostic, making them feel less comfortable. 2. Evolution and Science In recent years, campaigns against evolution in schools have raised concerns within the scientific community. A survey conducted in 2009 revealed that over 40 percent of Americans believe that biological evolution is not true and that a belief in it would conflict with their convictions about religion. Many scientists believe that despite the fact that creationism has been successful the best method to combat this movement is to educate the public about the evidence that supports evolution. Scientists are responsible for teaching their students science including the theory of evolution. They also need to inform the public about the research process and how knowledge is verified. They should also explain that scientific theories are often challenged and revised. However, misconceptions regarding the nature of scientific research frequently cause people to believe that evolution is not real. For instance, many people are able to confuse the term “theory” with the common meaning of the word – a hunch or a guess. However, in science the theory is thoroughly tested and verified using empirical data. A theory that is tested and observed repeatedly becomes a scientific principal. The debate over the evolutionary theory provides a great occasion to discuss the importance of the scientific method and its limitations. It is crucial to be aware that science is not able to provide answers to questions about life's purpose or meaning, but provides a mechanism for living things to grow and adapt. Moreover, a well-rounded education should cover all major fields of science, including evolutionary biology. This is crucial because a lot of jobs and choices require individuals understand how science works. The vast majority of scientists around the world agree that humans have changed through time. A recent study that predicted the adults' view of the consensus on this subject found that those with higher levels of education and scientific knowledge were more likely to believe that there is a consensus among scientists on the subject of human evolution. Those with more religious faith but less knowledge of science tend to disagree more. It is important that educators emphasize the importance of understanding this consensus so that people can make informed decisions regarding the use of energy, health care and other issues of policy. 3. Evolution and Culture A close relative to the mainstream evolutionary theory, cultural evolution explores the many ways humans—and other organisms—learn from and with each other. Researchers in this field use elaborate models and tools that are adapted from those employed by evolutionary theorists, and they look back to human prehistory to discover the origins of our capacity for cultural understanding. This method also acknowledges the difference between traits that are cultural and biological. Cultural traits are acquired slowly, whereas biological traits are typically acquired simultaneously (in sexual species, at fertilization). The acquisition of one cultural characteristic can affect the growth and development of another. In Korea the emergence of Western style elements in the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was the result an intricate sequence of events. One of the most important was the arrival in Korea of Japanese occupation forces that introduced Western hairstyles and clothes. When Japan left Korea in the 1930s some of these trends began to change. At the close of World War II, Korea was united once more but this time under Choson dynasty rule. Today, Korea is a vibrant political and economic power. Despite the recent global financial crisis, the country's economy has grown consistently over the last decade and is set to maintain its steady growth in the coming years. However, the current administration has many challenges to face. The inability of the government to develop a coherent plan to deal with the current economic crisis is one the biggest challenges. The crisis has exposed the shortcomings in the policies of the country and its reliance on exports and foreign investment which could not last. As the crisis has shattered the confidence of investors, the government must review its economic strategy and find alternatives to increase domestic demand. It must also revamp the incentive monitoring, control, and discipline systems that are currently in place to create the stability of the financial system. This chapter presents several scenarios of how the Korean economy might develop in a post-crisis world. 4. Evolution and Education One of the biggest challenges for educators of evolution is how to present evolutionary concepts in a way that is suitable for students of various ages and developmental stages. For instance, teachers need to be aware of the religious diversity in their classrooms and create an environment that students who have religious and secular beliefs are comfortable with learning about evolution. Moreover, teachers need to recognize common misconceptions about evolution, and how to address them in their classrooms. Teachers must also have access to a range of resources available for teaching evolution and be able locate them quickly. In this context, Thinking Evolutionarily Convocation played an important role in bringing together evolutionary researchers and educators from various sectors to discuss best methods for teaching about Evolution. The participants included representatives from scientific societies and educational researchers, as well as government funding agency officials, and curriculum developers. The convergence of these diverse stakeholders led to the identification of a common set of recommendations that will serve as the basis for future action. It is crucial to include evolution in all science curricula, at every level. National Science Education Standards (NRC) which require the integration of evolution across all life sciences with the developmentally appropriate, are a method to achieve this goal. Additionally, a new publication from the NRC provides guidance for schools on how to integrate evolution into the life science curriculum. Multiple studies have shown that a more thorough explanation of evolution can lead to better understanding by students and belief in evolution. However, estimating the causal impact of teaching in the classroom is challenging due to the fact that school curriculums are not assigned randomly and change over time because of the predetermined dates of gubernatorial election and state board of education appointments. To overcome this issue I employ a longitudinal dataset that allows me to control the effects of years and states fixed and individual-level variations in teacher beliefs about evolutionary theory. Teachers who are more comfortable in teaching evolution have less internal barriers. This is in line with the idea that faculty who are more confident are less likely to be hesitant about questions about evolution in the classroom, and may be more inclined to employ strategies such as a reconciliatory approach which is used to increase the acceptance of undergraduate students of evolution.