SF-H1176 Honors- What Is a Fact?
What makes a fact a fact? What makes a fact true? At one time, these questions were only asked by epistemologists and postmodernists, but with the rise of fake news and the discourses surrounding it, these questions are relevant to everyone. Understanding facts is also essential to college students, who must learn to use reliable sources in order to create credible work. In this class, we will examine works of literature, art, science, and history that interrogate how facts are created and how we determine their truth value. Texts will include podcasts, novels and book-length studies of memory and theory of mind (the study of how we understand what others are thinking). We will also utilize the resources of Boston and Suffolk University; we will visit the WBUR NPR newsroom, a local museum, and learn about the legal definition of "truth" from a representative of the law school. By analyzing these texts, participating in these experiences, and completing a series of assignments that ask students to think critically and creatively, this class seeks to understand how we create facts, and why we need them.
Prerequisite
CAS honors students only