The Eighth Day of Creation Syllabus and Reading Guide

The Eighth Day of Creation by Horace Freeland Judson is a narrative history of molecular biology. It tells the story of how scientists in the early-mid 20th century discovered the basic rules of life that we now call the Central Dogma. The book presents both an in-depth analysis of the foundational research and a look into the lives of the scientists involved. We used this book as the primary text for an advanced undergraduate seminar course at the University of Washington in Winter 2020. The course was rewarding for us and we felt our students got a unique perspective on scientific progress, so we wanted to share our syllabus (annotated with some reflections on the course) as inspiration for others to teach similar courses. We welcome any questions, comments, or contributions. If you decide to teach a course with Eighth Day please let us know how it goes!

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