Welcome to Science Court!
Science Court is a project designed to combat polarization in American society and strengthen democracy. It is run as an interdisciplinary course in the University of Minnesota Honors Program involving students from across the university. The students select a controversial issue and spend an entire semester studying it in depth to determine the facts (based on sound scientific research) and then argue it in a mock trial in front of a jury of citizens with a mix of views and backgrounds. The public is engaged through compelling audio, video and online content generated by the students about the preparations, trial and verdict. The trial is free and open to the public.
LATEST BLOG POSTS
2021 Science Court Case Selection Results
Drum roll please... The results for the 2021 Science Court case are:
To fight polarization and recreate a common American identity, a mandatory national service should be adopted
We tallied the votes separately for students, staff and audience and all three groups ranked mandatory service as their top choice. Fifty people ranked Mandatory Service as their first pick for Science Court 2021. In second place, was Regenerative Agriculture, with 36 people ranking it as their first pick.
The exact wording of the case statement may change somewhat as the case is refined, but the focus will remain on strategies for reducing polarization in American society. The pro side will argue for a strategy centered on civil and military national service. The con team will argue for a different approach, still to be determined, for reducing polarization on a grand scale. The jury will decide.
Documentary of SciCourt 2019!
Our fantastic Grace O'Neil wrapped up a memorable year in this fantastic documentary. Definitely worth the watch! Don't forget to tune in next year for our next SciCourt Case!
The Final Verdict!
And the verdict is.... 10-5 to the Pro Team! After 3 hours of deliberation on Sunday the jury delivered their final verdict just a few minutes ago. It was a great semester full of discussion, debate, and a lot of research! We would like to thank you all for following along, but we would also like to remind you to stick around. There is still another Podcast and a Documentary about the trial on the way! Not to mention, we will be back next fall for another edition of SciCourt. Personally, as the communications team, we would like to thank all the Jury and the audience for taking time out of their weekend and coming down to Hamline University. We would like to thank the Legal, Science, and Programming Team for all the hard work they put in this semester. Finally, we would like to thank the professors for dedicating a lot of time and effort to making this class a success. Thank you again for following along, don't forget to check back soon for our final podcast and documentary!