Caroline Crocker
Encyclopedia
Caroline Crocker is an American
immunopharmacologist who taught creationist claims
about evolution
and promoted intelligent design
in a biology class at George Mason University
in 2005, while employed in a non-tenure track contract position as “contingent faculty”, with no guarantee of a renewal. She also held another contract teaching position at Northern Virginia Community College
. After her contract at George Mason University was not renewed, as is common with such positions, she claimed that she lost her job there "for teaching the problems with evolution" in a lecture which she repeated in a class at Northern Virginia Community College in the presence of a Washington Post reporter on November 2, 2005.
A GMU spokesman told the reporter that the university let her go at the end of her contract period for reasons unrelated to her views on intelligent design, but that teaching intelligent design belonged in a religion class, and was not part of the subject of biology. In January 2006 she began a postdoctorate year at the Uniformed Services University
. Her case has been presented in a Discovery Institute intelligent design campaign
as evidence of persecution, and features in the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
.
, a B.Sc. in microbiology and virology from University of Warwick
, U.K. in 1979, an M.Sc. in medical microbiology from University of Birmingham
, U.K in 1993, and a PhD in immunopharmacology from the University of Southampton
, U.K. in 1999. As of 2006 she was reported as being a member of Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Virginia
, where her husband was associate rector. She now lives in Southern California, and has four grown children.
, Fairfax, Virginia
. She alleges that, in December 2004, her department barred her from teaching evolution
and intelligent design
after she mentioned intelligent design while teaching her second-year cell biology
course. The dean of the College of Arts and Sciences stated that the university did not have a policy or a rule on whether certain topics should be discussed, but questioned whether a concept with theological underpinnings belonged in a science course. He added "I'm a Buddhist, but I don't think we should teach reincarnation in biology classes."
Her lecture which raised concerns, as repeated at Northern Virginia Community College
, included erroneous creationist claims which have long been discredited. Her claim that microevolution
is quite different from macroevolution
is a common and incorrect creationist distortion, and her assertion that the latter was not established as "No one has ever seen a dog turn into a cat in a laboratory" is completely incorrect, as no evolutionary biologist has proposed that this could happen, and if it did it would be disproof of evolution. She misrepresented peppered moth evolution
experiments to claim that they were falsified, repeating an intelligent design creationist claim. In asserting that the Miller-Urey experiment
was irrelevant as views on the atmospheric composition have been revised, she ignored more recent research including the experiment being re-run successfully with revised conditions. Having claimed that many scientists believe that complex life reveals the hand of an intelligent designer, she said that "The problem with evolution is that it is all supposition – this evolved into this – but there is no evidence", and that anti-Semitism, eugenics and death camps in Nazi Germany had been based on Darwin's ideas of natural selection. Biologist and critic of creationism PZ Myers
, denounced Crocker's claims, pointing out that long running Christian antisemitic attitudes led to the holocaust. He advised her to read books in support of evolution instead of anti-evolution material from the pro-ID Discovery Institute.
On 28 April 2005 Crocker was reported as stating that being prevented from teaching both evolution and intelligent design was "an infringement of academic freedom", and appealing the case to a grievance committee. She was teaching material which was not part of the curriculum of the courses, and academic freedom
does not give the freedom to ignore the expected course content or teach about anything you want. Crocker was allowed to continue teaching and complete her non-tenure track contract in the normal way, then her contract was not renewed. A university spokesman said this was for reasons unrelated to her views on intelligent design, and that though they wholeheartedly supported academic freedom, "teachers also have a responsibility to stick to subjects they were hired to teach, and intelligent design belonged in a religion class, not biology."
(NVCC). On November 2, 2005, she gave a lecture which she told a reporter was the lecture that had led to her losing her job at a previous university. She said "I lost my job at George Mason University for teaching the problems with evolution. Lots of scientists question evolution, but they would lose their jobs if they spoke out." In reality evolutionary biology is overwhelmingly accepted by the scientific community, and there is no evidence of creationists being persecuted. Crocker had described the lecture beforehand as teaching "the strengths and weaknesses of evolution", and when asked afterwards if she would be discussing the evidence for evolution in another class, said that she would not as "There really is not a lot of evidence for evolution" and she was trying to balance other pro-evolution accounts. National Center for Science Education
research affiliate Alan Gishlick has described Crocker's arguments as part of a familiar litany of half-truths and errors.
Subsequently, she resigned from NVCC and began work for the Department of Defense in cancer research.
in early 2008. She left the Center in the summer of 2008 to "pursue other endeavors" She appeared in a Coral Ridge Ministries video entitled The Intelligent Design Controversy in Higher Education and in the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
. The claims she made in the Coral Ridge video about transitional fossils (and specifically Archaeopteryx
and the evolution of the horse
) were criticised by PZ Myers
as being factually incorrect and repetitions of well-documented creationist falsehoods. Crocker currently runs a promotional website advertising her public speaking. According to the website topics include: The Censorship of Science, Evolution: Fact, Science, or Religion, along with an Alpha course
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
immunopharmacologist who taught creationist claims
Objections to evolution
Objections to evolution have been raised since evolutionary ideas came to prominence in the 19th century. When Charles Darwin published his 1859 book On the Origin of Species, his theory of evolution by natural selection initially met opposition from scientists with different theories, but came to...
about evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
and promoted intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
in a biology class at George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
in 2005, while employed in a non-tenure track contract position as “contingent faculty”, with no guarantee of a renewal. She also held another contract teaching position at Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College, often abbreviated NVCC and colloquially as NOVA, comprises several locations in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and is both the second largest multi-campus community college in the United States and the largest educational institution in the...
. After her contract at George Mason University was not renewed, as is common with such positions, she claimed that she lost her job there "for teaching the problems with evolution" in a lecture which she repeated in a class at Northern Virginia Community College in the presence of a Washington Post reporter on November 2, 2005.
A GMU spokesman told the reporter that the university let her go at the end of her contract period for reasons unrelated to her views on intelligent design, but that teaching intelligent design belonged in a religion class, and was not part of the subject of biology. In January 2006 she began a postdoctorate year at the Uniformed Services University
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is a health science university run by the U.S. federal government. The primary mission of the school is to prepare graduates for service to the U.S. at home and abroad in the medical corps....
. Her case has been presented in a Discovery Institute intelligent design campaign
Discovery Institute intelligent design campaigns
Discovery Institute intelligent design campaigns are a series of related public relations campaigns conducted by the Discovery Institute which seek to promote intelligent design while attempting to discredit evolutionary biology, which the Institute terms "Darwinism." The Discovery Institute is the...
as evidence of persecution, and features in the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is a 2008 documentary film, directed by Nathan Frankowski and hosted by Ben Stein. The film contends that the mainstream science establishment suppresses academics who believe they see evidence of intelligent design in nature and who criticize evidence supporting...
.
Education and work
Crocker received an Associate of Arts from Des Moines Area Community CollegeDes Moines Area Community College
The Des Moines Area Community College is a community college in Iowa that offers classes in Ankeny, Boone, Carroll, Des Moines , Newton, and West Des Moines The Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) is a community college in Iowa that offers classes in Ankeny, Boone, Carroll, Des Moines (the...
, a B.Sc. in microbiology and virology from University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
, U.K. in 1979, an M.Sc. in medical microbiology from University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
, U.K in 1993, and a PhD in immunopharmacology from the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
, U.K. in 1999. As of 2006 she was reported as being a member of Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Virginia
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
, where her husband was associate rector. She now lives in Southern California, and has four grown children.
George Mason University
Crocker had a position as a part-time faculty member of George Mason UniversityGeorge Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
, Fairfax, Virginia
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
. She alleges that, in December 2004, her department barred her from teaching evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
and intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
after she mentioned intelligent design while teaching her second-year cell biology
Cell biology
Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...
course. The dean of the College of Arts and Sciences stated that the university did not have a policy or a rule on whether certain topics should be discussed, but questioned whether a concept with theological underpinnings belonged in a science course. He added "I'm a Buddhist, but I don't think we should teach reincarnation in biology classes."
Her lecture which raised concerns, as repeated at Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College, often abbreviated NVCC and colloquially as NOVA, comprises several locations in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and is both the second largest multi-campus community college in the United States and the largest educational institution in the...
, included erroneous creationist claims which have long been discredited. Her claim that microevolution
Microevolution
Microevolution is the changes in allele frequencies that occur over time within a population. This change is due to four different processes: mutation, selection , gene flow, and genetic drift....
is quite different from macroevolution
Macroevolution
Macroevolution is evolution on a scale of separated gene pools. Macroevolutionary studies focus on change that occurs at or above the level of species, in contrast with microevolution, which refers to smaller evolutionary changes within a species or population.The process of speciation may fall...
is a common and incorrect creationist distortion, and her assertion that the latter was not established as "No one has ever seen a dog turn into a cat in a laboratory" is completely incorrect, as no evolutionary biologist has proposed that this could happen, and if it did it would be disproof of evolution. She misrepresented peppered moth evolution
Peppered moth evolution
The evolution of the peppered moth over the last two hundred years has been studied in detail. Originally, the vast majority of peppered moths had light colouration, which effectively camouflaged them against the light-coloured trees and lichens which they rested upon...
experiments to claim that they were falsified, repeating an intelligent design creationist claim. In asserting that the Miller-Urey experiment
Miller-Urey experiment
The Miller and Urey experiment was an experiment that simulated hypothetical conditions thought at the time to be present on the early Earth, and tested for the occurrence of chemical origins of life. Specifically, the experiment tested Alexander Oparin's and J. B. S...
was irrelevant as views on the atmospheric composition have been revised, she ignored more recent research including the experiment being re-run successfully with revised conditions. Having claimed that many scientists believe that complex life reveals the hand of an intelligent designer, she said that "The problem with evolution is that it is all supposition – this evolved into this – but there is no evidence", and that anti-Semitism, eugenics and death camps in Nazi Germany had been based on Darwin's ideas of natural selection. Biologist and critic of creationism PZ Myers
PZ Myers
Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers is an American biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris and the author of the Pharyngula science blog. He is currently an associate professor of biology at UMM, works with zebrafish in the field of evolutionary developmental biology , and also cultivates an...
, denounced Crocker's claims, pointing out that long running Christian antisemitic attitudes led to the holocaust. He advised her to read books in support of evolution instead of anti-evolution material from the pro-ID Discovery Institute.
On 28 April 2005 Crocker was reported as stating that being prevented from teaching both evolution and intelligent design was "an infringement of academic freedom", and appealing the case to a grievance committee. She was teaching material which was not part of the curriculum of the courses, and academic freedom
Academic freedom
Academic freedom is the belief that the freedom of inquiry by students and faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy, and that scholars should have freedom to teach or communicate ideas or facts without being targeted for repression, job loss, or imprisonment.Academic freedom is a...
does not give the freedom to ignore the expected course content or teach about anything you want. Crocker was allowed to continue teaching and complete her non-tenure track contract in the normal way, then her contract was not renewed. A university spokesman said this was for reasons unrelated to her views on intelligent design, and that though they wholeheartedly supported academic freedom, "teachers also have a responsibility to stick to subjects they were hired to teach, and intelligent design belonged in a religion class, not biology."
Northern Virginia Community College
At the same time Crocker taught at GMU, she was also an adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community CollegeNorthern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College, often abbreviated NVCC and colloquially as NOVA, comprises several locations in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and is both the second largest multi-campus community college in the United States and the largest educational institution in the...
(NVCC). On November 2, 2005, she gave a lecture which she told a reporter was the lecture that had led to her losing her job at a previous university. She said "I lost my job at George Mason University for teaching the problems with evolution. Lots of scientists question evolution, but they would lose their jobs if they spoke out." In reality evolutionary biology is overwhelmingly accepted by the scientific community, and there is no evidence of creationists being persecuted. Crocker had described the lecture beforehand as teaching "the strengths and weaknesses of evolution", and when asked afterwards if she would be discussing the evidence for evolution in another class, said that she would not as "There really is not a lot of evidence for evolution" and she was trying to balance other pro-evolution accounts. National Center for Science Education
National Center for Science Education
The National Center for Science Education is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, California affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It is the United States' leading anti-creationist organization, and defends the teaching of evolutionary biology and opposes...
research affiliate Alan Gishlick has described Crocker's arguments as part of a familiar litany of half-truths and errors.
Subsequently, she resigned from NVCC and began work for the Department of Defense in cancer research.
Intelligent design
Crocker became the Executive Director of the Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness CenterIntelligent Design and Evolution Awareness Center
The Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness Center is a Christian nonprofit organization formed originally as a student club promoting intelligent design at the University of California, San Diego . There are about 25 active chapters of this organization in the United States, Kenya, Canada,...
in early 2008. She left the Center in the summer of 2008 to "pursue other endeavors" She appeared in a Coral Ridge Ministries video entitled The Intelligent Design Controversy in Higher Education and in the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is a 2008 documentary film, directed by Nathan Frankowski and hosted by Ben Stein. The film contends that the mainstream science establishment suppresses academics who believe they see evidence of intelligent design in nature and who criticize evidence supporting...
. The claims she made in the Coral Ridge video about transitional fossils (and specifically Archaeopteryx
Archaeopteryx
Archaeopteryx , sometimes referred to by its German name Urvogel , is a genus of theropod dinosaur that is closely related to birds. The name derives from the Ancient Greek meaning "ancient", and , meaning "feather" or "wing"...
and the evolution of the horse
Evolution of the horse
The evolution of the horse pertains to the phylogenetic ancestry of the modern horse from the small dog-sized, forest-dwelling Hyracotherium over geologic time scales...
) were criticised by PZ Myers
PZ Myers
Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers is an American biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris and the author of the Pharyngula science blog. He is currently an associate professor of biology at UMM, works with zebrafish in the field of evolutionary developmental biology , and also cultivates an...
as being factually incorrect and repetitions of well-documented creationist falsehoods. Crocker currently runs a promotional website advertising her public speaking. According to the website topics include: The Censorship of Science, Evolution: Fact, Science, or Religion, along with an Alpha course
Alpha course
The Alpha course is a course which seeks to explore the basics of the Christian faith, described as "an opportunity to explore the meaning of life" . Alpha courses are currently being run in churches, homes, workplaces, prisons, universities and a wide variety of other locations...
.
Book
- Caroline Crocker, Free to Think: Why Scientific Integrity Matters Leafcutter Press (July 4, 2010) ISBN 0981873448