Description
We have caught a glimpse of an instruction book previously known only to God, a geneticist said of the most recent development in the mapping of the human genetic code. Having explored and mapped our planet's land masses, vast oceans and the space surrounding it, science is turning inward to the challenging and controversial mapping of the human genome, a collection of genes forming DNA. Each of our genes is a single instruction for the make up of an individual being. The more we learn, the more we discover to explore - and the more controversy we release in the process. Moral and ethical, social, religious and educational and scientific questions roll in: Are we giving proper attention to evolutionary theory in our schools? Can we constructively teach both science and religion? Are we allowing the genetic revolution to pass us by?

The Africa Human Genome Initiative was founded to address these questions, as well as the marginalisation of our continent - the cradle of humankind - in global research. The Architect and the Scaffold brings together papers presented at the Colloquium on Science and Evolution last year, in answer to these questions. This publication brings together thinkers and experts such as Wieland Gevers, President of the Academy of Science of South Africa and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Cape Town; High Court Judge Denis Davis who looks at evolution from a "somewhat dissident Jewish perspective"; Professor Caroline Odora-Hoppers' passionate plea for the education of our children to include indigenous knowledge, and a myriad of curriculum developers, book publishers, teachers and religious scholars.

Contents
Preface
Wilmot James
A Tribute to Stephen Jay Gould
Pippa Skotnes
Introduction
Wilmot James and Lynne Wilson

SECTION 1
Science, Evolution and Schooling in South Africa

CHAPTER 1
Science, Evolution and Schooling in South Africa
Jeffrey Lever

CHAPTER 2
Comment and Response to Science, Evolution and Schooling in South Africa
Wieland Gevers

CHAPTER 3
Religion, Science and Evolution in South Africa:
The Politics and Construction of the Revised National Curriculum Statement for Schools (Grades R9)
Linda Chisholm

CHAPTER 4
Science, Evolution, Religion and Education Creating Opportunities for Learning in South Africas Schools
Naledi Pandor

CHAPTER 5
Alternative Sense-making Strategies Can our Schools handle the Challenge?
Bernard C. Lategan

SECTION 2
Evolution, Creationism, Indigenous Knowledge

CHAPTER 6
The Evolution/Creationism Debate: Insights and
Implications from the Indigenous Knowledge
Systems Perspective
Catherine Odora Hoppers

CHAPTER 7
Islamic Discourse on Evolution: Response to Science, Evolution and Schooling in South Africa by Jeffrey Lever
Abdulkader Tayob

CHAPTER 8
Evolution, Creationism, Indigenous Knowledge: A Comment from a Somewhat Dissident Jewish Perspective
Denis Davis

CHAPTER 9
Christianity and Evolution
David Chidester

SECTION 3
Biology, Evolution, Curriculum Development and Publishing

CHAPTER 10
The Structure of the Natural Sciences Learning Area Statement and Opportunities within it for the Teaching and Learning of Evolution
Dev Isaac

CHAPTER 11
Science, Evolution and Book Publishing: A Publishers Dilemma
Fathima Dada

CHAPTER 12
Challenges of Writing about Evolution in School Textbooks
Colleen Dawson

SECTION 4
The Genome, Biology and Education

CHAPTER 13
Science, Genomics and Education in South Africa
Kader Asmal

About the Authors

Index