An introductory survey of the
history of the sciences since 1700 and their increasingly important
place in modern societies. We begin by looking at the legacy
of the Scientific Revolution, the consolidation of "natural
philosophy" and "natural history," and the Enlightenment
and popular science. Then we will consider the organizational
transformation of the 19th century and the differentiation of
the fields we recognize today, as well as the chemical and Darwinian
revolutions, the rise of the new physics, and the growing role
of science as a source of new technologies. As we move towards
the present we will examine scientific developments in their evolving
relations to industry, medicine, government, and warfare.
Instructor
information
Approach and materials
As a historical study of the
development of science, the course will draw on approaches and
materials from both history and science. We will be dealing
in some depth with scientific ideas, though in a way that should
remain accessible to non-science majors. In all this, however,
the emphasis will be placed on the historical development, and
one of the course's goals will be to practice the process of thinking
historically.
In this course historical information
will come from three main sources: reading, lecture, and
discussion section. Readings will be a mixture of primary
sources and historians' surveys. Lectures will provide a
broad overview. Section meetings will focus on analysis
of the readings and discussion of the course material. Lectures
and section will complement each other, and attendance in section
is required.
Books
On order at the bookstore
and on library reserve
- Thomas Hankins, Science
and the Enlightenment (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1985), ISBN 0521286190
- Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
(New York: Bantam, 1984), ISBN 0553212478
- Peter J. Bowler, Evolution:
the history of an idea (Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1989), ISBN 0520063864
- James Watson, The double
helix (New York: New American Library, 1991), ISBN
0451627873
On library reserve
- Werner Heisenberg, Physics
and beyond (New York: Harper & Row, 1971)
The text A.S. Weber, Nineteenth-century
science: an anthology (Peterborough, ON: Broadview,
1999) was initially on order, but it will not be available
and you do not need to get it. We will instead use course
handouts and/or a reader that will be available later in the term.
Course
mechanics
Meetings:
Class meetings on Tuesday, January 25, and Thursday, January 27,
will be joint lecture/discussion sections from 12:30-2:00 in 101
Moffitt. Sections will not meet 2:00-3:00 or 3:00-4:00 on
either day. Changed
1/21/00.
Exams:
There will be an in-class midterm on Thursday, March 2, at the
end of the seventh week of classes, and a final exam on Wednesday,
May 17, starting at 5:00 p.m., as assigned in the university schedule
for exam group 14. The final will emphasize material since
the midterm but will include some material from the first half
of the course.
Papers:
During the semester you will write a research paper of 8-10 pages
on a topic of your choice. It will be due on Thursday, April
20, at the beginning of your section meeting. As the semester
progresses we will talk in more detail about choosing a topic,
assembling sources, and constructing an argument. Proper
writing (grammar, organization, etc.) definitely counts.
Late papers will be penalized: each day (or fraction thereof)
that a paper is late will reduce its grade by 2/3 of a mark (e.g.,
A to B+, B- to C).
Grades will be assigned as follows:
|
Midterm exam |
20% |
|
Final exam |
30% |
|
Paper |
30% |
|
Section participation and assignments |
20% |
Any work not completed will
be counted as ZERO.
Web
mechanics
This site will grow with the
posting of lecture guides and other material. Logistical
announcements will also appear; if you can, you should regularly
check the announcements at the top of the site. Bookmark
it!
Schedule
|
Week |
Date |
Topics |
Reading |
|
1 |
1/18 |
Introduction |
|
|
1-3 |
1/20
1/25
1/27
2/1
2/3 |
Newtonianism and the mechanical
philosophy
Organization and institutions
The Enlightenment and scientism
Popular science
Newtonian and experimental physics |
handouts
Hankins, ch. 1 (by 1/25), 3, 4 |
|
4 |
2/8
2/10 |
Systematics and natural history
The study of life |
Hankins, ch. 5
handouts |
|
5-6 |
2/15
2/17
2/22 |
Romantic reaction
Humboldtian science
Geography and geology
Popular science and pseudoscience |
Shelley (by 2/17)
Bowler, ch. 1-2 |
|
6-7 |
2/24
2/29 |
The chemical revolution
Making sense of chemistry
Atomism |
handouts/reader |
|
7 |
3/2 |
MIDTERM EXAM |
|
|
8 |
3/7
3/9 |
Disciplines and professionalization
Science, industry, and agriculture
Science and empire |
handouts/reader
Bowler, ch. 3-5 |
|
9-10 |
3/14
3/16
3/21
3/23 |
Darwinism: scientific origins
Science and religion
Social Darwinism and eugenics |
Bowler, ch. 6-7 (by 3/16), 8-10 |
|
11 |
3/28
3/30 |
SPRING VACATION |
|
|
12 |
4/4
4/6 |
Experiment and medicine
The consolidation of biology |
handouts/reader |
|
13 |
4/11
4/13 |
Unification in physics
Revolution: relativity and
quantum theory
Physics and its borderlands |
Heisenberg, ch. 1-6, 8, 9 |
|
14-15 |
4/18
4/20
4/25 |
Shifts in national centers
Applied science: industry
and war
Science and government |
Heisenberg, ch. 12-16, 18 |
|
16 |
4/27
5/2
5/4 |
The biochemical basis of life
Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology
The Green Revolution and the environment |
Watson (by 5/2) |
Useful
links
Virtual Library for the History of Science,
Technology & Medicine
Links to source collections,
exhibitions, and related materials. No longer updated, but
a good starting point.
History of Science Society—Reading
List
Guide to printed resources,
useful before plunging into the library catalog.
Back to
Prof. Carson's home page
History
undergraduate course list
CRT image from http://www.chem.uiuc.edu/demos/cathode.html
Last modified 21 January
2000 by Cathryn Carson
