Lesson 1: The Scientific Revolution

In 1500, most educated Europeans believed that the earth was the center of the universe; that the sun, moon, planets and stars rotated around the earth with uniform, circular motion; and that heavy objects fell because they were made of the element earth and the natural place of the element earth was the center of the cosmos.  In 1800, most educated Europeans believed that the sun was the center of the planetary system; that the earth and other planets moved around the sun in elliptical orbits; and that heavy objects fell because they were acted upon by the force of gravity.  Historians of science generally refer to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as the "Scientific Revolution" because of these dramatic changes in worldview. In my essay on the "Scientific Revolution" I describe the major intellectual shifts of the period.  If you have already taken HSCI 3013 or HSCI 3833 this lesson will be review.  If not, it will provide the basic background you need to plunge into Enlightenment science next week. 

We will also begin exploring popular perceptions and assumptions about scientists and science. You'll be asked to get three people outside this class to draw what they think a "scientist" looks like, and we'll discuss what these images reveal. Throughout the course, we will be examining the historical roots of these perceptions of scientists, as well as how they have changed over time.

Readings:

1) Kathleen Crowther, "The Scientific Revolution" in Hamish Scott (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern Europe, Volume II, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015), pp. 56-80.

2) David Wade Chambers, "Stereotypic Images of the Scientist: The Draw-A-Scientist Test" Science Education 67.2 (1983): 255-265.

Learning Activities:

1) Ask 3 people to draw a scientist for you.

Assignments:

1) Quiz

2) Small group discussion: introductions

3) Class forum: Draw-a-scientist results