Course description

This course examines the development of science from the 18th century to the 20th century. We will explore three interrelated questions: 1) What did people in the past know about nature? In other words, how did they explain natural phenomena such as the motions of the planets, the workings of the human body and the behavior of animals? 2) How did people in the past go about investigating the natural world? What tools or methods did they believe would yield information about natural objects, phenomena and processes? 3) How are scientific ideas and practices connected to the broader social and cultural contexts in which they were developed?

These are the BIG questions, but along the way (and certainly connected to these big questions), we'll also address some issues that you may have wondered about, such as:

 

 

 

   WHY ARE THERE MORE MALE THAN FEMALE SCIENTISTS?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT DARWIN?

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

   HOW DO WE KNOW GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL?