Science in Western Culture, 1650-1900
HIST 254
Fall 2009
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
SISP 254 |
Between the mid-17th century and the start of the 20th century, Western science and technology underwent dramatic change. Beginning as a rarefied activity carried out by cultural elites from largely agrarian societies, science by the end of the 19th century was rapidly becoming a massive, institutionalized undertaking lying at the heart of industrial, technological, and economic development. In sum, during this period, the scientific enterprise evolved from something that looks quite foreign to us today into a close approximation of its modern and familiar form. This course traces this evolution, exploring in particular the shifting relationships between science and technology, between scientific and religious authority, and between science and its social, economic, and political environment, from courtly life in the 17th and 18th centuries and imperial expansion to the Industrial Revolution. |
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Essential Capabilities:
None |
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS HIST |
| Course Format: Lecture | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (EDST)(HIST-MN)(HIST)(IDEA-MN)(IDEA)(STS) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Betty Jo Teeter Dobbs and Margaret Jacob, NEWTON AND THE CULTURE OF NEWTONIANISM (Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press, 1995).
Peter Galison, EINSTEIN'S CLOCKS, POINCARÉ'S MAPS: EMPIRES OF TIME (New York: W.W. Norton, 2003).
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Examinations and Assignments:
In addition to brief assignments based on the readings, there will be three take-home examinations. |
| Instructor(s): Erickson,Paul Hilding Times: .M.W.F. 11:00AM-11:50AM; Location: PAC001; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 40 | | SR major: 6 | JR major: 6 | | |
| Seats Available: 4 | GRAD: 0 | SR non-major: 4 | JR non-major: 4 | SO: 10 | FR: 10 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 3 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 1 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 2 |
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