Foundations of Science: Intellectual, Cultural, Personal
CHEM 517
Fall 2006 not offered
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An interdisciplinary graduate seminar in which the nature of science as a discipline and way of gaining new knowledge about the natural world is the main topic. The class will consider the 17th century rise of science in Western civilization in the context of cosmology and the contributions of Bacon, Descartes, Galileo and Newton, comparing and contrasting the science developments in the Eastern and Asian worlds of the same period. The influence of science on other disciplines will be discussed in the context of the 18th century French enlightenment and the scientism of the philosophers. The rise of American science will use Ben Franklin's early experiments with electricity and the hydrophobic effect. A compare-and-contrast of the underpinnings of the physical sciences and the life sciences will be studied, with Darwin's theory and its subsequent ramifications as a case study. Finally, the nature of the paradigm shift from classical to modern science will be studied in the context of: a) Einstein's theory of relativity, b) the discovery of quantum mechanics by Planck, Bohr, de Brogle, Schroedinger and Heisenberg, c) the rise and assimilation of molecular biology, and d) the conflicts in the academy that defined the "science" wars circa 1990's. |
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Essential Capabilities:
None |
| Credit: .5 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
None |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: GRAD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
Major Readings:
Course packet of major readings.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Student presentations. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course will be held one day a week for the whole semester. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
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