History of Science (HSCI)

The department offers courses which are slashlisted so undergraduate students may take an undergraduate 4000-level course while graduate students may take a graduate 5000-level course. The lectures in a slashlisted course are the same. However, students in the 5000-level course have substantial additional requirements beyond those for students in the 4000-level course. These additional requirements are listed in the slashlisted course syllabus.

1003 Science, Nature and Society: Historical Perspectives. An introduction to the study of science, technology, and medicine in light of historical, philosophical, and cultural analysis. Focusing on the relationships between science, nature, and society, this class introduces some of the big questions about who we are, who we have been, and who we might become. (Irreg.)

2103 The Origins and Development of Modern Science. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. May be repeated once with change of section. 1. Science and Civilization, 2. Science and Religion in Historical Perspective, 3. Science, Frauds and Fallacies, 4. History of Science and Technology, 5. History of Evolutionary Thought, 6. Science in Its Social Context: 1600 to the Present. (F, Sp, Su)

2133 Science and Popular Culture. Draws on interdisciplinary perspectives to examine the interplay between science and popular culture from the Scientific Revolution to the present. Topics include representations of science, scientists, and nature in popular literature, television, films, and documentaries; the development of zoos and science museums; children and science, and science journalism. (Sp) [IV-WC]

2213 The Darwinian Revolution. The "Darwinian Revolution" was a revolution in culture as well as biology. We consider the history of the social, political, and theological issues associated with the development of evolutionary thought from the early nineteenth century through to the "modern evolutionary synthesis" of the 1930s and '40s. (Irreg.)

2223 Lives in Science: History of Science Through Biography. A biographical approach to the history of science. Accounts of selected scientific figures' lives are studied from various periods and cultures. (Irreg.) [IV-WC]

2333 Inventing the Modern World. A survey of the history of technology since 1500. The course emphasizes historical contexts and cultural meanings, not technical details, as it explores the key steps in the construction of our modern technological world. Materials include literature and film as well as non-fiction. (F) [IV-WC]

2423 Social and Ethical Issues in Science, Technology, Environment and Medicine. An introduction to a range of social and ethical issues in the history of science, technology, environment and medicine. Including the social, political and ethical implications of technology and scientific knowledge, and the role they play in shaping our environment and our selves. (Irreg.)

2433 Science, Technology, and Politics: International Perspectives. Focuses on interactions between professional scientists, the public, and the state, with case studies drawn from different national contexts. Topics may include such issues as AIDS; biotechnology; agricultural technologies; legal testimony; climate change; weapons development; mass transit; and science and engineering education. (Irreg.) [IV-WC]

2443 Science in a Religious World. An overview of major events in the intersection of science and religion from the Middle Ages to the present. A detailed look at the historical record and exploration of the background of the people involved, the social and political context, and the reasons why certain issues mattered so much. (Irreg.) [IV-WC]

2453 God and Nature in the Pre-scientific World. Explores the changing and multifaceted relationship between science and religion throughout the history of western culture up to the eighteenth century. Discusses collaborations as well as conflicts between Christianity and scientific investigation. (Irreg.)

†G3013 History of Science to the Age of Newton. Prerequisite: junior standing, or completion of one History of Science lower-division course, or permission of instructor. A survey of Western people's efforts to understand the natural world, from earliest historical times to the seventeenth century. (F, Sp, Su) [IV-WC]

3023 The History of Science Since the Seventeenth Century. Prerequisite: junior standing, or completion of one History of Science lower-division course, or permission of instructor. A survey of the historical and intellectual development of modern science. (F, Sp, Su) [IV-WC]

3313 Science and Technology in Asian History. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor. Examines science and technology in east, south, and southeast Asia from 1000 A.D. to the present. We examine the influence and interaction of knowledge traditions (especially Chinese, south Asian and Islamic), how they circulate around and beyond Asia, and interactions with European knowledge traditions, culminating in examinations of political and ethical dimensions of science and technology in contemporary Asia. (Irreg.)

3413 Biomedical Ethics. Prerequisite: Junior standing, or completion of one History of Science lower-division course, or permission of instructor. Introduces key concepts in biomedical ethics. Topics may include: the doctor/patient relationship; medical research on humans and animals; reproductive rights and technologies; medical decisions at the end of life; and the allocation of scarce resources. (Irreg.)

3423 Modern Medicine – A Historical Introduction. Prerequisite: junior standing, or completion of one History of Science lower-division course, or permission of instructor. Examines the history of modern medicine in Europe and America. Aims to connect medical ideas and practices to the broader social and cultural contexts in which they were developed. (Irreg.) [IV-WC]

3453 Science and Civilization in Islam. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission. History of scientific traditions and ideas in Islamic civilization, from the origins of Islam to the early modern period. Emphasis is on the derivation, development and transmission of Islamic science, as well as on the assimilation and influence of science within Islamic culture. (Sp) [IV-NW]

3463 Cold War Science. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission. Science and technology during the Cold War, including strategic weapons and SDI, medical experiments, the space race, science in popular culture, and science and foreign policy. (Irreg.) [IV-WC]

3473 History of Ecology and Environmentalism. Prerequisite: junior standing, or completion of one History of Science lower-division course, or permission of instructor. Explores the historical development of ecology as a science and as a political stance, from the eighteenth through the twentieth century. Topics may include: climate change, population control, deforestation, globalization, resource management, and environmental ethics. (Irreg.) [IV-WC]

3483 Technology, Politics, and International Development. Prerequisite: Junior standing, or completion of one History of Science lower-division course, or permission of instructor. Explores the interactions between politics and technology that have informed efforts to produce "developed" industrial societies around the world. Examines the emergence of development thinking and practice in Japan and the colonized world, international development and the technopolitics of decolonization, and contemporary issues in technology and development. (Irreg.) [IV-NW]

3493 The History of Media. Prerequisite: junior standing, or completion of one History of Science lower-division course, or permission of instructor. An introduction to the history of informational technologies and communications media from the printing press to the internet. Topics will include the print revolution, the advent of electronic communications, the growth of broadcast media, the development of the digital computer, and the internet boom. Course materials include novels and films as well as non-fiction. (Irreg.) [IV-WC]

3550 Topics in the History of Science. 1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: junior standing and permission of instructor. May be repeated with change in content; maximum credit six hours. Topics of special interest in the history of science. (Irreg.)

3813 Science in the Ancient World. Prerequisite: junior standing, or completion of one History of Science lower-division course, or permission. An examination of science in antiquity. Topics include the origins of ancient science, the transmission and interaction of various scientific traditions, the relation between science and philosophy, the development of a concept of science, and the place of science within the cultures of the period. (Irreg.) [IV-WC]

3823 Science in Medieval Culture. Prerequisite: junior standing, or completion of one History of Science lower-division course, or permission. A survey of the historical development of medieval scientific, mathematical, medical, and philosophical thought. (Irreg.) [IV-WC]

3960 Honors Reading. 1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: admission to Honors Program. May be repeated; maximum credit six hours. Will consist of topics designated by the instructor. The topics will cover materials not usually presented in regular coursework.

3970 Honors Seminar. 1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: admission to Honors Program. May be repeated; maximum credit six hours. The projects covered will vary. The content will deal with concepts not usually presented in regular coursework.

3980 Honors Research. 1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: admission to Honors Program. May be repeated; maximum credit six hours. Will provide an opportunity for the gifted honors candidate to work at a special project. (Irreg.)

4990 Independent Study. 1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: three courses in general area to be studied; permission of instructor and department. May be repeated; maximum credit six hours. Contracted independent study for topic not currently offered in regularly scheduled courses. Independent study may include library and/or laboratory research and field projects. (F, Sp, Su)

G5513 Advanced Studies in the History of Ancient and Medieval Science. Prerequisite: 3013 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit 12 hours. Thematic historical analyses of ancient and/or medieval foundations of science, focusing on the development of particular disciplines or scientific institutions, the relationship between science and religion, or transmission of science. Includes examination of sources and critical assessment of scholarly interpretations. (Irreg.)

G5523 Advanced Studies in the History of Renaissance and Early Modern Science. Prerequisite: 3013 or 3023, or equivalent, or permission of instructor. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit 12 hours. Thematic historical analyses of scientific ideas and practices in the scientific revolution and the ideas and practices in the scientific revolution and the enlightenment, 16^th–18^th centuries. Includes examination of sources and critical assessment of scholarly interpretations. (Irreg.)

G5533 Advanced Studies in the History of Modern Science. Prerequisite: 3023, or equivalent, or permission of instructor. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit 12 hours. Thematic historical analyses of modern science and culture focusing on the European and American development and professionalization of scientific disciplines, interdisciplinary relationships among the sciences, and intersections between scientific and public culture. Includes examination of sources and critical assessment of scholarly interpretations. (Irreg.)

G5550 Topics in the History of Science. 1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing and permission of instructor. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit 12 hours. Topics of scholarly interest in the history of science.

G5960 Directed Readings in the History of Science. 1 to 4 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing and permission of instructor. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit six hours toward M.A. degree, 12 hours toward Ph.D. degree. Intensive readings in a selected area of the history of science, under the direction of a graduate faculty member.

G5970 Seminar: Research, Criticism and Analysis. 2 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit 15 hours. Fundamentals of investigation and exposition in the history of science. (F, Sp)

G5980 Research for Master's Thesis. Variable enrollment, two to nine hours; maximum credit applicable toward degree, four hours. (F, Sp, Su)

G5990 Special Studies. 2 to 5 hours. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit nine hours. Specialized studies in the history of science. Individual research culminating in the preparation of a research paper. (F, Sp, Su)

G6970 Seminar in the History of Science. 2 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit 15 hours. Advanced study and historical criticism in specialized areas. (F, Sp)

G6980 Research for Doctor's Dissertation. 2 to 16 hours. (F, Sp, Su)

Updated: May 21, 2009