SCI 239 - History of Science (3 Credits)
Spring 2010 - (UWR) writing-intensive course
GEN ED Approved – SMI discipline code
Catalog Description: An introduction to the History of Science conducted through an interdisciplinary exploration of scientific revolutions, myths and paradigms. The course will use time capsules to chronicle major developments in scientific thinking and analyze how the world most influential scientists have historically balanced their scientific discoveries and beliefs with religion, technology, medicine, gender, war, government and art. Thus, if you want to shake hands with Galileo, match your wit with Euclid or argue with Darwin …. This is the course for you!
Learning outcomes:
Students will gain an understanding of the historical and chronological sequence of events that have led to the current latitude of scientific knowledge and the general acceptance of the modern scientific methods. This course is designed to encourage students to approach the History of Science (HOS) with analytical thinking and a broad mind. HOS will be presented not just as a mere series of names and discoveries but rather as a complex interdisciplinary network of interdependent relationships between science, scientific paradigms and society.
Course Content:
The course is structured into 2 distinct parts. The first part of the course (1) will chronicle science as it related – through the centuries – to: Religion, God, Technology, Ideology, Medicine, War, Government, Gender and Art. The second part of the course (2) will allow the students to - meet in person - famous Scientists from past (such as Galileo, Darwin, Euclid, Einstein, Lavoisier, Omar-Kayaam) impersonated by invited EOU Faculties, and interact with them by asking questions and by learning about their significance role in the History of Science “first hand”.
SCI 239 will be taught as a writing-intensive course and will follow the University Writing Requirement (UWR).
Method of Instruction:
This class is presented in partial lecture / partial open discussion format with substantial student analytical input and participation. Demonstration Experiments will be used – whenever possible - to respect historical verisimilitude and to integrate the use of static representation (pictures, diagrams, and words). Additionally Historical Simulations (aka time capsules) will be used allowing the student to ask questions and visit with several “invited guests” coming to EOU from the past (Galileo, Archimedes, Euclid, Einstein, Darwin, Lavoisier, etc).
If you have any questions, please contact:
Dr. Maurizio Valerio
Biology Department
541-962-3652
BH 233E mvalerio@eou.edu
(last updated October 28th, 2009)