Schedule, Reading List, & Assignments:
The schedule and assignments are subject to change during the semester. If you rely on a printed version of this schedule, please check back here regularly to make sure you have the most current version.
Last revised: July 27, 2009
Date | Topic | Reading Assignment | Writing Assignment |
Weds 1/14 | Introduction | ||
Thurs 1/15 | Paleolithic and Neolithic | McClellan & Dorn, Chapters 1 and 2 Links |
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Mon 1/19 | No Class - Martin Luther King Jr. Day | ||
Weds 1/21 | Discussion: Science in Prehistory | Stonehenge article | |
Thurs 1/22 | The Urban Revolution & the Pyramids | McClellan & Dorn, Chapter 3 | |
Mon 1/26 | Hellenic Natural Philosophy | McClellan & Dorn, Chapter 4 Links |
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Weds 1/28 | Discussion: Hellenistic Science and Roman Engineering | McClellan & Dorn, Chapter 5 and excerpts from Aristotle, Physics Aristotle reading questions |
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Thurs 1/29 | Islamic Science and Indian Science | McClellan & Dorn, Chapters 6 and 8 | |
Mon 2/2 | China | McClellan & Dorn, Chapter 7 | |
Weds 2/4 | Discussion: Chinese and Greek Medicine | Sivin, "State, Cosmos, and Body in the Last Three Centuries B.C." |
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Thurs 2/5 | The Americas | McClellan & Dorn, Chapter 9 | |
Mon 2/9 | Medieval Technology | McClellan & Dorn, Chapter 10 | Due: Comparative Paper |
Weds 2/11 | Higher Learning in Medieval Europe | ||
Thurs 2/12 | Discussion: Copernicus, Tycho, & Kepler | McClellan & Dorn, Chapter 11 | |
Mon 2/16 | No Class - Presidents' Day | ||
Weds 2/18 | Discussion: Copernicus, Tycho, & Kepler (continued) | ||
Thurs 2/19 | Galileo & the Heavens | McClellan & Dorn, Chapter 12; Galileo's Dialogues on Two World Systems (pages 1-6) | |
Mon 2/23 | Discussion: Galileo & the Church | Excerpts from Sobel, Galileo's Daughter (on WebCT) |
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Weds 2/25 | Newton & the "Scientific Revolution" | McClellan & Dorn, Chapter 13 Links |
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Thurs 2/26 | Newton: Alchemist and Theologian | Newton's Dark Secrets | |
Mon 3/2 | [Snow Day] | ||
Weds 3/4 | Newton, continued | ||
Thurs 3/5 | Institutions in the Scientific Revolution | Concepts for Midterm | |
Mon 3/9 | No Class - Spring Break | ||
Weds 3/11 | No Class - Spring Break | ||
Thurs 3/12 | No Class - Spring Break | ||
Mon 3/16 | Review for Midterm | ||
Weds 3/18 | Midterm Exam | ||
Thurs 3/19 | Class Meeting in the Lobby of Williams Library |
Stevens Family collection and Stevens History |
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Mon 3/23 | Industrial Revolution I | McClellan & Dorn, Chapters 14 &15 | |
Weds 3/25 | Industrial Revolution II | Due: Library reaction paper | |
Thurs 3/26 | Discussion: Darwin & the Darwinian Revolution | McClellan and Dorn, Chapter 16; | |
Mon 3/30 | Darwin (continued) | Darwin, The Origin of Species pages 1-4, 143-146, 421-429 |
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Weds 4/1 | Science, Technology, and Empire | ||
Thurs 4/2 | Discussion: Einstein | Einstein topics and resources | |
Mon 4/6 | Einstein (continued) | ||
Weds 4/8 | Scientific Medicine | McClellan and Dorn, Chapter 17 |
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Thurs 4/9 | Science in the 20th Century |
McClellan and Dorn, Chapter 18 Links |
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Mon 4/13 | Industrial R&D | McClellan and Dorn, Chapter 19 | |
Weds 4/15 | Big Science | Due: Science & Religion Essay | |
Thurs 4/16 | Totalitarian Science | ||
Mon 4/20 | Dilemmas of Modern Science and Technology | McClellan and Dorn, Chapter 20 | |
Weds 4/22 | Computers and Computing | Pfaffenberger, The Social Meaning of the Personal Computer | |
Thurs 4/23 | Discussion: Science and Technology for the People | ||
Mon 4/27 | History of the Internet | ||
Weds 4/29 | Choose your topic day | Suggestion: Wired for War See also: Robot videos and news |
Due: Dilemma Paper |
Thurs 4/30 | Review for Final | Concepts for Final Exam | |
Mon 5/11 | Final Exam, Kidde 228, 1-5 pm |