Nov 22, 2024
OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2019-20
OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2019-20
[Archived Catalog]
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HIST 3500 - Science and Society in the Modern World
From the end of the Scientific Revolution to contemporary debates surrounding human-made climate change, this course examines key themes in the history of science since the 18th century. It treats science as both an evolving set of practices and methods as well as a body of knowledge, including developments such as thermodynamics, evolutionary biology, germ theory, the periodic table of the elements, and discovery of the human genome. It also considers apparently unsuccessful developments, such as phrenology, catastrophism, and Lamarckianism. Students will learn about the socially-contingent nature of science, the relationship between science and politics, and the efforts made to divide science from pseudoscience.
Requisites: Soph or Jr or Sr
Credit Hours: 3
General Education Code: 2SS
Repeat/Retake Information: May be retaken two times excluding withdrawals, but only last course taken counts.
Lecture/Lab Hours: 3.0 lecture
Grades: Eligible Grades: A-F,WP,WF,WN,FN,AU,I
Learning Outcomes:
- Students will be able to analyze the role of science in politics with reference to course topics in classroom discussions and essay exams.
- Students will be able to articulate the relationship between science and politics to society over time.
- Students will be able to describe the scientific method and its standards for inquiry, discovery, and debate.
- Students will be able to identify major developments in modern scientific method and discuss their historical consequences on exams.
- Students will be able to write an essay on the contingent relationship between science and society using a particular case from the course materials.
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