HPSC2100 & HPSC2900 (advanced) - Introduction to History of Science: The Birth of Modern Science

Semester 1
Lecturer: Dr Ofer Gal

Prerequisites: 24 credit points of Junior units of study
This is a qualifying unit of study for History and Philosophy of Science Senior units of study
6 credit points
Three lectures (3x 1-hour), either Mon, Tues, Thurs 12-1pm or Mon, Tues, Thurs 5-6pm, plus one tutorial (1x 1-hour) per week (see timetable)
*The same lecture is given twice a day (at 12pm & 5pm). You may choose which one you attend on any given day
Assessment: essays, tutorial work, tests
Textbook: John Henry (1997), The Scientific Revolution and the Origins of Modern Science.


Science: Where did it come from?

Where is it going?

What did it leave behind?

Modern culture is a culture of science. Modern Western science is the outcome of a historical process of 2,500 years. In this course we investigate how Western knowledge—theoretical, technological and medical—acquired the characteristics of modern science: the social structure, contents, values and methods. We will look at some primary chapters of this process, from antiquity to the end of the seventeenth century, and try to understand their implications to understanding contemporary science in its culture.

In This Unit of Study We Will Discuss:

• Ancient Astronomy
• Magic and Medicine
• Light and Force
• Science and Religion
• The Scientific Revolution