Course outline
Grades
Texts
Essay FAQs
Study guides
Applets
Academic honesty
Students with disabilities
Web links
HSCI 3013-002 (Honors)
History of Science to the Age of Newton
Fall Semester 2008
| Instructor: Peter Barker
e-mail: (BarkerP@ou.edu) tel.: 325-2242 Office: PHSC 617 Office hours: MW 10:30-11:15, or by appointment. |
What:
HSCI 3013-002 (Honors) Where: Bizzell 521 When: MWF 9:30 - 10:20 |
Honors standing is required to register for this course |
Course Goals: To acquaint students with the main theories of the universe in the Western scientific tradition, how they changed, and why they changed, from the ancient Greeks to the time of Newton; to develop skills in the critical evaluation of texts and the reasoned defense of conclusions reached by the individual. |
Reading
Readings form background to class material for the week they are listed and should be read before class (if possible!).Texts
Michael J. Crowe, Theories of the World from Antiquity to the Copernican Revolution, New York: Dover, 1990.Olaf Pedersen, Early Physics and Astronomy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1993.
Peter Dear, Revolutionizing the Sciences: European Knowledge and its Ambitions 1500-1700, Princeton University Press, 2001.
William H. Donahue, Selections from Kepler's Astronomia Nova, Green Lion Press, 2005
Course reading on the Web
Olaf Pedersen, Early Physics and Astronomy, Cambridge University Press, 1993. Portions of this text are available to currently enrolled students through D2L. Go to http://learn.ou.edu, log on using the box in the left margin, then click on link for HSCI 3013-002, select the "Content" tab near the top of the screen and follow the internal links to the selection you wish to read.
Archimedes at the siege of SyracuseAristotle on the shape and position of the Earth
Galileo on science, religion and Joshua's miracle
Study guides
Study guide for Pedersen, Early Physics and Astronomy, click [here]Course outline (last modified 29 Oct 08)
Week 1 begins Aug 25
Introduction -- science vs. myth: Pedersen pp. 1-16.
Discussion exercise: Anaximander's
fragments
Week 2 begins Sept 01
No class Sept 1 - Labor Day
Greek natural science to Aristotle: Pedersen pp. 16-27
Sept 05: Graded test on class Operations and Procedures
Discussion exercise: Elements
and spheres
Week 3 begins Sept 08
Aristotle's physics and cosmology: Pedersen pp. 28-33, 123-128, 105-110.
Discussion exercise: Aristotle on the shape and position of the Earth.
Please read this before class September 13, and bring a copy with you.
Week 4 begins Sept 15
Early astronomy esp. Eudoxus: Crowe pp. 1-22; Pedersen pp. 34-76.
Discussion exercise: Scipio's Dream
Week 5 begins Sept 22
Ptolemy: system, sizes and distances: Crowe pp. 53-64; Pedersen pp.
76-89, cf. Crowe pp. 45-52.
Sept 26 Exam #1
Return to
top
Week 6 begins Sept 29
The fall of Rome and the rise of Islam: Pedersen pp. 150-170
Discussion exercise: Tusi couples
Week 7 begins Oct 6
Background to Copernicus: Pedersen pp. 214-245
[No class Oct 10 - Texas game holiday ]
Week 8 begins Oct 13
Copernicus: Pedersen pp. 260-282; Crowe pp. 102-134; Dear pp. 1-48
Discussion exercise: Spheres and orbs in Copernicus
Oct 17 Research paper outline due
Week 9 begins Oct 20
Early Copernicans and Tycho: Crowe pp. 69-84, 137-146;
Dear pp. 49 - 64.
Discussion exercise: Tycho's problems with orbs
Week 10 begins Oct 27
Kepler: Donahue pp. ix-x, 1-28; Crowe pp. 147-156, Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina.
Discussion exercise: Kepler and Galileo on science and religion
Week 11 begins Nov 03
Nov 3: Research paper - 1st draft (optional)
Kepler to Galileo: Crowe pp. 157-173; Dear 65 - 79.
Nov 7 Exam #2
Week 12 begins Nov 10
Galileo
Nov 14: Research paper due
Discussion exercise: Advising Urban
Week 13 begins Nov 17
Galileo to Descartes: Dear pp. 80 - 100.
Discussion exercise: Motion puzzles
Week 14
one class only
Nov 24 - Background to Newton
Nov 21, 23 Thanksgiving Break
Week 15 begins Dec 1
Newton, science and religion: Dear pp. 101-148.
Discussion excercise: "On the shoulders of giants..."?
Week 16 begins Dec 08
Conclusion: Dear pp. 149-170.
Discussion exercise: review exercises
Wednesday Dec 17 Exam #3 (Final): 8:00 - 10:00am
Grades
There will be a graded test covering course organization and policies on Friday September 05. There will also be three essay exams during regular class hours, #1 on Friday Sept 27, #2 on Friday Nov 07, #3 (the final exam) on Wednesday Dec 17. Essay questions will be posted on this site, one week before each exam. Students may consult books and notes during these exams, but transcription of complete answers is prohibited. Each student will also complete a research paper, based on an approved and graded outline. Grades will be computed as follows: O&P Test = 10%; Exam 1, 2, and 3 = 20% each; research paper outline = 10%; research paper = 20%. There is no curve. Make up examinations and late delivery of essays will not be permitted except under circumstances of emergency or illness, verifiable to the satisfaction of the Instructor.Extra Credit is available for all exams except the Final
Academic honesty
We assume you understand and adhere to the norms of academic honesty stated in A Student's Guide to Academic Integrity at the University of Oklahoma. We also assume you are honest unless proven otherwise, so if you are not sure about something ask us. We encourage you to work together (and with us) to prepare for class, exams and essays -- on the understanding that the final version is all your own work. 'Plagiarism' used to mean copying out of a book. Electronic media like Encarta or the WWW pose special problems. While we encourage you to use them as sources of ideas and information, no sentence that you submit as your own work should be identical to any sentence in a book or electronic medium. If we judge that work you submit fails to meet these standards, the following things will happen:(1) On the first occasion, you will be asked to amend the work and resubmit it to receive a grade.
(2) On the second occasion you will receive a formal admonition, as explained in Rights and Responsibilities under the Academic Misconduct Code, and a grade of zero for the work.
(3) On the third occasion, a complaint of academic misconduct will be filed, as explained in Rights and Responsibilities under the Academic Misconduct Code.