History 391CH
To Be Taken as History 597
Fall 2009, Thursday 1:00-3:30
Synopsis:
Modern science is largely the product of the European Scientific Revolution and the subsequent rise of an industrialized West. What shouldn’t be forgotten, however, is that “science” has flourished earlier and elsewhere; but, while, European science expanded dramatically over the last three centuries, other scientific traditions went into decline. What allows “science” to develop in the first place, what permits it to endure, and what accounts for the various trajectories that science follows in different times and cultures? We’ll explore those questions by investigating the intellectual, economic, and institutional factors that mediate science and culture – in ancient Greece, early Islam, Europe, China, and in a variety of places less familiar such as Micronesia. There’ll be a large amount of reading, a number of shorter papers and in-class presentations, and finally, and hopefully, a healthy uncertainty about what constitutes good “science” and why.
Syllabus: Not available
Course Website: Not available
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