Schedule

HIST 311A Science in Civilization: Antiquity to the 1600s

Schedule of lecture topics and readings

Announcements

This final exam is Wed Dec 14, start time 9:00 am sharp (not 8:30 as originally scheduled). All writing will cease at 10:15. You may leave early, and your essays will be handed back. I will provide the paper. Exam format includes paragraph answers (do 4 from the choices) and multiple choice. Total value 25%. Exam is held in the lecture room FIS 201. Contact Joanne if you have any questions (jwoiak).

Joanne's office hours during exam week, Smith 103D:
Monday Dec 12, 1-3pm
Tues Dec 13, 12-1:30pm
and by appointment

The designated texts for the second essay assignment are available (essay due Tues Dec 6 at beginning of lecture). These can be used instead of or supplementing the required readings. Some are from general textbooks of history of science, and some are specialized articles on course topics and themes. Browse the titles and download the documents from here.

Essay #2 handout (distributed Nov 10, contact Joanne if you have questions)
Essay due date has been changed to: Tues Dec 6.

Note that for weeks 8-11, many of the readings are online. You have to download them from this page, they aren't in the course packet. So be sure to print out what you need for section discussions.

"University Cancels Class on Creationism," SFGate.com, Dec 1 (d'oh!)
"Darwin on Trial," The New Yorker, Dec 5, report from the Dover Penn. trial about intelligent design.
"Kansas education board first to back intelligent design," Washington Post, Nov 9
"Intelligent design school board ousted in Penn.," Yahoo News
"Alternatives to evolution back in Kansas," SeattlePI

"When cleaner air is a biblical obligation," New York Times, Nov 7.
"Copernicus's grave is reported found," New York Times, Nov 6.

Midterm exam questions
Format for midterm exam

"Tests of fabled Archimedes death ray fail," SeattlePI, Oct 22.(pdf files)

, handed out in class Oct 10 [Word doc]. Due Th Nov 3 at the start of lecture.

Lecture outlines posted so far (or use the link on the top left)

Syllabus [Word doc]

History Department information for students (please read these policies) [pdf 30kb]

Guidelines for doing the weekly reading

Please read all of the required texts by Friday of each week. The lectures will explain and expand on material from the texts, so it's recommended that you do the reading before coming to lecture. Start the week with the assigned textbook chapters, which will provide an overview of the topics to be covered. Skim the other texts to determine which lecture titles they go with, and then read them carefully during the week. The listings on this page will give you further guidance. Make sure that you've completed everything by Friday discussion section, so that you can ask questions or talk about issues that arise from the readings. Each Friday there are one or two texts specially designated for discussion. You are expected to have read those very carefully and be prepared to participate in discussion.

Sept 28-30, History

LECTURES                                      READINGS
(W) Doing history of science
(Th) Near Eastern civilizations       textbook Lindberg, Beginnings, Ch 1
                                                        Lloyd, "Science in Ancient Civilizations?"

FRI section discuss: Corrected version! Gould, "The Late Birth of a Flat Earth"

Oct 3-7, Ancient Greeks

LECTURES                                     READINGS
(M) Greek culture                            Lindberg, Ch. 2
(T) Presocratics
(W) Plato                                        Plato, Timaeus [course packet]
(Th) Night sky (discussion)            Kuhn, "Two-Sphere Universe" [course packet]

FRI discuss Plato reading

EXTRA STUFF (helpful for understanding the required readings, esp Kuhn)
“History of Science: Basic Celestial Observations” and "Ancient Greek Science." History of Science: Ancient to Early Modern. Class Syllabus. Santa Fe Community College Open Campus. Jerry Bieber. Fall 2003.
"The Celestial Sphere." Astronomy 161: The Solar System. Web syllabus. University of Tennessee.
Plato's Timaeus (full text). Internet Classics Archive.
"Ancient Greece" (overview of history). Absolute Astronomy Reference.

Oct 10-14, Aristotle

LECTURES                                                    READINGS
(M) Natural causes                                         Lindberg, Ch 3
                                                                         Grant, "What the Middle Ages Inherited"
(T) Terrestrial and celestial physics
(W) Aristotle as biologist                              Aristotle selections
(R) Philosophical schools                             Lindberg, Ch 4

FRI discuss Aristotle selections

EXTRA STUFF (see also books on reserve at NATS library dealing with Aristotle)
If you use any of these for your Aristotle essay, make sure to give complete citations in your bibliography.
S. Marc Cohen, "Philosophy 320: History of Ancient Philosophy," lecture notes (http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/)
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (http://www.iep.utm.edu/)
IEP has entries on all our major Greek figures. See esp the articles about Aristotle (overview, biology)
Internet History of Science Sourcebook (links to information on ancient science. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/science/sciencesbook.html) Greece (culture, philosophy, etc) Aristotle, "On a Good Wife"
Michael Lahanas, "Aristotle's Biology and Medicine, Discoveries and Opinions" (simplified overview, http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/AristotleBiol.htm)
Images of Aristotle bust Rembrandt 1653 Rembrandt and Groening

Oct 17-21, Astronomy etc

LECTURE                                              READING
(M) Ptolemy's astronomy                         Lindberg, Ch 5
                                                                   Cohen, "The Earth and the Universe"
(T) Saving the appearances                     Ptolemy, Almagest
(W) Romans and Christianity                   Lindberg, Ch 7
(R) Astrology & magic                              Eamon, Science and Secrets
                                                                 Barton, Ancient Astrology

FRI discuss Ptolemy, Barton readings

EXTRAS
Models of Plantary Motion. (animation)
“The Universe of Aristotle and Ptolemy.” Astronomy 161: The Solar System. Web Syllabus. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee.
"History Topics: Index of Ancient Greek Mathematics," MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive.
Aristarchus on how to determine distance/size of sun, moon, Earth
Eratosthenes on how to measure circumference of Earth

Oct 24-28, Medicine & biology

Exam format -- be sure to read this handout before Wed

LECTURE                                       READING
(M) Hippocratic medicine               Lindberg, Ch 6
                                                          Longrigg, Greek Medicine
(T) Human anatomy
WED MIDTERM EXAM, 9:30 sharp to 10:15 (no exceptions)
(R) Galen                                          Galen, On the Usefulness

FRI discuss Galen reading, Connell, "Aristotle & Galen on Sex"

Oct 31-Nov 4, Medieval topics

LECTURE                                   READING
(M) Islamic world                            Lindberg, Ch 8
                                                         Dhanani, "Islam"
(T) Islamic achievements
(W) Medical traditions                   Lindberg, Ch 13
THUR ESSAY DUE
(R) Mechanical arts                        Whitney, "Medieval Technology"

FRI discuss White, "Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis"

EXTRA STUFF
Ibn Rushd (Averroes), "The Harmony of Religion and Philosophy," full text on-line, Medieval Sourcebook.Internet Islamic History Sourcebook, Paul Halsall, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/islam/islamsbook.htmlMedieval Science Page, James McNelis, http://members.aol.com/mcnelis/medsci_index.html
"Averroes," Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://www.iep.utm.edu/i/ibnrushd.htm
Arabic Mathematics and Mathematicians, http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Indexes/Arabs.html
The Astrolabe, James Morris, http://www.astrolabes.org/
Ibn Sina (Avicenna), "On Medicine" (1020CE), http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1020Avicenna-Medicine.html
History 195F "Plagues and People," syllabus, Barbara Becker, http://eee.uci.edu/clients/bjbecker/PlaguesandPeople/lecture5.html
Medieval Technology Pages, Paul Gans, http://scholar.chem.nyu.edu/tekpages/Technology.html

Nov 7-10, Medieval universities

Instructions for Essay #2 (handed out on Nov 10, paper due Dec 6)

LECTURE                                   READING
(M) Cosmologies                      Lindberg, Ch 9 & 11
(T) Rise of the university              Lindberg, Ch 9 & 10
(W) Aristotelianism & theology        Lindberg, Ch 10
                                                        Grant, Planets and "Medieval Cosmology"
                                                   images of Dante's Divine Comedy
(R) Aristotelian physics                       Lindberg, Ch 12 & 14
FRI Holiday, NO CLASSES

EXTRA STUFF
Hildegard of Bingen, http://www.hildegard.org/
Paul Halsall, Introduction to Medieval History course, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/medieval.html

Nov 14-18, Renaissance

Note that for the remaining weeks, some of the readings are online, not in the packet. Be sure to print out what you need for section discussions.

LECTURE                                    READING
(M) Black Death                        Dear, Ch 1
(T) Renaissance                         Dear, Ch 3
                                                      Magner, "Renaissance and Scientific Revolution"
(W) Magic, art, wonders              Dear, Ch 2
(R) Vesalius                               Vesalius, On the Fabric of the Human Body [pdf 65kb] (or try this link)
                                                     images of Vesalian anatomy in packet

FRI discuss Vesalius reading and images, and Laqueur, Making Sex

EXTRA STUFF
Andreas Vesalius, De Humani Corporis Fabrica, Northwestern University website of images from the book, browse by clicking "Images" http://vesalius.northwestern.edu/
Body Worlds "art" exhibit http://www.koerperwelten.de/en/pages/home.asp and photos (graphic content)
Alchemy Web Site, http://www.levity.com/alchemy/
"Paracelsus, 500 Years," National Library of Medicine, introduction to exhibits by Allen Debus, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/paracelsus/paracelsus_1.html
"Leonardo's Machines," National Museum of Science and Technology, http://www.museoscienza.org/english/leonardo/invenzioni.html.
Leonardo da Vinci, "Anatomical Studies," http://gallery.euroweb.hu/html/l/leonardo/10anatom/
"Anatomy and Linear Perspective," http://faculty.fullerton.edu/cmcconnell/302A/Anatomy.html, Craig McConnell, HIS302A, Cal State Fullerton.
"Museums and Their Functions," John McEachran, lecture slideshow, http://wfscnet.tamu.edu/courses/wfsc421/lecture02/sld001.htm,

Nov 21-23, Moving the earth

LECTURE                                      READING
(M) Copernicus                              Dear, Ch 2
                                                       Debus, "New World System"
                                                       Copernicus, On the Revolutions
(T) Kepler                                       Dear, Ch 4
                                                       Kepler, Mysterium
(W) Galileo                                     Dear, Ch 7
(R) No class
FRI NO CLASS

Nov 28-Dec 2, Scientific Revolution

Readings are online, not in the packet.
Order of topics has changed.

LECTURE                                     READING
(M) Galileo                                Lindberg, "Galileo, Church, Cosmos" [pdf 400kb]
(T) Methodology, Bacon              Dear, Ch 3, 7
(W) Descartes, mechanical philosophy    Dear, Ch 6
Essay due date has changed to Tues Dec 6
(R) Science & religion 17th century

FRI discuss Galileo, "Letter to the Grand Duchess" [pdf 47kb]

EXTRA STUFF
Galileo Project, Rice University, http://galileo.rice.edu/ [most reliable and complete web resource]
"Galileo's Law of Falling Bodies" animation, http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Animation/galileo.falling.html
"Galileo: The Telescope and the Laws of Dynamics," http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/galileo.html
"Galileo's Battle for the Heavens," NOVA, PBS, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/galileo/
Galileo, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (1632), full text online, http://webexhibits.org/calendars/year-text-Galileo.html
Galileo title page of Dialogue (pdf).
"Rene Descartes," Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://www.rep.routledge.com/article/DA026SECT1
"Descartes' Life and Works," Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-works/
James Jacob, explanation of Descartes' philosophy and context (pdf 4 pages).
Descartes illustrations of mechanical philosophy concepts (pdf).
Descartes, "The World, or Treatise on Light," tran. Michael Mahoney, http://www.princeton.edu/%7Ehos/mike/texts/descartes/world/world.htm
"Francis Bacon," Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/francis-bacon/
Bacon's title page to Great Instauration (pdf).

Dec 5-9, Scientific Revolution

LECTURE                                                 READING
(M) Biology experiments & instruments   Westfall, "Biology and Mechanical Philosophy" [pdf 387kb]
(T) Video "William Harvey and the Circulation of the Blood" (kinda gory)
TUES ESSAY #2 DUE
(W) Royal Society: Making facts                   Dear, Ch 6-7
(R) Course evals & wrap-up
FRI Review for exam

FINAL EXAM (FIS 201) WED DEC 14, 9:00-10:15 am
contact Joanne if you have questions

Send mail to: jwoiak at u.washington.edu
Last modified: 12/09/2005 2:25 PM