HIS 524 - History of Science and Medicine

Science and more recently medicine have become defining features of modern life. How did this happen? In this course, we will explore the history of human thought about the natural world from the ancient times to the present. Because of time constraints, we will focus mainly on how our modern scientific world view has been shaped by major periods of scientific development, particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries involving primarily astronomy and physics, and in the 19th and 20th centuries involving biology, medicine and psychiatry. Attention will be given to the relations between science and culture, religion, technology, and public policy. We will approach the history of science by asking five central controversial questions: Why has science flourished in the West? What was the nature of the scientific revolution? How did science become a part of public life? How did science become attached to the technologies and politics of power? Why did science become associated with modern condition?

Credits: 3