215 Scientific Revolution. Syllabus 2003.
The Scientific Revolution
Lectures: / Tuesdays 1-2, 105, 24 Gordon Sq.Fridays 1-2, 24 Gordon Sq.
Dr. Andrew Gregory.
Room 3.3, 22 Gordon Square, 020-7679-2490.
e-mail -
This course runs annually. Other history of science courses which may interest you are:
109 History of Science.
325 Magic to Science.
326 History of Astronomy and Cosmology.
Office hours - Tuesdays 11-12, Fridays 11-12.
HPSC 215. Lecture Timetable and Background Reading 1.
The recommended texts for the course are either I.B. Cohen The Birth of a New Physics, or R.S. Westfall The Construction of Modern Science. Also recommended are A.D. Gregory, Harvey's Heart, which covers issues in the first three lectures, and A.D. Gregory, Eureka ! The Birth of Science, which covers the Greek background to the scientific revolution, and is recommended for those who have not taken course 109 History of Science. These books ought to be available from Waterstones. If they are not, use either www.amazon.co.uk or www.bookfinder.com who will have both new and second hand copies. The following readings are all fairly short and will aid your understanding of the lectures if you look at them beforehand. In the following list DoSB is The Dictionary of Scientific Biography, and CHMS is The Companion to the History of Modern Science. All are available on long and short loan in the D.M.S. Watson library.
Tues. 30/09.
1 - Introduction.
Fri. 3/10.
2 – Ancient, Craft and Magical Traditions.
Tues. 7/10.
3 - William Harvey and the Circulation of the Blood.
A. Cunningham, Harvey in Man Masters Nature, ed. Porter.
Fri. 10/10.
4 - William Harvey and the Weather Cycle.
A. Wear, CHMS Ch. 36, The Heart and Circulation from Vesalius to Harvey.
Tues. 14/10
5 - Neoplatonism and the Reform of Astronomy.
I.B. Cohen, The Birth of a New Physics, Ch. 1-3.
Fri. 17/10.
6 - The Reception of the New Cosmology.
I.B. Cohen, The Birth of a New Physics, Ch. 4-6.
Tues. 21/10.
7 - Francis Bacon 1 - Methodological Reform.
S.F. Mason, A History of the Sciences, Ch. 13.
Fri. 24/10.
8 - Francis Bacon 2 - Social Reform.
DoSB on Francis Bacon.
Tues. 28/10.
9 – Debates 1.
Fri. 31/10.
10 - Rene Descartes and the Mechanical Philosophy.
DoSB on Rene Descartes.
HPSC 215. Lecture Timetable and Background Reading 2.
Reading week 3rd to 9th November - no lectures.
Tues. 11/11
11 - The Reception of the Mechanical Philosophy.
M. Tamny, CHMS Ch. 38, Atomism and the Mechanical Philosophy.
Fri. 14/11.
12 - Mind and Body in the Seventeenth Century.
R.M. Young, CHMS Ch. 46, The Mind-Body Problem.
Tues. 18/11.
13 - Science and Religion in the Seventeenth Century.
J.H. Brooke, CHMS Ch. 50, Science and Religion
Fri. 21/11.
14 - Newton - Optics and Gravity.
S.F. Mason, A History of the Sciences, Ch.17 & 18
Tues. 25/11.
15 - The Leibniz - Clarke Correspondence.
S. Schaffer, CHMS Ch. 39, Newtonianism.
Fri. 28/11.
16 - The Newtonian Synthesis Reconsidered.
I.B. Cohen, The Birth of a New Physics, Ch. 7.
Tues. 2/12.
17 – Debates 2.
Fri. 5/12.
18 - The Royal Society and the Organisation of Science.
S.F. Mason, A History of the Sciences, Ch. 22.
Tues. 09/12.
19 - The Nature of the Scientific Revolution.
J.A. Schuster, CHMS Ch. 15, The Scientific Revolution.
Fri. 12/12.
20 - Review and Conclusions - The Fate of the Scientific Revolution.
End of term Friday 12th December.
Final essay version is due on Friday 12th December !
HPSC 215. General Information 1.
Assessment
Assessment for the course is by means of coursework, group debate work and an exam. The coursework is worth 40% of the overall mark, the debate 10%, and the exam 50%.
Attendance.
This course is taught by lectures. You are expected to attend all lectures. A record will be kept of your attendance. Failure to regularly attend lectures may result in you being withdrawn from the course, barred from the examination, or both. We must be able to certify to the College that you have seriously engaged the course content. The STS Undergraduate Tutor reserves the right to bar from examinations students not meeting attendance criteria specified in the UCL Student Handbook or by the Course Tutor at the start of term.
Lectures.
The lectures will give you the backbone of the course material. You will find it very helpful to read the background reading material prior to the relevant lecture. Questions are encouraged during lectures.
I will also circulate some handouts and notes. Some of these are for your general interest and information, some are summaries of important topics or people, and should form an integral part of your essay writing and exam revision. If you miss any handouts/ notes, they can be found on the web at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/gregory (or go via the STS homepage to Dr. Gregory). Everything I display as an overhead projection is in the notes. Do not feel that you need to copy down everything. Use these as suits you best. If you need to take detailed notes to keep attention, please do so. A common practice is to use a highlighter pen to bring out important aspects of the notes, or to underline and make extra comments on the notes.
Coursework.
One 3,000 word essay, deadline for final version Friday 13th December. I will give comments and advice on any draft essay you give me before Friday 6th December. Essay titles and reading lists are given later in this pack. All course work normally must be completed for a student to be eligible to sit the examination. To complete the course, normally all course work must be completed and the student must sit the examination.
Feedback mechanisms
You can comment on this course by - filling in course evaluation forms; talking to your course tutor; talking to your personal tutor; talking to your Undergraduate tutor; via the Student-Staff consultative committee; Web comment boxes; STS Web site
Extensions
To apply for an extension on coursework, students must submit a completed a ‘request for extension of course work’ form, available in the departmental office. This request should be submitted, with documentation, to the course tutor in first instance. If confidential issues are involved, submission of the extension request and documentation may be made through a student’s personal tutor or the undergraduate tutor. Requests should be in advance of the set deadline; submission of a request is no guarantee of approval.
Departmental and university policies
STS notes for guidance on-line: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/udg/notes.htm
UCL Student Handbook from Registrar
General course information 2.
Office Hours.
I will be glad to answer any questions, discuss or revise any topic after the lectures. If you wish to see me on a one - to - one basis to discuss essay questions, or discuss anything you haven't understood or would like to go over again, or anything else in relation to the course, I will be pleased to see you during my office hours, which are Tuesdays from 11-12 and Fridays 11-12. I guarantee I will be there and available to talk about this course during those times; you are of course welcome to try me at other time though I cannot guarantee I will be free, or to arrange a time to discuss anything relating to the course. I can be found in room 3.3 in 22 Gordon Square. My office phone number is 020-7679-2490 and my e-mail address is
Course materials.
I recommend that you buy I.B. Cohen, The Birth of a New Physics, which is priced at £7.99 or R.S. Westfall, The Construction of Modern Science priced at £12.95.
For use in essay writing there is a collection of photocopied material in the departmental common room, in the filing cabinet marked Dr. Gregory, HPSC 215, The Scientific Revolution. You may also find these collections useful for exam revision. These readings are also available either as photocopies in the teaching collection (I will circulate a list of these with their access numbers) or as short loan books in the D.M.S. Watson library.
I will also circulate some handouts and notes. Some of these are for your general interest and information, some are summaries of important topics or people, and should form an integral part of your essay writing and exam revision. If you miss any handouts/ notes, they can be found on the web at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/gregory (or go via the STS homepage to Dr. Gregory).
Two important sources that you should get used to using are the Dictionary of Scientific Biography, ed. C.C. Gillispie, which contains many useful articles on individual scientists, and can be found opposite the issue desk in the D.M.S. Watson library, and The Companion to the History of Modern Science, ed. R.G. Olby et al., which has many useful articles on more general subjects, and can be found on short loan in the D.M.S. Watson library.
All the background readings are available as short loan books in the D.M.S. Watson library. You will find it very helpful if you read the relevant material prior to each lecture. You may also find them useful for exam revision.
Course aims.
To provide an in depth examination of the changes involved in the transition from the medieval world view to that of the post-Newtonian world. In particular, to investigate the changes in cosmology, theories of motion and the nature of explanation, and the relation between these as they alter in the seventeenth century. Also under examination will be the motivations and aims of the people that bring about the major changes. Finally historiographical questions involving the nature of the scientific revolution and how we write the history of it will also be examined.
By the end of the course it is hoped that you will have acquired:
· A detailed knowledge of the events and timescale of the scientific revolution.
· An understanding of the relations between ontology, epistemology and explanation and how each of these change in the scientific revolution.
· An understanding of the methodological approaches taken by leading historians in investigating the scientific revolution, and how these different methodologies generate different histories of the period.
An understanding of how religious and philosophical debates affected the development of science in this period.
Information on Exams.
The exam is three hours long and you will have to answer three questions. All the exam questions will be covered during the course, and there will be questions on all parts of the course - compare essay list, lecture list and past papers. Last year’s exam paper is in this pack. Previous exam papers are available from the D.M.S. Watson library or on the web at http://exam-papers.ucl.ac.uk/MAPS/SciTech or my website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/gregory.
The exam is much more a test of understanding than memory. The questions are structured such that you will not be able to write down everything you know about the topic in one hour. The key skills in such exams are being able to orientate to what the question is asking you to do, and being able to select the most important information at your disposal in order to construct a good argument or discussion. There will be sessions on exam technique early in the third term and I will distribute a handout on the nature of the exam and good practice in preparing for exams. The course convenor, Dr. Gregory, is responsible for setting and marking the exam.
Some students require special dispensation for examinations (for example, anyone with dyslexia, other special medical conditions -- such as eye or back problems -- or who has suffered a bereavement). These dispensations can include additional time to complete an exam and use of a word processor, or alternative assessment. The UCL Examinations Section requires a lengthy application process for special consideration (including medical certification, if appropriate), and the application deadline is early in the academic year. If you think you qualify, discuss this with your personal tutor as soon as possible. Application to the College is necessary well before the examinations period.
Students achieving a final course mark below 28 normally have the right to make a re-entry at the next available opportunity. This involves repeating all assessed components of the course in which students will be expected to sit the examination and complete all other course work for the current offer of the course.
Students achieving a final course mark in the range 28 - 34 percent for an STS course may be allowed the option of referral, at the discretion of the sub-board of examiners. A referral normally involves written work set over summer. Successful completion of a referral earns the student a minimum passing mark of 35 E.
Affiliate students.
Affiliate students returning to their own countries before the exam must submit a 3,000 word essay in lieu of taking the exam. The essay must be submitted by the first day of summer term (28/04/2003). It may be submitted by e-mail or post.
Submission.
I will accept essays by e-mail or post where circumstances necessitate this but remember that it is your responsibility to check that I have received your work ! In particular check that I have received and am able to print e-mails, and remember to supply a cover sheet at a later date. Generally essays should be given to me by hand or left in my tray in the departmental office. Keep a printed copy of your essay as well as at least one electronic copy.