This class provides students with an introduction to how science and technology have influenced politics, culture, and society worldwide from 1500 to the present. Classes will be a mix of lecture and class discussion.
Throughout the course, you will develop a good grasp of the main patterns and changes in the history of the relationship between human societies, science, and technology.
The other objective of the course is to develop your skills for engaging critically with reading material, both secondary and primary sources. Reading critically means to actively analyze a text (instead of merely accepting what it says at face value) and to ask questions about the author’s purpose, assumptions, argument, and evidence. With primary sources, reading critically also means to learn as much as possible about the historical context in which the primary source was created.
James Poskett, Horizons: The Global Origins of Modern Science, Mariner Books, Boston, 2022.
Your course grade will be based on a 100-point scale.
Written responses (3 points each; 45 points total). Each week, students will turn in a written response on Canvas. The objective for these assignments will be to summarize the readings’ main argument(s), their content, and analyze their empirical evidence.
Final essay (40 points). You will write a final essay of approximately 2,200 words in which you will tell in your own words the global history of science from roughly 1500 to the present day. You will use the readings, the primary sources that we analyze in class, my lectures, and your own weekly responses as your building blocks.
Your course grade will be based on a 100-point scale. Class participation and attendance (15 points). Students are expected to participate actively, thoughtfully, and respectfully in class. You should come to every class having done all the reading assignments. Attendance: Students may have two unjustified absences. Every additional unjustified absence after the two "free" absences will lower your final grade 5 points. If you miss 4 classes (or a total of 6), you will fail the course.
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.
This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Social Sciences area.
Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals.
This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:
• How do I understand human experiences and connections?
Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome:
• Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social, or geographic relationships develop, persist, or change.
Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:
- Intercultural Competence
- Perspective-Taking
- Persuasion