SED 599: History of Science for the Science Classroom

The assignment for Week #9 is a bit different.  Instead of all of you reading the same chapter, we are going to break up the remaining chapters that deal with specific themes within the history of science.  Please look through Chapters 14-21 and decide on one you would like to read and report back on.  Each person should choose their own chapter.  Your job will be to provide a 5-minute summary on Monday along with a 1-2 page synopsis for your peers.

Your options are:

• The organization of science (14)
• Science and religion (15)
• Popular science (16)
• Science and technology (17)
• Biology and ideology (18)
• Science and medicine (19)
• Science and war (20)
• Science and gender (21)

Please comment on this post to choose your chapter.

Here is the website I mentioned.  Remember that these are aimed at undergrads they are not a perfect analog for what you will be writing.  They may lead to a bit of inspiration, however.

The Story Behind Science

Please download the Midterm Exam and read the directions carefully.  Exams are due next Wednesday before our meeting.  If you have any questions concerning the exam, please post them as a comment to this post.  Your readings should certainly be sufficient to answer each of these questions.  However, feel free to bring in outside resources as you see fit.

Good luck!

Next week’s reading is the book “Galileo in Rome” by Shea and Artigas.  Below, please find a list of important names and questions to consider while you read.

Important names:

• Aristotle
• Claudius Ptolemy
• Nicolas Copernic
• Galileo Galilei
• Cosimo de Medici II
• Fra Paoli Sarpi
• Cardinal Robert Bellarmine
• Benedetto Castelli
• Grand Duchess Christina
• Christopher Clavius
• Pope Urban VIII (Maffeo Barberini)
• Francesco Barberini
• Niccolo Riccardi
• Ferdinand de Medici II

Questions to Consider:

1. What was Galileo’s scientific work?  Was he alone in this work?
2. What was there in this scientific work that incited opposition on religious, ideological, or political grounds?
3. Were the opponents of Galileo’s work united and consistent in their criticism?  Who were they and what motivated them?
4. Could Galileo have continued to pursue his scientific work without causing himself political difficulty?
5. Was the outcome of the clash between Galileo and the Church an inevitable outcome?
6. What were the implications of this history for scientific knowledge and research at the time?  for the Roman Catholic Church?  for the Italian states and their citizens?

Enjoy the book!

Weekly reading assignments will include textbooks and posted readings.  You will need the following three textbooks for the course (more information in the course syllabus):

(Click image to purchase on amazon.com)

Additional readings will be posted in the ‘Readings & Assignments‘ page

An admission: I created this site.  Not being a fan of Blackboard, the OSU-sponsored courseware, I am attempting to recreate its functionality in a more usable form.  This means that everything may not work perfectly at first.  Please let me know of any glitches you see and I will see to them as soon as I return.  This site is a work in progress and your comments are vital to improving it.

Before you begin, you need to register for the gradebook function.  On the right-hand sidebar you’ll see a ’Gradebook” page in the menu.  This allows me to keep your grades private by requiring an e-mail and password from you to view your grades.  Please note that it is not connected to your registration login.  Your gradebook should be setup using your ONID e-mail account.  Just click  on the ‘Password request form’, fill in your ONID e-mail address, and a password will be sent to you.

(If you have any technical issues/questions, please post them as a comment to this post.  Others may have the answer!)

This course (SED 599) is now ready for registration!