History of Modern Science and Medicine (275-2-20)
Instructors
Kenneth L Alder
847/467-4038
Harris Hall 307
Meeting Info
University Hall 121: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
Science and scientific medicine have profoundly reshaped our world over the past 200 years, transforming our knowledge of nature and the human body, as well as the conditions under which billions of people live. But change has worked in the opposite direction as well: social, economic, and political priorities have also driven scientific innovation and medical practice. This class invites students in the sciences and the humanities to explore the dynamic relationship between science, medicine, and our broader society. One theme is the relationship between the natural sciences and our material world. How has scientific knowledge led to radical new technologies like global telecommunications and the atom bomb, and how has technological change shaped theories of the natural world, from thermodynamics to climate change? Another is the relationship between the bio-medical sciences and social values. From Darwin to genomics, biological knowledge has developed in conjunction with public mores, altering our approach to health, our understanding of race and sexual difference, and our hopes for the human species. The guiding premise of this course is that science is an intrinsically human activity, so that knowing its history is integral to understanding how the modern world came to be the way it is--and where we are headed.
Learning Objectives
FD-Historical Studies: In this course students study scientific change in a broad historical and social context. They do so by reading original scientific and medical texts; by considering various theories of scientific innovation and/or revolution (e.g. Thomas Kuhn, professionalization, network theory, Big Science); and then by assessing science's impact on the social, economic, and political world right up to the present day. Global Overlay: While the course's main focus is on the modern Western sciences in the U.S. and Europe—chemistry, physics, and bio-medicine, from atomic theory to climate change, and Darwin to genomics—the course takes a global perspective and includes developments in the social and medical sciences as well, and their impact on development and human thriving.
Evaluation Method
Essays
Class Notes
Concentrations: Americas, European, Global
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity