General Introductory Courses

Recommended particularly for freshmen and sophomores who wish to explore how thought, society, and nature interact to make and shape science.

• HPSC-X 100 Human Perspectives on Science (3 cr.) CASE A&H Selected issues in the history and philosophy of science. Individual sections will vary in content and major themes, but all will employ case studies to examine the philosophical, cultural, institutional, and social impact of science on our lives. Departmental flyers, available at registration time, will describe each section in detail. May be repeated once for credit with different topic.

• HPSC-X 102 Revolutions in Science: Plato to NATO (3 cr.) CASE S&H An introduction to the formative steps in the scientific tradition. The course will survey in a chronological sequence aspects of the Aristotelian worldview, the Copernican revolution, the mechanical philosophy, the chemical and Darwinian revolutions, and the rise of twentieth-century science.

• HPSC-X 110 Scientists at Work: from Frankenstein to Einstein (3 cr.) CASE S&H Introduction to the study of science as a cultural phenomenon. Exploration of the individual and collective behavior of scientists in historical and contemporary contexts using materials from history, biography, sociology, journalism, fiction, drama, poetry, and film.

• HPSC-X 200 Scientific Reasoning (3 cr.) CASE N&M Patterns of scientific reasoning presented in a simple form useful to both nonscientists and prospective scientists for understanding and evaluating scientific information of all sorts. Illustrations in the natural, biological, behavioral, and biomedical sciences are drawn from a wide variety of historical and contemporary sources, including popular magazines and newspapers.

• HPSC-X 207 The Occult in Western Civilization (3 cr.) CASE A&H Critical and historical evaluation of a wide range of occult topics: superstitions, magic, witchcraft, astrology, the Cabala, psychic phenomena (mesmerism, spiritualism, ESP), and UFOs.

• HPSC-X 253 Inductive Reasoning (3 cr.) CASE N&M Hume argued that there is no rational inference from our past experience of the sun’s rising to the prediction that it will rise tomorrow. What do philosophers today say about the problem of induction? This course shows how probability theory and other formal devices can be used to model inductive inferences. Credit not given for both X253 and PHIL P253.

Science, History, and Culture

For students at all levels who want to study the role of science, medicine, and technology in the modern world. Previous experience with history and philosophy of science courses not expected.

• HPSC-X 205 Introduction to Medical History (3 cr.) CASE S&H From primitive humans to the present: survey of medical concepts, systems of health care, and the social relations of physician and patient.

• HPSC-X 206 The Atomic Bomb: Modern Physics, the Manhattan Project and the History of Nuclear Weapons (3 cr.) CASE S&H Examines the history of nuclear weapons with a primary emphasis on the Manhattan Project and the making of the atomic bomb. A historical, philosophical and social analysis that engages scientific, political and moral issues and their current relevance.

• HPSC-X 210 Technology and Culture (3 cr.) CASE S&H We will consider the following questions (among others): Is Western technology fundamentally different from that of other cultures? What do science and technology have to do with each other? Is technology gendered? Is technological change inevitable or desirable?

• HPSC-X 222 Big Science in the Twentieth Century (3 cr.) CASE S&H Exploration of the effects of increasing scale on the nature of the scientific enterprise, with case studies from physics, space science, biology, and other fields. Topics include measuring the size of science, the politics of large-scale research, funding, and the growth of knowledge.

• HPSC-X 227 Computers Limited: What Computers Cannot Do (3 cr.) CASE N&M Acquaints learners with the logical limits of computation and with their migration into physics from the framework of the foundations of mathematics within which they were originally conceived.

• HPSC-X 229 History and Philosophy of Modern Physics (3 cr.) CASE N&M Introduction to foundational concepts in statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, special relativity and general relativity. Discussion of philosophical issues concerning the nature of the material world and the process of scientific inquiry. Emphasis on developing writing skills and the ability to present complex ideas clearly and critically.

• HPSC-X 305 History and Philosophy of Medicine (3 cr.) CASE N&M The history of public health and medicine from ancient to modern times. Addresses a selection of historical, philosophical and ethical problems including medical understandings of the body; ideas about the nature and causes of disease, from "airs" and "humors" to germs to genetic predispositions; assessment of risks and liabilities.

• HPSC-X 306 Understanding Pictures: Aesthetics and Science (3 cr.) CASE A&H Examines cultural, historical and philosophical issues involving the use of still and moving images in science. Are pictures necessary? For what? How do pictures represent? How do they get designed, used and understood? What can pictures represent or communicate? Can they equally represent facts and values? How do they work as evidence, or as tools for thinking? What is the role of film in science and science in film?

• HPSC-X 308 History of Biology (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: Two college-level courses in the life sciences. Survey of the important concepts in biology from antiquity to the mid-twentieth century. Emphasis will be on changes in evolution theory and concepts of development and inheritance. Credit not given for both X408 and X308.

• HPSC-X 327 The Computer: A Biography (3 cr.) CASE N&M The history and philosophy behind the development of the digital computer. Focuses on major landmarks in the history of computing machines to illustrate the interrelatedness of computer science, mathematics, and physics to modern society. Discussion of philosophical questions ("Do human beings compute?") and ethical concerns such as the Internet's impact on privacy.

• HPSC-X 338 Science and Religion (3 cr.) CASE A&H Examines the relationship between science and religion in terms of its areas of inquiry, social institutions, and historical phenomena. Topics will include Mesopotamian astronomy and astrology, science and the Church in the Middle Ages, Galileo and the Church, Christianity and the Newtonian worldview, the Darwinian Revolution and creationism, and the impact of contemporary physics on theology.

• HPSC-X 369 History of American Science (3 cr.) CASE S&H R: One course in American history and one course in natural science. Survey of the intellectual and institutional development of science in the United States from colonial times to the present, with special emphasis on the changing role of the scientist in American society.

• HPSC-X 370 Science and Gender (3 cr.) CASE S&H The role of science and technology in constructions of masculinity and femininity from 1600 to the present. Historical and philosophical analysis of the interaction between science and technology and ideologies of gender. Evaluation of proposals for transforming science.

• HPSC-X 371 Topics in the Science of Sex and Gender (3 cr.) CASE S&H P: May vary with topic. Possible topics include history of theories of sexuality, critique of current scientific concepts of sex and gender, philosophical perspectives on sexology, and the history of theories of sex evolution and determination. Departmental flyers, available at registration time, will describe each section in detail. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credits.

• HPSC-X 424 Neuropsychological Pathography (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: PSY-P 324. How do people conceptualize and write about their mental trauma and psychological distress? Personal narratives of depression, aphasia, head injury, and other forms of neurological damage and emotional affliction are examined from a variety of perspectives and considered for their contribution to clinical science, rehabilitative services, and popular understanding of limits to human experience.

• HPSC-X 493 Structure and Methods of the Life Sciences (3 cr.) CASE A&H Addresses fundamental questions such as: What are the differences between the life sciences and the physio-chemical sciences? Is reduction possible in the life sciences, and what does it mean? What is the best way to analyze theory structure in the life sciences? How successful has the genomic approach been in the life sciences, in reducing explanation to a molecular level? What does it mean to say that explanation is necessary at a variety of levels of the organization of life?

   

Philosophical Issues within the Sciences

Courses provide a sophisticated introduction to philosophical problems that arise in various contemporary scientific theories. Most of these courses do not presume a previous knowledge of the science examined.

• HPSC-X 390 Space, Time, and Relativity (3 cr.) CASE A&H Topics in the philosophy of space, time, and spacetime. Theory of motion and Zeno’s paradoxes; St. Augustine on time; time and becoming; relational versus absolute theories of space and time; Mach’s principle; introduction to Einstein’s theory of relativity and space-time.

• HPSC-X 391 Philosophical Issues in Quantum Theory (3 cr.) CASE A&H An examination of philosophical problems and challenges raised by quantum theory. Topics include Heisenberg uncertainty relations, non-locality and EPR paradox, hidden variables, interpretations of quantum theory. No previous knowledge of quantum theory is assumed.

• HPSC-X 394 Structure and Methods of the Life Sciences (3 cr.) CASE A&H Examination of selected fundamental questions concerning the structure and methods of biology and psychology. Topics include the structure of theories and testing in the life sciences; teleology; fitness and levels of selection; the logic of classification; historical explanations in science; emergence and holism.

• HPSC-X 406 Survey of History of Science up to 1750 (3 cr.) CASE S&H Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, and Enlightenment science.

• HPSC-X 407 Survey of History of Science since 1750 (3 cr.) CASE S&H P: Junior standing or consent of instructor. R: at least one course sequence in Western history (such as H103-H104). Growth of quantitative methods in physical science and experimental methods in physical science and experimental methods in natural history. Gradual separation of science from philosophy and theology.

Fundamental Problems in Philosophy of Science

Advanced undergraduate courses. X451, X452, and X456 together constitute a systematic survey of the major issues in contemporary philosophy of science. They may be taken separately or in any order.

• HPSC-X 451 Scientific Understanding (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: Junior standing or consent of instructor. R: one course in philosophy or philosophy of science. Science claims to tell us what the world is like, even the part of the world we cannot see, and to explain why things happen the way they do. But these claims are controversial. This course examines competing models of scientific explanation and the ongoing debate over whether scientific theories should or even can be interpreted realistically.

• HPSC-X 452 Modern Philosophy of Science (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: Junior standing or consent of instructor. R: one course in philosophy or philosophy of science. Examines the origin and character of twentieth-century philosophy of science by investigating the historical development—in interaction with parallel developments within the sciences themselves—from 1800 to the early twentieth century. Hermann von Helmholtz, Ernst Mach, Henri Poincare, Moritz Schlick, and Rudolf Carnap.

• HPSC-X 456 Philosophy of Science in Antiquity (3 cr.) CASE A&H Historical survey of philosophical discussions of the nature of science, to include figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Augustine, and Aquinas. Covers a period from the ancient Greeks to the Middle Ages; may cover a longer or shorter period.

Special Topics and Seminars

Students should consult the departmental flyers at the time of registration for the content, requirements, and format of these courses.

• HPSC-X 123 Perspectives on Science: Social and Historical (3 cr.) CASE S&H Individual sections will vary in content and major themes, but all will employ case studies from the history of science to examine the intellectual, cultural, and social impact of science for a variety of historical perspectives. Various case studies are presented at an introductory level. May be repeated with a different topic for a total of 6 credit hours.

• HPSC-X 126 Perspectives on Science: Natural and Mathematical (3 cr.) CASE N&M Individual sections will vary in content and major themes, but all will employ case studies to illustrate, from a variety of perspectives, the logic and methods of the natural and mathematical sciences. Examples illustrating these methods are presented at an introductory level. May be repeated with a different topic for a total of 6 credit hours.

• HPSC-X 220 Issues in Science: Humanistic (3 cr.) CASE A&H General topics and themes in the history and philosophy of science. Departmental flyers, available at registration time, will describe each section in detail. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• HPSC-X 223 Issues in Science: Social and Historical (3 cr.) CASE S&H Individual sections will vary in the central issue to be discussed, but all will engage in an examination of some issue concerning the intellectual, cultural, and social impact of science in historical perspective. Designed to investigate the evidence and arguments related to different interpretations of or approaches to the central theme or issue of the course. May be repeated with a different topic for a total of 6 credit hours.

• HPSC-X 226 Issues in Science: Natural and Mathematical (3 cr.) CASE N&M Individual sections will vary in the central issue to be discussed, but all will engage in an examination of some issue concerning the logic and methods of the natural and mathematical sciences, with a view toward understanding those methods and the role they play in scientific theorizing generally. Designed to investigate the evidence and arguments related to different positions on the role or value of such methods in science. May be repeated with a different topic for a total of 6 credit hours.

• HPSC-X 300 Undergraduate Readings in History and Philosophy of Science (1-5 cr.) Individualized readings for students minoring in history and philosophy of science. May be used with consent of instructor as an alternative to other undergraduate courses.

• HPSC-X 320 Topics in Science: Humanistic (3 cr.) CASE A&H Specialized topics and themes in the history and philosophy of science. Departmental flyers, available at registration time, will discuss each section in detail. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 9 credit hours.

• HPSC-X 323 Topics in Science: Social and Historical (3 cr.) CASE S&H Specialized topics and themes relating to the intellectual, cultural, and social impact of science in historical perspective. Students will engage with primary source material and with debates about how that material ought to be understood. May be repeated with a different topic for a total of 6 credit hours.

• HPSC-X 326 Topics in Science: Natural and Mathematical (3 cr.) CASE N&M Specialized topics and themes relating to the logic and methods of the natural and mathematical sciences, with a view toward understanding those methods and the role they play in scientific theorizing. Students will engage with actual philosophical debates about the proper understanding of an application of such methods in science. May be repeated with a different topic for a total of 6 credit hours.

• HPSC-X 420 Advanced Seminar in the History and Philosophy of Science (3-4 cr.) This seminar offers specialized topics and themes in history and philosophy of science. Weekly meetings and reports on weekly reading assignments. Consult departmental flyers available at registration time for seminar topic and structure. May be repeated once with a different topic for a maximum of 8 credit hours.