GE Committee Report for New Synthesis Course



CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

ACADEMIC SENATE

GENERAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE

REPORT TO

THE ACADEMIC SENATE

GE-023-023

HST 423, MODERN SCIENCE IN WORLD HISTORY

INTERDISCIPLINARY GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE – AREA C OR D

General Education Committee Date:

Steering Committee

Received and Forwarded Date: 4/30/03

Academic Senate Date: 7/23/03

First Reading

9/24/03

Second Reading

Background

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences is proposing HST 423 Modern Science in World History as an Interdisciplinary General Education Course for Areas C and D.

Discussion

This course brings together knowledge gained from lower division science courses and lower division courses in the social sciences and humanities to understand the profound intellectual, philosophical, cultural, technological, and political impact of modern science, especially physical sciences, from Western Europe to Russia to the United States to China and other parts of the globe in the 20th century. The course focuses on the second scientific revolution that gave us the relativity, quantum, and genetic theories and our new understanding of matter, the universe, and life. It also explores in depth the human and social dimensions of modern science, the philosophical implications of the second scientific revolution, and the complex relations between science and technology, politics, and ideology. Thus the course allows students to apply basic knowledge from the foundational courses to larger settings and problems such as those arising in science and environmental policy. Issues covered include the impact of science and technology on civilization and human values, ecological problems, scientific method and reasoning, health and diseases, and biomedical technology and its ethical implications.

History of science, as a field, rose in the post-World War II era as a response to what C. P. Snow called the “Two Cultures” problem: the increasing gap between the humanities and the sciences in understanding each other has often resulted in dangerous misconceptions in regard to science, technology, and public policy. Now perhaps more than ever a well-educated student in either the humanities or the sciences need to understand the profound social, political, cultural, and global implications of changes in modern science. This course allows the students in the humanities, social sciences, and science and technology to examine the interactions of science and society in historical and global context. They learn the overall meaning of the second scientific revolution, see the human dimensions of modern science through the biographical studies of scientists such as Albert Einstein, and understand the societal concerns with new scientific and technological changes. The course is intended to be a bridge across the “Two Cultures” divide as it brings students in both the humanities and the sciences to explore both the intellectual and social aspects of modern science.

Directed reading, discussion, analysis of documentary and fictional visual materials, book reviews, and research paper projects including oral presentations help students to further develop their ability to integrate and synthesize their knowledge and skills from the humanities, natural and social sciences, and engineering, as they analyze the historical context for the rise of modern science and compare its interactions with society in different national political systems and social milieus.

Recommendation

The author originally posed this course as an interdisciplinary GE synthesis course for sub areas B4(Science & Technology Synthesis), C4 (Humanities Synthesis) or D4 (Social Science). After consultation with representatives of the GE Committee the course author changed the course to an interdisciplinary synthesis course for either C4 or D4. There was no consultation about this course on the Academic Programs Web site. The GE committee has therefore determined that the expanded course outline properly defined the course to be in compliance with the interdisciplinary GE Synthesis Course guidelines for subareas C4 and D4. The course was approved by the GE committee on 04/02/2003 and is now forwarded for consideration by the Academic Senate.

I. Catalog Description

Title: HST 423 Modern Science in World History (4)

Intellectual, philosophical, cultural, technological, and political origins and impact of the scientific revolution in the 20th century. Rise of relativity, quantum and nuclear physics, computers, genetics and molecular biology, and science during the world wars and the Cold War. 4 hours lectures-discussions (4 units). Prerequisites: Completion of GE requirements in Area A, and completion of lower division GE requirements in any two sub-areas of Area C and any two sub-areas of Area D. This course fulfills Interdisciplinary Synthesis for Area C-4 or D-4.

II. Required Background or Experience

Completion of GE requirements in Area A, and completion of lower division GE requirements in any two sub-areas of Area C and any two sub-areas of Area D.

This course fulfills Interdisciplinary Synthesis for Area C-4 or D-4.

III. Expected Outcomes

This course brings together knowledge gained from lower division science courses and lower division courses in the social sciences and humanities to understand the profound intellectual, philosophical, cultural, technological, and political impact of modern science, especially physical sciences, from Western Europe to Russia to the United States to China and other parts of the globe in the 20th century. The course focuses on the second scientific revolution that gave us the relativity, quantum, and genetic theories and our new understanding of matter, the universe, and life. It also explores in depth the human and social dimensions of modern science, the philosophical implications of the second scientific revolution, and the complex relations between science and technology, politics, and ideology. Thus the course allows students to apply basic knowledge from the foundational courses to larger settings and problems such as those arising in science and environmental policy. Issues covered include the impact of science and technology on civilization and human values, ecological problems, scientific method and reasoning, health and diseases, and biomedical technology and its ethical implications.

History of science, as a field, rose in the post-World War II era as a response to what C. P. Snow called the “Two Cultures” problem: the increasing gap between the humanities and the sciences in understanding each other has often resulted in dangerous misconceptions in regard to science, technology, and public policy. Now perhaps more than ever a well-educated student in either the humanities or the sciences need to understand the profound social, political, cultural, and global implications of changes in modern science. This course allows the students in the humanities, social sciences, and science and technology to examine the interactions of science and society in historical and global context. They learn the overall meaning of the second scientific revolution, see the human dimensions of modern science through the biographical studies of scientists such as Albert Einstein, and understand the societal concerns with new scientific and technological changes. The course is intended to be a bridge across the “Two Cultures” divide as it brings students in both the humanities and the sciences to explore both the intellectual and social aspects of modern science.

Directed reading, discussion, analysis of documentary and fictional visual materials, book reviews, and research paper projects including oral presentations help students to further develop their ability to integrate and synthesize their knowledge and skills from the humanities, natural and social sciences, and engineering, as they analyze the historical context for the rise of modern science and compare its interactions with society in different national political systems and social milieus.

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to

• follow the major developments in physics and biology, especially the rise of quantum and relativity theories, cosmology, nuclear physics, and modern genetics

• understand the revolutionary conceptual changes in modern science since the late 19th century, along with their profound intellectual, philosophical, cultural, technological, and social implications

• explain why the quantum and the relativity theories formed the foundation of 20th-century science, and how nuclear physics, computers, and genetic engineering, which grew out of these developments, brought scientists onto the center stage of social and political changes

• evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various modern scientific theories and discern the connections between scientific developments in various disciplines such as physics and biology

• apply knowledge gained in foundational courses in science and technology, humanities and social sciences to new areas of investigations through in-depth research in the form of a term paper

• appreciate the human side of the scientific enterprise through biographical studies of scientists such as Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Niels Bohr, Lise Meitner, Werner Heisenberg, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Richard Feynman, James Watson, Frances Crick, and Fang Lizhi and their often dramatic interactions with each other and with the rest of their societies

• recognize the complex interactions between experiments and theories, between science and philosophy, and between science, technology, and society in different countries in the modern world

• develop an interdisciplinary approach to the study of science and technology by drawing on perspectives not only from the fields of science and technology, but also that of the humanities and social sciences

• develop writing, critical thinking, and communication skills

IV. Text and Readings

Required Texts:

Cline, Barbara. Men Who Made a New Physics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.

Hoffmann, Banesh. Albert Einstein, Creator and Rebel. New York: New American Library, 1988.

Watson, James D. Double Helix. New York: Touchstone, 2001.

Frayn, Michael. Copenhagen. New York: Anchor Books, 1998.

Badash, Lawrence. Scientists and the Development of Nuclear Weapons. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press, 1995.

Storey, William Kelleher. Writing History: A Guide for Students. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

General Readings:

Modern Physical Sciences: Historical and Biographical Studies

Cassidy, David. Uncertainty: The Life and Science of Werner Heisenberg. New York: W. H. Freeman, 1992.

Cline, Barbara. Men Who Made a New Physics. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1987.

Galison, Peter Image and Logic: A Material Culture of Microphysics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.

Heilbron, J. L. The Dilemma of an Upright Man: Max Planck As a Spokesman for German Science. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1986.

Hoffmann, Banesh. Albert Einstein, Creator and Rebel. New York: Viking Press, 1972.

Moore, Walter John. A Life of Erwin Schrödinger. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992.

Nye, Mary Jo. Before Big Science: The Pursuit of Modern Chemistry and Physics, 1800-1940. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1996.

Pais, Abraham. Inward Bound: Of Matter and Forces in the Physical World. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.

Pais, Abraham. Subtle Is the Lord: The Science and Life of Albert Einstein. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.

Pais, Abraham. Niels Bohr's Times: In Physics, Philosophy, and Polity. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Sime, Ruth Lewin. Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1996.

Modern Biological Sciences: Historical and Biographical Studies

Allen, Garland. Life Science in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985.

Kay, Lily. Who Wrote the Book of Life? A History of the Genetic Code. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2000.

Keller, Evelyn Fox. A Feeling for the Organism: The Life and Work of Barbara McClintock. San Francisco: W. H. Freedman, 1993.

Keller, Evelyn Fox. Making Sense of Life: Explaining Biological Development with Models, Metaphors, and Machines. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002.

Kevles, Daniel. In the Name of Eugenics: Genetics and the Uses of Human Heredity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995.

Watson, James. Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA. New York: Atheneum, 1968.

Wright, Susan. Molecular Politics: Developing American and British Regulatory Policy for Genetic Engineering, 1972-1982. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994.

Humanistic Literature on Modern Science

Bronowski, Jacob. The Ascent of Man. Boston: Little, Brown, 1973.

Dürrenmatt, Friedrich. The Physicists. New York: The Grove Press, 1964.

Frayn, Michael. Copenhagen. New York: Anchor Books, 2000.

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York, Harper Perennial, 1998 (rep).

Keller, Evelyn Fox. Reflections on Gender and Science. New Heaven, CT: Yale University Press, 1986.

Kipphardt, Heinar. In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer: A Play Freely Adapted, on the Basis of the Documents. London: Methuen, 1967.

Nyhart, Lynn H. and Thomas H. Broman (eds.). Science and Civil Society (v. 17 of Osiris). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.

Snow, C. P. The Search. New York, Bobbs-Merrill,1935.

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and a Second Look. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1959.

Szilard, Leo. The Voice of the Dolphins, and Other Stories. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1961.

Social and Political Studies of Modern Science

Badash, Lawrence. Scientists and the Development of Nuclear Weapons: From Fission to the Limited Test Ban Treaty, 1939-1963. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press, 1995.

Edwards, Paul N. The Closed World: Computers and the Politics of Discourse in Cold War America. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996.

Fang Lizhi. Bringing Down the Great Wall: Writings on Science, Culture, and Democracy in China. New York: W. W. Norton, 1992.

Graham, Loren. The Ghost of the Executed Engineer: Technology and the Fall of the Soviet Union. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996.

Hewlett, Richard and Oscar Anderson. The New World, 1939-1946. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1991.

Holloway, David. Stalin and the Bomb: The Soviet Union and Atomic Energy, 1939-1956. New Heaven, CT: Yale University Press, 1994.

Kevles, Daniel. The Physicists: The History of a Scientific Community in Modern America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995.

Krige, John and Dominique Pestre (eds.). Science in the Twentieth Century. Amsterdam: Harwood Press, 1997.

Miller, Lyman H. Science and Dissent in Post-Mao China. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1996.

Walker, Mark (ed.). Science and Ideology: A Comparative History. London and New York: Routledge, 2002.

Other selected books and articles.

V. Minimum Student Materials

Standard materials

VI. Minimum College Facilities

Standard classroom

VII. Course Outline

1. The beginning of the Second Scientific Revolution

New experimental discoveries

Crisis in physics

2. The microcosmic revolution

Ernest Rutherford, Marie Curie, and radioactivity

Max Planck’s quantum theory

3. The Einsteinian revolution

Quantum theory of light

Special and general relativity theories

4. The birth of atomic physics

Rutherford’s nuclear atomic model

Niels Bohr’s quantum theory of atomic structure

5. The creation of quantum mechanics

Werner Heisenberg’s matrix mechanics

Erwin Schrödinger and wave mechanics

6. Nuclear physics and the atomic bomb

Nuclear physics from fission to the bomb

The rise of American science

The Manhattan Project to make atomic bombs

Debates over the uses of the atomic bombs

7. The German and Japanese bomb projects

Did Heisenberg sabotage the Nazi bomb project?

Debates over Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen

8. Science and politics in the Soviet Union and China

Science and totalitarianism

Andrei Sakharov and Fang Lizhi

9. Modern genetics

The race for the molecular structure of DNA

The debates over ethnics of genetic engineering

10. The post-Cold War era

New science-based technologies and globalization

Science and the challenge of weapons of mass destruction

A new scientific revolution?

VIII. Instructional Methods

1. Close reading and discussions of both primary and secondary sources

2. Lectures and general discussions

3. Student oral and written presentations

4. Videos, overhead, and internet presentations

IX. Evaluation of Outcomes

1. Midterm and final examinations to assess mastery of basic knowledge and broad thematic developments in modern science and ability to integrate and synthesize interdisciplinary analyses.

2. Term papers to measure critical thinking, writing skills, and ability to conduct independent and interdisciplinary research synthesizing areas of Humanities and Social Sciences.

3. Class participation and presentation to develop oral presentation skills and critical thinking skills.

X. Assessment

In all activities in this class, especially examinations, terms paper projects, presentations and discussions, and the final evaluation of the course, students will be asked to address these questions:

1. In what ways do these exercises and the course as a whole draw upon both fields of Humanities or Social Sciences as covered in your lower division courses?

2. To what extent do these exercise and this course deepen your understanding of a particular area of Humanities or Social Sciences?

3. How do these exercises and the course enable you to apply concepts of Humanities or Social Sciences to different problems and situations?

4. To what extent do activities in this course promote critical thinking, communication (oral and written), problem solving, and reasoning skills?

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