The Matthews Files

Course Schedule

Week One:
W (09/03) Course Introduction
F (09/05) Introduction to the Historiography of Science; Problems with the study of “Ancient Science,” and “Non-Western Science” Reading Assignment: John Henry, chapter 1.

Week Two: The Ancient Foundations of Western Science
M (09/08) The “Sources” of the Scientific Revolution: Cosmology. (A Rogues Gallery) Reading Assignment: (Available online.) Dictionary of the History of Ideas article, “Cosmology from Antiquity to 1850.” pages 535-543. (Note: if you read beyond, be
aware that, among other things, the author is seriously mistaken in his assertions about the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish assumptions about the cosmos.)
W (09/10) The “Sources” of the Scientific Revolution: Matter. (A Rogues Gallery) Reading Assignment: (Available online.) Dictionary of the History of Ideas article, “Atomism: Antiquity to the Seventeenth Century.”
F (09/12) The “Sources” of the Scientific Revolution: Life Sciences and Medicine. (A Rogues Gallery). Reading Assignment: (Available online.) Dictionary of the History of Ideas article, “Biological Conceptions in Antiquity.”
Week Three: The Renaissance -- Changing Perspectives on Being Human
M (09/15) From antiquity to the recovery of antiquity: Medieval perspectives. Reading Assignment: When Science and Christianity Meet, Introduction and chapter 1.
W (09/17) The Intellectual Movement of the Renaissance. Background. Reading Assignment: John Henry, chapter 2.
F (09/19) Renaissance Humanism. Reading Assignment: Dictionary of the History of Ideas article, “Renaissance Humanism” (available online)
Week Four: The Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution
M (09/22) The Renaissance, continued.
W (09/24) The foundations of the Scientific Method. Reading Assignment: John Henry, chapter 3.
F (09/26) Cosmology -- the Grand Narrative.
Week Five: Life, the Universe, and Everything: Grand Narratives of the Scientific Revolution,
continued.
M (09/29) Cosmology -- the Grand Narrative, continued.
W (10/01) Matter and Mechanism -- the Grand Narrative.Reading Assignment: John Henry, chapter 5.
F (10/03) Matter and Mechanism -- the Grand Narrative, continued.
Week Six:
M (10/06) Life -- the Grand Narrative.
W (10/08) Science and the Wider Culture. Reading Assignment: John Henry, chapters 7 and 8.
F (10/10) Review.
Week Seven: Midterm
*M (10/13) Mid-term examination.
W (10/15) Return of tests and discussion.
F (10/17) Religion and Science, Introduction.
Week Eight:
M (10/20) Religion and Science, continued. Reading Assignment: John Henry, chapter 6.
W (10/22) Religion and Science: Introduction to Galileo. Reading Assignment: When Science and Christianity Meet, chapter 2.

F (10/24) Case Study: The Galileo Affair. Reading Assignment: Galileo’s Letter to the Grand Duchess (available online)

Week Nine:
M (10/27) Case Study: The Galileo Affair, concluded.
W (10/29) Ancient Magic and the roots of modern science, introduction. Reading Assignment: John Henry, chapter 4.
F (10/31) Ancient Magic and the roots of modern science, continued. Reading Assignment: Dictionary of the History of Ideas article, “Alchemy” (available online)
Week Ten:
M (11/03) Ancient Magic and the roots of modern science, continued. Reading Assignment: Dictionary of the History of Ideas article, “Astrology” (available online)
W (11/05) Ancient Magic and the roots of modern science, concluded. (Suggestion: read ahead on Newton)
F (11/07) Bits and Pieces: Primary Sources and the Art of Context. No reading assignment: class presentation and discussion. (Suggestion: read ahead on Newton)
Week Eleven: Newton
M (11/10) Bits and Pieces: Primary Sources and the Art of Context. No reading assignment: class presentation and discussion. (Suggestion: read ahead on Newton)
W (11/12) Introduction to Newton. Reading Assignment: The Life of Isaac Newton, chapters 1&2.
F (11/14) The Life of Isaac Newton. Reading Assignment: The Life of Isaac Newton, chapters 3&4.
Week Twelve: Newton
M (11/17) The Life of Isaac Newton. Reading Assignment: The Life of Isaac Newton, chapters 5&6.
W (11/19) The Life of Isaac Newton. Reading Assignment: The Life of Isaac Newton, chapters 7&8.
F (11/21) The Life of Isaac Newton. Reading Assignment: The Life of Isaac Newton, chapters 9, & 10.
Week Thirteen:
M (11/24/05) The Life of Isaac Newton. Reading Assignment: The Life of Isaac Newton, concluding chapters (as assigned by the instructor.)
W (11/26) Discussion of the history of mathematics.
Week Fourteen: Newton
M (12/01) Case Study: Francis Bacon. Reading Assignment: Selections from Bacon, provided by the instructor.
W (12/03) Francis Bacon, continued.
F (12/05) Francis Bacon -- the cultural memory. Reading Assignment: Voltaire’s Lettres Philosophiques, and other selection pertaining to Bacon (available online.)
Week Fifteen: Newton and Review.
M (12/08) The Hartlib Circle, examination of documents. Reading Assignment: Selections from the Hartlib documents, provided by the instructor.
W (12/10/05) The Hartlib Circle, continued.
* F (12/12) Review session. CONTEXTUALIZATION PROJECTS DUE