HPSC0003: History of Science, Antiquity to Enlightenment

Course Syllabus

2024-2025

Course Information

Surveys the origins and development of science from the ancient Greeks to 1800. Main themes are the origins of science in the ancient world, the nature of the Scientific Revolution and the spread of science during the Enlightenment.

ASSESSMENT: ESSAY 1

Write a critical analysis of one of the essential readings from classes before reading week. This should take the form. of an essay of no less than 1400 and no more than 1500 words, excluding bibliography.

What do you need to do? People often think that history books give us “the facts” – unassailable information about the past. But historical texts are a representation of events that inevitably include some things and leave out others. A critical analysis of a text will identify the arguments being made by an author and consider their merits. Questions to be explored may include:

• Who is the author of this text?

• What is the geographical and temporal scope of this text?

• What is the topic of the text?/what themes does it explore?

• What is the author’s overall argument?

• What sections does it have? What does each section argue?

• Do you think the author is successful in making their argument? Have they presented a convincing case?

• What evidence does the author use to support their claims? (examples of primary and secondary sources) Is there evidence that might challenge their argument?

• What have other authors on the syllabus said about this topic? What are the possible contrary arguments?

• Is there anything that the author has overlooked?

• What avenues are there for further research?

Essays should address these questions and provide some depth in explaining the author’s arguments. When answering, avoid speculation – a speculative answer is one that does not have any evidence to support it. You should always be able to point to a word or passage in the text that supports your interpretations, so use brief quotations (one or two sentences, not one or two words) to support your points.

Please read the STS Student Handbook for advice on late penalties. Essays should only make use of the assigned literature.

ASSESSMENT: ESSAY 2

You are required to write an essay of no less than 1400 and no more than 1500 words. This should be another critical analysis of an essential reading, this time from classes after reading week. The same terms apply to this essay as the essay in assessment 1.

Criteria for assessment

The departmental marking guidelines for individual items of assessment can be found in the STS Student Handbook. In addition to the criteria indicated in the STS Student Handbook, the following are the main criteria on which your research essay will be marked. There are no set numbers/percentages associated with these criteria but we will give you qualitative feedback based on them.

Referencing

You must reference all quotes and all references/ summaries of books, etc. Pick one system for referencing and stick to it. Refer to individual page numbers, not just whole texts, whenever possible. Make sure you are clear what plagiarism means and do not plagiarize in the essay.

Bibliography

You need to supply a bibliography of all works referenced. You must supply author, title, date, place of publication and publisher. Essays should only make use of the readings given in the syllabus.

Organisation

Is the essay organized into an introduction, main body and conclusion? Does each part flow naturally into the next one? Is the evidence presented in a logical order?

Introduction

You should give an introduction to your essay in one or two paragraphs. Introduce your topic and your line of argument, no more. Good introductions are concise.

Clarity

We place great emphasis on clarity of argument and expression. Avoid ambiguity and vagueness. Explain anything that might not be obvious. Do not assume your reader already knows what you are talking about. Try to keep your line of argument clear. Accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation also improve clarity.

Argumentation

Is the main argument of the essay clear, coherent and persuasive? Is it properly supported by the evidence available?

Conclusion

Your essay should have a conclusion (typically one paragraph) which is clearly marked as such (new paragraph, ‘In conclusion…’). It should sum up what you have argued and explore the implications of what you have argued.

Reading/ use of sources

How well have the readings and other resources been used? Does the essay reflect them accurately? Is the essay overly dependent on one source? It is recommended that you use two or three other readings from the syllabus to develop your critique. Avoid just mentioning them – explain the relevant arguments made by each author.

Independent critique?

Does the essay offer some independent critique or thought on the question or does it merely report what is in the literature?

Historiography?

How aware is the essay of assumptions and methods used to construct a history or to evaluate it? Does the essay discuss what historians have said about the topic and offer some critique of them?

Aim of the course

The general aim of the course is to present an overview of the History of Science from its ancient beginnings up to the end of the eighteenth century and to begin to offer critical perspectives on this history. The course does not require any technical knowledge of current science. Students will become familiar with the history of science from antiquity to 1800 in Europe and other parts of the world. The course offers critical appraisal of the ways historians have told this history. The course provides a foundation for further modules in the second and third years of the degree which explore issues around the history of science in more depth.

Objectives of the course

By the end of the course, it is hoped that you will have acquired :

* a working knowledge of the history of science up to 1800

* an in-depth knowledge of elements of this history, demonstrated in essay assessments.

* key critical writing skills; the ability to select the most important facts, to marshal those in argument

and an awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of that argument.

* some basic historiographical skills; an awareness of anachronism and the basic methods of writing the history of science.