The Scientific Revolution of the 17th and 18th centuries did more than explain the motions of the heavenly bodies. It also invented scientific method. Thereby it established a new way of knowing. Furthermore, it built science, which was not even a distinct, recognizable activity up to that point, into the independent and centrally important institution that it has become in contemporary society, It was only from the mid-17th century onward, that the material, social, political and cultural conditions which have become integral parts of modern science emerged. Dealing with all these and other dimensions, this course will focus especially on the interaction between scientific ideas and the context that gave birth to them. It offers a gallery of sources and methods historians of science use to understand science in the past, and introduces students to reading and analyzing scientific texts, individuals and circumstances in history. The course also aims to encourage literacy across disciplines and faculties on the history of science.
