Download 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
GE-023-023, HST 423, MODERN SCIENCE IN WORLD HISTORY
INTERDISCIPLINARY GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE – AREA C OR D
2
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.
GE-023-023, HST 423, MODERN SCIENCE IN WORLD HISTORY
INTERDISCIPLINARY GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE – AREA C OR D
3
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.
GE-023-023, HST 423, MODERN SCIENCE IN WORLD HISTORY
INTERDISCIPLINARY GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE – AREA C OR D
4
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
GE-023-023, HST 423, MODERN SCIENCE IN WORLD HISTORY
INTERDISCIPLINARY GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE – AREA C OR D
5
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 20thcentury 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
GE-023-023, HST 423, MODERN SCIENCE IN WORLD HISTORY
INTERDISCIPLINARY GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE – AREA C OR D

IV.
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develop writing, critical thinking, and communication skills
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, 18001940. 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.
GE-023-023, HST 423, MODERN SCIENCE IN WORLD HISTORY
INTERDISCIPLINARY GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE – AREA C OR D
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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, 19391956. New Heaven, CT: Yale University Press, 1994.
GE-023-023, HST 423, MODERN SCIENCE IN WORLD HISTORY
INTERDISCIPLINARY GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE – AREA C OR D
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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
GE-023-023, HST 423, MODERN SCIENCE IN WORLD HISTORY
INTERDISCIPLINARY GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE – AREA C OR D
VIII.
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?
Instructional Methods
1.
2.
3.
4.
IX.
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Close reading and discussions of both primary and secondary sources
Lectures and general discussions
Student oral and written presentations
Videos, overhead, and internet presentations
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?