Great Issues in Science
7 Big Ideas That Shaped Science

HSP 124 CRN 2311
10:10 – 11:00am
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
Observatory

This course will examine seven major scientific ideas, each one of which has had a revolutionary impact on a particular area of science.

Astronomy: Big Bang theory
Biochemistry: DNA structure
Biology: Evolution
Chemistry: Periodic Law
Geology: Plate tectonics
Mathematics: Non-Euclidean geometry
Physics: Atomic structure

In several cases, students will read the original papers that reported the discovery. Laboratory work with Geometer’s Sketchpad will be used to explore the world of hyperbolic geometry. Evaluation will be based on a sequence of short papers, a collection of laboratory reports from Sketchpad, and a substantial final project.

The reading list will include:

The Discoveries, Lightman
The Sciences: An Integrated Approach, Trefil & Hazen
A Well-Ordered Thing, Gordin
The Non-Euclidean Revolution, Trudeau
The Double Helix, Watson
The Origin Of Species, Darwin
The Origin Of Continents And Oceans, Wegener