HIST 130 History of Science from Antiquity to 1700
This course explores the development of scientific, medical, and technological knowledge from antiquity to the early modern period, spanning ancient Greece, the Islamic world, and Renaissance Europe. We’ll examine theories of the universe from Aristotle to Copernicus and Newton; terrestrial physics, experimentation, and alchemical traditions; and evolving ideas of the body, race, gender, and disease. Through close readings of primary sources—from Greek cosmology and Islamic astronomy to Renaissance anatomy—we will consider how different cultures defined natural philosophy, investigated the natural world, and grappled with the unknown.
The course centers not only on what people thought, but also on the why, how, and where of knowledge-making: the political, religious, and cultural contexts that shaped early scientific inquiry. Students will leave the course with a deeper appreciation of the plural histories of science—and how those histories continue to shape contemporary understandings of reason, objectivity, and human difference.
Core Requirements Met
- Global Connections
- Pre-1800