Update: Sample test question

Additional Source Readings Lists

Oregon State University HSTS 414/514 Fall 2007 Professor Ronald E. Doel 302C Milam Hall; tel. 737-3421 Monday and Wednesdays, 0800-0920, in Bexell 320 Office hours: 11 AM -12 noon Fridays or by appointment Email: doelr@onid.orst.edu Blackboard portion of course: my.oregonstate.edu

History of Twentieth Century Science

Course description: A survey of major trends and discoveries in the physical and biological sciences since ca. 1900. Intellectual achievements are addressed in their own right, but their impact on related scientific disciplines and their influence on modern thought and culture are also examined. We also explore how cultural factors influence scientific ideas.

This course focuses on several revolutionary changes in our knowledge of the physical and biological realms. Among them are quantum theory and the structure of the atom; relativity and cosmology; the evolutionary synthesis; the emergence of molecular biology (particularly the discovery of DNA); we will also examine the structure, evolution, and history of the Earth as well as the rise of the environmental sciences. Specific topics include the contributions of Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble, and James Watson, the cultural and technical implications of the nuclear age, the role of women and minorities in science, and policies enacted in the wake of new knowledge about our environment. We will address what it means to have a "revolution" in science, and what this implies for understanding the nature of scientific progress. We also consider controversies -- scientific and political -- that have arisen since the end of the nineteenth century.

HSTS 414 is a Baccalaureate Core Course which emphasizes the interactions of science, technology, and society. This course emphasizes elements of critical thinking. It also provides a perspective on the scientific approach to understanding and manipulating the world by relating that perspective to its social context. It is suitable for students from diverse fields, including the Humanities and Social Sciences as well as the Natural Sciences and related professional fields.

Students will gain from this course an ability to evaluate contemporary scientific developments in a broad historical context, to evaluate historical documents, and to assess the range of factors that led to particular scientific discoveries, ideas, instruments, or devices. Our syllabus may change slightly in response to student interests or other exigencies.

Course requirements: Students will complete all assigned readings indicated in the syllabus, and regularly attend class. All students must be familiar with the weekly readings to facilitate discussions. Spot assessments of students' familiarity with readings may be made throughout the quarter.

All students are required to have an email account-- any provider is fine. Free university email accounts for students are available at the Milne Computer Center. All students are to sign up for the Blackboard component to facilitate on-line discussion and debate among students, access to course documents, and participation in group projects. Log on via http://my.oregonstate.edu -- please see this download for further help on setting up your free account.

For students enrolled in HSTS 414: There will be a midterm exam (20% of grade), and a final exam (25%). Each will consist of short-answer and essay questions that will address the major themes raised in readings and seminar discussions. Several short research and writing assignments (3 to 5 pp. in length) are also undertaken during the term (10% of grade). Class participation contributes 10% of the final grade. Thoughtful participation in the Blackboard discussion forums also counts towards this portion of your grade.

Students will also write a research paper [10-12 pp. in length, double-spaced, 10-pitch Courier font or equivalent, with standard margins and appropriately documented], on a topic chosen in consultation with the instructor. It will contribute 35% to the final grade. A two paragraph statement of the intended research topic, also indicating sources on which it will be based, is due on Wednesday, October 3. The final paper is due on Thursday 6 December [via electronic submission, to doelr <at> geo.oregonstate.edu]. A sample research paper will soon be available at the Circulation / Reserves desk in Valley Library [request ‘Sample Research Paper'] The final examination is scheduled for Wednesday, 5 December, starting at 6 PM; if we instead have a take-home examination, it will come due on Thursday 6 December at midnight via electronic submission to doelr <at> geo.oregonstate.edu . Extra-credit opportunities will be offered. Occasional short assignments will also be undertaken.

By the end of the course, undergraduate students should be able to do the following:
1. Describe the development of science in key scientific disciplines from the end of the nineteenth century to the present
2. Analyze how social, political, cultural and religious factors shaped the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge in twentieth century science, including in physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, and the environmental sciences
3. Define and describe the production of knowledge in key scientific fields, and demonstrate the differing characteristics of distinct scientific disciplines
4. Understand and articulate the social origins of U.S. scientists in the first and second halves of the twentieth century
5. Articulate the relationship between scientific advances and warfare during the twentieth century, and describe the relationship between patronage and the development of science
6. Define and articulate the factors that inform scientific practice, including priority and professionalization
7. Demonstrate critical thinking skills in challenging prior understanding of technology and technological systems
8. Construct an argument and employ historical evidence in writing a ten page term paper.

For graduate students enrolled in HSTS 514: Attend the undergraduate course lectures and discussions. We will arrange a one-hour weekly seminar meeting where we will discuss course readings and themes; additional writing may be required. In addition to seminar participation, and additional graduate readings, the main focus for graduate seminar participants will be the research paper, which ought not exceed fifteen pages in length.

Students are expected to be honest and ethical in their academic work. Academic dishonesty is defined as an intentional act of deception in one of the following areas: cheating-- use or attempted use of unauthorized materials, information or study aids; fabrication-- falsification or invention of any information; assisting-- helping another commit an act of academic dishonesty; tampering-- altering or interfering with evaluation instruments and documents; plagiarism-- representing the words or ideas of another person as one's own.

Students are also encouraged to take advantage of the university's Writing Center in preparing research papers for this course. The Writing Center phone is 737-5640; you can also stop by the Writing Desk (at The Valley Library), phone: 737-8385.


Required Texts for HSTS 414 (all available in paperback at the Memorial Union bookstore):

Lawrence Badash, Scientists and the Development of Nuclear Weapons (1995)
Peter J. Bowler, Norton History of the Environmental Sciences (1992)
David Cassidy, Einstein and Our World (1995)
Carl Djerassi, Cantor's Dilemma: A Novel (1989)
Naomi Oreskes, The Rejection of Continental Drift (1999)
Gunther Stent, The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson (1980)

Additional course materials will soon be on reserve at Valley Library [request by call number], and at http://www.orst.edu/instruct/hsts414/doel

Week 1. September 24, 26 · Science circa 1900 [Introduction and Course Overview]

Reading: Oreskes, Introduction [pp. 3-6] before Wednesday.

Meet on Wednesday, 3 Oct., in the Autzen Room, Valley Library --> go straight to the Library, not Bexell.

Research paper topic statement due October 3

Short assignment #1 due Monday Oct. 8th at midnight

Reading: Robert W. Smith, "Edwin P. Hubble and the Transformation of Cosmology," Physics Today 43, 2 (1990), pp. 52-58 [click here]

Cassidy: begin reading ahead for Week 3.

Special event: Friday, Oct. 5, 7:30 PM: session under the stars at the English/Smith cemeteries, on twentieth century astronomy. All students, spouses, significant others, children, warmly invited. Optional--not a required part of class. But it's fun. Please bring binoculars and telescopes. Directions and further information will be provided in class; a map to the site may be found by clicking here.

Week 3: October 8. 10 · Physics: Relativity and the Quantum Mechanics Revolution

Reading: Cassidy [entirety]

Week 4: October 15, 17 · The Use of Atomic Weapons: World War II and the Manhattan Project

Reading: Badash [entirety]

Week 5: October 22, 24 · Biology: Natural History to Molecular Biology

Reading: Stent [read James Watson, The Double Helix, and pp. xi-xxv, 137-157]

Bowler, 1-31, 306-378

Mid-term examination distributed this week: take-home due Friday Nov. 2nd at midnight

Week 6: October 29, 31 · The Practice of Modern Science: Patrons and Players

Reading: Djerassi [entirety-- a fast read]

new: extra-credit opportunities involving OSU conference. Read more at HSTS 414 Blackboard site.

Week 7: November 5, 7 · Modern Genetics: Sociobiology to the Human Genome Project [revised schedule]

Reading: Bowler, 478-502

Robert Wright, Three Scientists and Their Gods (1988), pp. 113-192 [available through Blackboard]

Week 8: November 12, 14 · The Rise of the Modern Earth Sciences: Catastrophism, Plate Tectonics, and Planetary Science [revised schedule]

Reading: Bowler, pp. 399-427

Oreskes, 9-19, 81-121, 123-156, 313-318

William Glen, "What Killed the Dinosaurs?" American Scientist 78, 4 (1990): 354-370 [available through Blackboard]

Week 9: November 19 · Modern Cosmology

Reading: Stephen G. Brush, "How Cosmology Became a Science." Scientific American 267, 2 (1992): 62-70. [available through Blackboard]

--no Wednesday meeting this week [Thanksgiving holiday]

Week 10: November 29 · The Environmental Sciences: From Biodiversity to Global Warming

Reading: Bowler, pp. 503-553

Ronald E. Doel, "Polar Melting when Cold War Was Hot," San Francisco Examiner, Octr. 3, 2000, A15 [reserve]

You'll need to visit Valley Library for reserve readings on Weeks 7-9, or download via Blackboard.

Research paper due Thursday, December 6, midnight PST -- send electronic copy to doelr <at> geo.oregonstate.edu

FINAL EXAM:Take-home; click here for exam.) Due at midnight 6 December by email or by 4 PM in the Department of History, 306 Milam Hall. ( If by email attachment, use this email address: doelr <at> geo.oregonstate.edu )

*** Extra credit opportunity: click here.***

Supplementary Reading List

There are several general reference works of great value as supplementary reading:

Charles C. Gillispie, ed., Dictionary of Scientific Biography (multi-volume) Valley Library Reference Q141.D5

W.F. Bynum et al., ed, Dictionary of the History of Science (one volume). Valley Library Reference Q125.D45

R.C. Olby et al., ed., Companion to the History of Modern Science (one volume). Valley Library reserve desk Q125.C565.1990 [soon to be available for 2-hour loan]