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  6. HI405H: THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION: KNOWING THE NATURAL WORLD 1500-1800

HI405H: THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION: KNOWING THE NATURAL WORLD 1500-1800 (2014-2015)

Last modified: 28 Jun 2018 10:27


Course Overview

Between 1500 and 1700, Copernicus moved the sun to the centre of the cosmos, Harvey made the blood circulate around the body and Newton discarded a closed world for an infinite universe. Did this 'Scientific Revolution' establish 'modern' views of the natural world, reducing the Renaissance and Reformation to mere episodes? This course investigates this major re-assessment of ancient learning and the creation of new ways of knowing, from magic to mechanism. To see how new knowledge was made, it explores religious and political divisions, voyages of discovery, exotic collections, gender roles, and Galileo’s struggles with the papacy.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 4
Term First Term Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus None. Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Ben Marsden

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

None.

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

'Knowledge is power', Bacon claimed. Between 1500 and 1700, Copernicus moved the sun to the centre of the cosmos, Harvey argued for the blood's circulation, and Newton discarded a closed world for an infinite universe. Historians once talked freely of a 'Scientific Revolution' establishing 'modern' views of the natural world and reducing Renaissance and Reformation to mere episodes. Here we investigate precisely how and why early modern figures re-assessed ancient learning and created new and potent ways of knowing, from magic to mechanism. To understanding these changes we study religion and political divisions, print cultures, institutions and gender roles; we delve into 'cabinets of curiosity' stuffed with exotica and instruments; and we follow Galileo, 'courtier', as he struggled with the papacy to promote new sciences. The aftermath of this 'Scientific Revolution' would be the eighteenth-century Enlightenment.

Further Information & Notes

This module is available to students on all non-History degree programmes as a Discipline Breadth course for the enhanced study requirement. However, the admission of students with a non-History degree intention will be at the discretion of the School of Divinity, History, and Philosophy. Students are not permitted to register for this course after the end of week 2 of teaching.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour examination (40%); continuous assessment (60%) with: one 3,000-word essay (30%), one 1,500-word historiographic review (20%) and seminar performance including presentation (10%). Resit: No resits.

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Feedback

Informal feedback, in particular on general expectations at level 3, at beginning of course; feedback on individual performance in presentation in person or by e-mail; written feedback, individually discussed, on essays and presentations

Course Learning Outcomes

None.
 

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