Alberto A. Martínez

There is a mismatch between popular culture and academia. Some stories that in popular culture are celebrated as bright moments of discovery or insight are instead dismissed in academia as merely popular myths. We will analyze claims from popular books in the light of accurate historical sources. This course will introduce students to the process of making discoveries in historical research.

We will place special attention on debunking myths. Each day, as a group, we will develop interesting questions for research. Students will each freely propose topics that draw their curiosity. Our discussions will be guided by those questions. In this course, history will not be presented as knowledge that is prepackaged in books and articles to be memorized. Instead, we will use history as a tool for making discoveries about what really happened. The professor will give examples and anecdotes, from his own research, showing why he became interested in particular puzzles, why they seem fascinating, and how he managed to make new findings. Throughout the semester, the professor will also present findings from his ongoing research projects, to illustrate how historical discoveries are made.

This course is designed for first-year students, and it has no prerequisites. However, upperclassmen are also invited to enroll.

Scott Berkun, The Myths of Innovation (Sebastopol, Canada: O’Reilly, 2007/2010).

Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008).

John Stossel, Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity (New York: Hyperion, 2006).

Optional Books

James Burke, The Pinball Effect: How Renaissance Gardens Made the Carburetor Possible (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1996).

Alberto Martínez, Science Secrets: the Truth About Darwin’s Finches, Einstein’s Wife, and Other Myths (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2011).


Participation 20%, Presentation 10%, Research Project 40%, Final Exam 30%

While age-old scientific concepts were being overturned by the rise of modern physics, Europe was torn apart by wars of unprecedented scale. This history course analyzes these developments, examining the rise of the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics against the stage of international political upheavals. Following the life of Albert Einstein, the course focuses on conceptual developments (from the 1880s through the 1940s) and intellectual conflicts. It also studies the lives of physicists such as Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, in the context of changing cultural and political environments. We'll read and discuss various materials: manuscripts, letters, accounts by historians, physicists, essays, and even secret transcripts of controversial conversations. The material will be understandable even to students with no significant background in physics. Among the topics involved are the following: What was Einstein's personal life? How did relativity and the quantum clash with earlier conceptions of nature? Why did physics become so apparently difficult to understand? In Europe and America, how did scientists behave in times of international catastrophe? How were the academic and social orders affected by the development of nuclear weapons?

Texts:
• Jürgen Neffe, Einstein: A Biography (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009).
• Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe (Simon and Schuster, 2008).

Assignments:
• Two reading reaction essays, of 650 words each.  
• Final Research Paper, of at least 2500 words. A draft of the introduction or outline of the Research Paper will be expected 3 weeks before the final due date; for critical feedback. The subject of the final Research Paper will be designed by each student under advisement with the Instructor. The writing assignments will equal 50% of the grade for the course.
 
Grading:
Class participation                            10%
Presentation                                     10%
Writing Assignments & Quizzes        20%               
Subject Comprehension Exam         30%               
Final Research Paper                       30%               
minus absences     – 0.5 course points per unexcused absence.

This course explores interesting episodes in the history of science, focusing on questions about what aspects of human behavior are essentially determined by biological factors rather than by experiences and society. Changing beliefs about what is natural have affected how some people are treated, so we will discuss the social consequences of such notions. The course will include the following topics: theories of race, Darwin’s works, evolution in schools and U.S. courts, American eugenics and Nazi science, differences between women and men, IQ testing, the controversy about DNA and Rosalind Franklin, studies of twins separated at birth, genetic engineering, ethical issues on cloning animals and humans, biotechnology, the immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks, designer babies, biology in forensic science. This is a lecture course, with participation encouraged.

This course fulfills a College of Liberal Arts Science Component: Alternative Science & Technology course.

Some readings are in the Course Packet, required, which will be available at Jenn’s Copy & Binding, 2518 Guadalupe St. There are no readings at the Libraries, on reserve, instead, all other readings will be available online through the UT Libraries website or on Blackboard: https://courses.utexas.edu/

Some of the readings: Francis Galton, "Comparative Worth of Races," in Hereditary Genius (1869). Charles Darwin, Descent of Man (1871), "On the Races of Man," and “Sexual Differences." Cesare Lombroso, Criminal Man (1st ed. 1876). Lombroso, The Female Offender (1895). Julien Offray de La Mettrie, Man a Machine (1748). Francis Galton, "Eugenics: Its Definition, Scope and Aims" (1904). Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene (1976).

First exam 20%, Midterm Exam 20%, Final Exam 30%, Quizzes 20%, Attendance 10

There is something intrinsically mysterious about money. Throughout history, how does money become created? What problems arise from the processes and power to create money? This course will investigate how financial crises have arisen in the past and to what extent they transpired because of wrongdoing. We will study the origins of the Great Depression and of the financial crisis of 2008. We will also study the development of the recent financial crises in Iceland, Greece, and Puerto Rico.

In the Renaissance, it was illegal to create gold in England. The British government still believed that it might be possible to create precious metals through alchemical experiments, and if so, anyone with such a power might generate enough wealth to constitute a danger. Nowadays, we no longer worry about alchemists, yet money has been detached from precious metals, collateral, and even paper. Money consists essentially of digital numbers in bank accounts. What is the historical process by which money became abstract numbers that can be created as loans? We will study how loans and the creation of money “out of nothing” have led to hyperinflation in countries such as Germany, Argentina, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.

This is a writing seminar. Students will write and revise two Essays. Each student will also propose a research topic, to be approved by the Instructor, to prepare a longer Research Paper.

Texts:

•  John Perkins, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (New York: Penguin/Plume, 2006).
•  Michael Hudson, Killing the Host: How Financial Parasites and Debt Destroy the Global Economy (ISLET-Verlag, 2015).
•  Mervyn King, The End of Alchemy: Money, Banking, and the Future of the Global Economy (New York: Norton, 2015).
•  David Stockman, The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America (New York: Public Affairs, 2013).

Grading:

Class Participation 20%

Essays and Quizzes 20%

Research Paper 30%

Final Exam 30%

minus absences  –1 course point per unexcused absence.

This course explores a selection of episodes in the history of science and mathematics. It has four interlocking goals: to provide an overview of the history of science and math (for general education and to better comprehend subjects that you may eventually teach); to enable you to put these historical perspectives and context to work in pedagogy; to sharpen your independence of thought; and to improve your writing skills.

Students will design and prepare Two 5E Lesson Plans (each having a minimum length of 1200 words). Detailed instructions will be distributed separately. You will select the subject of these lesson plans from a variety of options. Once graded, you will incorporate corrections into your lesson plan, to electronically post the revised product, which will improve your grade. There will be several quizzes and writing assignments. All students will take a Midterm Exam, designed to test the extent to which you have followed, engaged, and learned from the topics discussed in class and in the readings. Furthermore, you will do a Presentation of one of your lesson plans to a group of peers. (You will also write Comments on other presentations.) Finally, all students will have to take a Final Exam.

NOTE: this course involves a weekly discussion session with the Teaching Assistant from the History Department. You are required to attend one such session per week, to carry out work for the course.

This is an upper-division history course. The assigned readings vary in length, and it's better to read thoughtfully rather than waste your time skimming and forgetting. Some of the readings will be from primary sources (such as writings by prominent scientists), other readings will be from secondary texts (such as by historians). You will also be required to do additional research and reading for the lesson plans; so keep this in mind when budgeting your time for this course. Classes will be conducted as a mixture of lecture and discussion. Accordingly, attendance and participation are important, as you can also see from the grading distributions below. Attendance will be taken daily, and will be used in evaluating your overall grade for class participation. You're welcome to speak up at any time.

Texts:

1. Martinez, Science Secrets: The Truth About Darwin's Finches, Einstein's Wife, and Other Myths (2011).
2. Martinez, The Cult of Pythagoras: Math and Myths (2012). Also, additional readings are available online, on Canvas.

Class participation 10% 

Quizzes and Assignments 16%

First Lesson Plan 16%

Midterm Exam 16% (in class)

Second Lesson Plan 16%

Presentation 10%

Final Exam 16% (in class)

This course explores a selection of episodes in the history of science and mathematics. It has four interlocking goals: to provide an overview of the history of science and math (for general education and to better comprehend subjects that you may eventually teach); to enable you to put these historical perspectives and context to work in pedagogy; to sharpen your independence of thought; and to improve your writing skills.

Students will design and prepare Two 5E Lesson Plans (each having a minimum length of 1200 words). Detailed instructions will be distributed separately. You will select the subject of these lesson plans from a variety of options. Once graded, you will incorporate corrections into your lesson plan, to electronically post the revised product, which will improve your grade. There will be several quizzes and writing assignments. All students will take a Midterm Exam, designed to test the extent to which you have followed, engaged, and learned from the topics discussed in class and in the readings. Furthermore, you will do a Presentation of one of your lesson plans to a group of peers. (You will also write Comments on other presentations.) Finally, all students will have to take a Final Exam.

NOTE: this course involves a weekly discussion session with the Teaching Assistant from the History Department. You are required to attend one such session per week, to carry out work for the course.

This is an upper-division history course. The assigned readings vary in length, and it's better to read thoughtfully rather than waste your time skimming and forgetting. Some of the readings will be from primary sources (such as writings by prominent scientists), other readings will be from secondary texts (such as by historians). You will also be required to do additional research and reading for the lesson plans; so keep this in mind when budgeting your time for this course. Classes will be conducted as a mixture of lecture and discussion. Accordingly, attendance and participation are important, as you can also see from the grading distributions below. Attendance will be taken daily, and will be used in evaluating your overall grade for class participation. You're welcome to speak up at any time.

Texts:

1. Martinez, Science Secrets: The Truth About Darwin's Finches, Einstein's Wife, and Other Myths (2011).
2. Martinez, The Cult of Pythagoras: Math and Myths (2012). Also, additional readings are available online, on Canvas.

Class participation 10% 

Quizzes and Assignments 16%

First Lesson Plan 16%

Midterm Exam 16% (in class)

Second Lesson Plan 16%

Presentation 10%

Final Exam 16% (in class)

This course explores interesting episodes in the history of science, focusing on questions about what aspects of human behavior are essentially determined by biological factors rather than by experiences and society. Changing beliefs about what is natural have affected how some people are treated, so we will discuss the social consequences of such notions. The course will include the following topics: theories of race, Darwin’s works, evolution in schools and U.S. courts, American eugenics and Nazi science, differences between women and men, IQ testing, the controversy about DNA and Rosalind Franklin, studies of twins separated at birth, genetic engineering, ethical issues on cloning animals and humans, biotechnology, the immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks, designer babies, biology in forensic science. This is a lecture course, with participation encouraged.

This course explores important episodes in the history of biology regarding the classification of human races. For ages, human groups have endured conflicts with one another over racial differences and prejudices. However, according to many biologists and scientists, human races do not even exist. We will discuss how bodily traits such as skin color have affected how scientists and societies struggle to understand human differences.

We will analyze racism in several contexts, such as the Spanish Inquisition, the history of slavery in the U.S., the history of eugenics, the Civil Rights era, etc. We will discuss how classifications of races have changed over time in the works scientists such as Georges, Buffon, Benjamin Franklin, Johann Blumenbach, Charles Darwin, and others. We will analyze claims from popular books in light of primary historical sources. We will also trace the evolution of categories such as “black,” “white,” “Asian,” “Hispanic,” etc. We will discuss why such categories have varied in different places. We will especially analyze how racial categories have changed over time in government and institutions, such as the U.S. Census, and Texas public schools and universities.

Students will each freely propose topics that draw their curiosity. Students will be trained to make original historical findings rath.er than echo statements from history books. Throughout the semester, the students will present findings from their ongoing research projects

There is something intrinsically mysterious about money. Throughout history, how does money become created? What problems arise from the processes and power to create money? This course will investigate how financial crises have arisen in the past and to what extent they transpired because of wrongdoing. We will study the origins of the Great Depression and of the financial crisis of 2008. We will also study the development of the recent financial crises in Iceland, Greece, and Puerto Rico.
 
In the Renaissance, it was illegal to create gold in England. The British government still believed that it might be possible to create precious metals through alchemical experiments, and if so, anyone with such a power might generate enough wealth to constitute a danger. Nowadays, we no longer worry about alchemists, yet money has been detached from precious metals, collateral, and even paper. Money consists essentially of digital numbers in bank accounts. What is the historical process by which money became abstract numbers that can be created as loans? We will study how loans and the creation of money “out of nothing” have led to hyperinflation in countries such as Germany, Argentina, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
 
This is a writing seminar. Students will write and revise two Essays. Each student will also propose a research topic, to be approved by the Instructor, to prepare a longer Research Paper.
Texts:
•  John Perkins, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (New York: Penguin/Plume, 2006).
•  Michael Hudson, Killing the Host: How Financial Parasites and Debt Destroy the Global Economy (ISLET-Verlag, 2015).
•  Mervyn King, The End of Alchemy: Money, Banking, and the Future of the Global Economy (New York: Norton, 2015).
•  David Stockman, The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America (New York: Public Affairs, 2013).

Grading:
Class Participation 20%
Essays and Quizzes 20%
Research Paper 30%
Final Exam 30%
minus absences  –1 course point per unexcused absence.

While age-old scientific concepts were being overturned by the rise of modern physics, Europe was torn apart by wars of unprecedented scale. This history course analyzes these developments, examining the rise of the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics against the stage of international political upheavals. Following the life of Albert Einstein, the course focuses on conceptual developments (from the 1880s through the 1940s) and intellectual conflicts. It also studies the lives of physicists such as Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, in the context of changing cultural and political environments. We'll read and discuss various materials: manuscripts, letters, accounts by historians, physicists, essays, and even secret transcripts of controversial conversations. The material will be understandable even to students with no significant background in physics. Among the topics involved are the following: What was Einstein's personal life? How did relativity and the quantum clash with earlier conceptions of nature? Why did physics become so apparently difficult to understand? In Europe and America, how did scientists behave in times of international catastrophe? How were the academic and social orders affected by the development of nuclear weapons?

Texts:
• Jürgen Neffe, Einstein: A Biography (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009).
• Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe (Simon and Schuster, 2008).
Assignments:
• Two reading reaction essays, of 650 words each.  
• Final Research Paper, of at least 2500 words. A draft of the introduction or outline of the Research Paper will be expected 3 weeks before the final due date; for critical feedback. The subject of the final Research Paper will be designed by each student under advisement with the Instructor. The writing assignments will equal 50% of the grade for the course.
 
Grading:
Class participation                            10%
Presentation                                     10%
Writing Assignments & Quizzes        20%               
Subject Comprehension Exam         30%               
Final Research Paper                       30%               
minus absences     – 0.5 course points per unexcused absence.

There is something intrinsically mysterious about money. Throughout history, how does money become created? What problems arise from the processes and power to create money? This course will investigate how financial crises have arisen in the past and to what extent they transpired because of wrongdoing. We will study the origins of the Great Depression and of the financial crisis of 2008. We will also study the development of the recent financial crises in Iceland, Greece, and Puerto Rico.

In the Renaissance, it was illegal to create gold in England. The British government still believed that it might be possible to create precious metals through alchemical experiments, and if so, anyone with such a power might generate enough wealth to constitute a danger. Nowadays, we no longer worry about alchemists, yet money has been detached from precious metals, collateral, and even paper. Money consists essentially of digital numbers in bank accounts. What is the historical process by which money became abstract numbers that can be created as loans? We will study how loans and the creation of money “out of nothing” have led to hyperinflation in countries such as Germany, Argentina, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.

This is a writing seminar. Students will write and revise two Essays. Each student will also propose a research topic, to be approved by the Instructor, to prepare a longer Research Paper.

Texts:

John Perkins, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (New York: Penguin/Plume, 2006), 305 pp.

Roger Lowenstein, America’s Bank: The Epic Struggle to Create the Federal Reserve (New York: Penguin, 2015), 356 pp.

Mervyn King, The End of Alchemy: Money, Banking, and the Future of the Global Economy (NY: Norton, 2015), 432 pp.

Andrew Ross Sorkin, Too Big to Fail: Inside the Story of How Wall Street… (New York: Penguin, 2009), 618 pp.

Grading:

Class Participation                          20%

Essays and Quizzes                                   20%

Research Paper                                          30%               

Final Exam                                        30%               

minus absences                              – 1 course point per unexcused absence.

This course explores interesting episodes in the history of science, focusing on questions about what aspects of human behavior are essentially determined by biological factors rather than by experiences and society. Changing beliefs about what is natural have affected how some people are treated, so we will discuss the social consequences of such notions. The course will include the following topics: theories of race, Darwin’s works, evolution in schools and U.S. courts, American eugenics and Nazi science, differences between women and men, IQ testing, the controversy about DNA and Rosalind Franklin, studies of twins separated at birth, genetic engineering, ethical issues on cloning animals and humans, biotechnology, designer babies, biology in forensic science. This is a lecture course, with participation encouraged.

This course fulfills a College of Liberal Arts Science Component: Alternative Science & Technology course.

Some readings are in the Course Packet, required, which will be available at Jenn’s Copy & Binding, 2518 Guadalupe St. There are no readings at the Libraries, on reserve, instead, all other readings will be available online through the UT Libraries website or on Blackboard: https://courses.utexas.edu/

Some of the readings: Francis Galton, "Comparative Worth of Races," in Hereditary Genius (1869). Charles Darwin, Descent of Man (1871), "On the Races of Man," and “Sexual Differences." Cesare Lombroso, Criminal Man (1st ed. 1876). Lombroso, The Female Offender (1895). Julien Offray de La Mettrie, Man a Machine (1748). Francis Galton, "Eugenics: Its Definition, Scope and Aims" (1904). Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene (1976).

First exam 20%, Midterm Exam 20%, Final Exam 30%, Quizzes 20%, Attendance 10%

This course explores a selection of topics and episodes in the history of science and mathematics. It has four interlocking goals: to provide an overview of the history of science and math (for general education and to better comprehend subjects that you may eventually teach); to enable you to put these historical perspectives and context to work in pedagogy; to sharpen your independence of thought; and to improve your writing skills.

Students will design and prepare Two 5E Lesson Plans (each having a minimum length of 1200 words). Detailed instructions will be distributed separately. You will select the subject of these lesson plans from a variety of options. Once graded, you will incorporate corrections into your lesson plan, to electronically post the revised product, which will improve your grade. There will be several quizzes and writing assignments. All students will take a Midterm Exam, designed to test the extent to which you have followed, engaged, and learned from the topics discussed in class and in the readings. Furthermore, you will have to do a Presentation of one of your lesson plans to a group of peers. (You will also write Comments on other presentations.) Finally, all students will have to take a Final Essay Exam (about 800 words) in the classroom during Finals Week.

NOTE: this course involves a weekly discussion session with the Teaching Assistant from the History Department. You are required to attend one such session per week, to carry out work for the course.

This is an upper-division history course. The assigned readings vary in length, and we encourage you to read thoughtfully rather than waste your time skimming and forgetting. Some of the readings will be from primary sources (such as writings by prominent scientists), other readings will be from secondary texts (such as by historians). You will also be required to do additional research and reading for the lesson plans; so keep this in mind when budgeting your time for this course. Classes will be conducted as a mixture of lecture and discussion. Accordingly, attendance and participation are important, as you can also see from the grading distributions below. Attendance will be taken daily, and will be used in evaluating your overall grade for class participation. You are welcome to speak up at any time.

Texts:

There is a required Course Packet, available for purchase only at Jenn’s Copies on 2518 Guadalupe at Dean Keaton. Also, additional readings are available online, on Canvas.

Grading:

This course is listed as having a Substantial Writing Component; therefore, much of your final grade will be based on written expression. The grading breakdown is as follows:

Class participation 10% (for speaking; minus absences, see below)

Quizzes and Assignments    16%

First Lesson Plan    16%

Midterm Exam    16% (in class)

Second Lesson Plan 16%

Presentation    10%

Final Exam    16% (in a classroom, during Finals Week)

This course explores a selection of topics and episodes in the history of science and mathematics. It has four interlocking goals: to provide an overview of the history of science and math (for general education and to better comprehend subjects that you may eventually teach); to enable you to put these historical perspectives and context to work in pedagogy; to sharpen your independence of thought; and to improve your writing skills.

Students will design and prepare Two 5E Lesson Plans (each having a minimum length of 1200 words). Detailed instructions will be distributed separately. You will select the subject of these lesson plans from a variety of options. Once graded, you will incorporate corrections into your lesson plan, to electronically post the revised product, which will improve your grade. There will be several quizzes and writing assignments. All students will take a Midterm Exam, designed to test the extent to which you have followed, engaged, and learned from the topics discussed in class and in the readings. Furthermore, you will have to do a Presentation of one of your lesson plans to a group of peers. (You will also write Comments on other presentations.) Finally, all students will have to take a Final Essay Exam (about 800 words) in the classroom during Finals Week.

NOTE: this course involves a weekly discussion session with the Teaching Assistant from the History Department. You are required to attend one such session per week, to carry out work for the course.

This is an upper-division history course. The assigned readings vary in length, and we encourage you to read thoughtfully rather than waste your time skimming and forgetting. Some of the readings will be from primary sources (such as writings by prominent scientists), other readings will be from secondary texts (such as by historians). You will also be required to do additional research and reading for the lesson plans; so keep this in mind when budgeting your time for this course. Classes will be conducted as a mixture of lecture and discussion. Accordingly, attendance and participation are important, as you can also see from the grading distributions below. Attendance will be taken daily, and will be used in evaluating your overall grade for class participation. You are welcome to speak up at any time.

Texts:

There is a required Course Packet, available for purchase only at Jenn’s Copies on 2518 Guadalupe at Dean Keaton. Also, additional readings are available online, on Canvas.

Grading:

This course is listed as having a Substantial Writing Component; therefore, much of your final grade will be based on written expression. The grading breakdown is as follows:

Class participation 10% (for speaking; minus absences, see below)

Quizzes and Assignments    16%

First Lesson Plan    16%

Midterm Exam    16% (in class)

Second Lesson Plan 16%

Presentation    10%

Final Exam    16% (in a classroom, during Finals Week)

HIS 350L - Race, Science, and Racism
Spring 2017                                                                                                                   Al A Martinez, Professor

This course explores important episodes in the history of biology regarding the classification of human races. For ages, human groups have endured conflicts with one another over racial differences and prejudices. However, according to many biologists and scientists, human races do not even exist. We will discuss how bodily traits such as skin color have affected how scientists and societies struggle to understand human differences.

We will analyze racism in several contexts, such as the Spanish Inquisition, the history of slavery in the U.S., the history of eugenics, the Civil Rights era, etc. We will discuss how classifications of races have changed over time in the works scientists such as Georges, Buffon, Benjamin Franklin, Johann Blumenbach, Charles Darwin, and others. We will analyze claims from popular books in light of primary historical sources. We will also trace the evolution of categories such as “black,” “white,” “Asian,” “Hispanic,” etc. We will discuss why such categories have varied in different places. We will especially analyze how racial categories have changed over time in government and institutions, such as the U.S. Census, and Texas public schools and universities.

Students will each freely propose topics that draw their curiosity. Students will be trained to make original historical findings rather than echo statements from history books. Throughout the semester, the students will present findings from their ongoing research projects.

Charles Darwin, Descent of Man (1871), “On the Races of Man,” pp. 215-250.
Robert Wald Sussman, The Myth of Race: The Troubling Persistence of an Unscientific Idea (Harvard University Press, 2014).
Jacqueline Jones, A Dreadful Deceit: The Myth of Race from the Colonial Era to Obama's America (Basic Books, 2013)
U.S. Census records (online), from 1790 to 2010.
Optional Books-
David N. Livingstone, Adam’s Ancestors: Race, Religion, and the Politics of Human Origins (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011)
Ian Haney López, White by Law 10th Anniversary Edition: The Legal Construction of Race (NYU Press, 2006)

Participation 20%, Presentation 10%, Writing Projects 40%, Final Exam 30%

There is a mismatch between popular culture and academia. Some stories that in popular culture are celebrated as bright moments of discovery or insight are instead dismissed in academia as merely popular myths. We will analyze claims from popular books in the light of accurate historical sources. This course will introduce students to the process of making discoveries in historical research.

We will place special attention on debunking myths. Each day, as a group, we will develop interesting questions for research. Students will each freely propose topics that draw their curiosity. Our discussions will be guided by those questions. In this course, history will not be presented as knowledge that is prepackaged in books and articles to be memorized. Instead, we will use history as a tool for making discoveries about what really happened. The professor will give examples and anecdotes, from his own research, showing why he became interested in particular puzzles, why they seem fascinating, and how he managed to make new findings. Throughout the semester, the professor will also present findings from his ongoing research projects, to illustrate how historical discoveries are made.

This course is designed for first-year students, and it has no prerequisites. However, upperclassmen are also invited to enroll.

Texts:

Scott Berkun, The Myths of Innovation (Sebastopol, Canada: O’Reilly, 2007/2010).

Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008).

John Stossel, Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity (New York: Hyperion, 2006).

Optional Books

James Burke, The Pinball Effect: How Renaissance Gardens Made the Carburetor Possible (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1996).

Alberto Martínez, Science Secrets: the Truth About Darwin’s Finches, Einstein’s Wife, and Other Myths (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2011).

Grading:

Participation 20%, Presentation 10%, Research Project 40%, Final Exam 30%

There is a mismatch between popular culture and academia. Some stories that in popular culture are celebrated as bright moments of discovery or insight are instead dismissed in academia as merely popular myths. We will analyze claims from popular books in the light of accurate historical sources. This course will introduce students to the process of making discoveries in historical research.

We will place special attention on debunking myths. Each day, as a group, we will develop interesting questions for research. Students will each freely propose topics that draw their curiosity. Our discussions will be guided by those questions. In this course, history will not be presented as knowledge that is prepackaged in books and articles to be memorized. Instead, we will use history as a tool for making discoveries about what really happened. The professor will give examples and anecdotes, from his own research, showing why he became interested in particular puzzles, why they seem fascinating, and how he managed to make new findings. Throughout the semester, the professor will also present findings from his ongoing research projects, to illustrate how historical discoveries are made.

This course is designed for first-year students, and it has no prerequisites. However, upperclassmen are also invited to enroll.

Texts:

Scott Berkun, The Myths of Innovation (Sebastopol, Canada: O’Reilly, 2007/2010).

Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008).

John Stossel, Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity (New York: Hyperion, 2006).

Optional Books

James Burke, The Pinball Effect: How Renaissance Gardens Made the Carburetor Possible (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1996).

Alberto Martínez, Science Secrets: the Truth About Darwin’s Finches, Einstein’s Wife, and Other Myths (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2011).

Grading:

Participation 20%, Presentation 10%, Research Project 40%, Final Exam 30%

While age-old scientific concepts were being overturned by the rise of modern physics, Europe was torn apart by wars of unprecedented scale. This history course analyzes these developments, examining the rise of the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics against the stage of international political upheavals. Following the life of Albert Einstein, the course focuses on conceptual developments (from the 1880s through the 1940s) and intellectual conflicts. It also studies the lives of physicists such as Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, in the context of changing cultural and political environments. We will read and discuss various kinds of materials: manuscripts, letters, accounts by historians, physicists, essays, and even secret transcripts of controversial conversations. The material will be understandable even to students with no significant background in physics. Among the topics involved are the following: How did relativity and the quantum clash with earlier conceptions of nature? Why did physics become so apparently difficult to understand? In Europe and America, how did scientists and politicians behave in times of international catastrophe? How were the academic and social orders affected by the development of nuclear weapons?

Texts:

•           Jürgen Neffe, Einstein: A Biography, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009.

•           John Heilbron, The Dilemmas of an Upright Man. Max Planck and the Fortunes of German Science. Harvard University Press, 2000.

Grading:

•           One reaction essay, of 600 words in length. 

•           One historical analysis paper, 1000 words. The topic of the historical analysis paper will be individually selected by each student from a few alternatives. 

•           Final Research Paper, of at least 2500 words. A draft of the introduction or outline of the Research Paper will be expected 3 weeks before the final due date; for critical feedback. The subject of the final Research Paper will be designed by each student under advisement with the Instructor. This will equal 75% of the grade for the course.

There is a mismatch between popular culture and academia. Some stories that in popular culture are celebrated as bright moments of discovery or insight are instead dismissed in academia as merely popular myths. We will analyze claims from popular books in the light of accurate historical sources. This course will introduce students to the process of making discoveries in historical research.

We will place special attention on debunking myths. Each day, as a group, we will develop interesting questions for research. Students will each freely propose topics that draw their curiosity. Our discussions will be guided by those questions. In this course, history will not be presented as knowledge that is prepackaged in books and articles to be memorized. Instead, we will use history as a tool for making discoveries about what really happened. The professor will give examples and anecdotes, from his own research, showing why he became interested in particular puzzles, why they seem fascinating, and how he managed to make new findings. Throughout the semester, the professor will also present findings from his ongoing research projects, to illustrate how historical discoveries are made.

This course is designed for first-year students, and it has no prerequisites. However, upperclassmen are also invited to enroll.

Grading Policy

Participation 20%, Presentation 10%, Research Project 40%, Final Exam 30%

Required Books

Scott Berkun, The Myths of Innovation (Sebastopol, Canada: O’Reilly, 2007/2010).

Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008).

John Stossel, Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity (New York: Hyperion, 2006).

Optional Books

James Burke, The Pinball Effect: How Renaissance Gardens Made the Carburetor Possible (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1996).

Alberto Martínez, Science Secrets: the Truth About Darwin’s Finches, Einstein’s Wife, and Other Myths (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2011).

This course explores interesting episodes in the history of science, focusing on questions about what aspects of human behavior are essentially determined by biological factors rather than by experiences and society. Changing beliefs about what is natural have affected how some people are treated, so we will discuss the social consequences of such notions. The course will include the following topics: theories of race, Darwin’s works, evolution in schools and U.S. courts, American eugenics and Nazi science, differences between women and men, IQ testing, the controversy about DNA and Rosalind Franklin, studies of twins separated at birth, genetic engineering, ethical issues on cloning animals and humans, biotechnology, the immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks, designer babies, biology in forensic science. This is a lecture course, with participation encouraged.

This course fulfills a College of Liberal Arts Science Component: Alternative Science & Technology course.

Texts:

Some readings are in the Course Packet, required, which will be available at Jenn’s Copy & Binding, 2518 Guadalupe St. There are no readings at the Libraries, on reserve, instead, all other readings will be available online through the UT Libraries website or on Blackboard: https://courses.utexas.edu/

Some of the readings: Francis Galton, "Comparative Worth of Races," in Hereditary Genius (1869). Charles Darwin, Descent of Man (1871), "On the Races of Man," and “Sexual Differences." Cesare Lombroso, Criminal Man (1st ed. 1876). Lombroso, The Female Offender (1895). Julien Offray de La Mettrie, Man a Machine (1748). Francis Galton, "Eugenics: Its Definition, Scope and Aims" (1904). Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene (1976).

Grading:

First exam 20%, Midterm Exam 20%, Final Exam 30%, Quizzes 20%, Attendance 10%

While age-old scientific concepts were being overturned by the rise of modern physics, Europe was torn apart by wars of unprecedented scale. This history course analyzes these developments, examining the rise of the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics against the stage of international political upheavals. Following the life of Albert Einstein, the course focuses on conceptual developments (from the 1880s through the 1940s) and intellectual conflicts. It also studies the lives of physicists such as Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, in the context of changing cultural and political environments. We will read and discuss various kinds of materials: manuscripts, letters, accounts by historians, physicists, essays, and even secret transcripts of controversial conversations. The material will be understandable even to students with no significant background in physics. Among the topics involved are the following: How did relativity and the quantum clash with earlier conceptions of nature? Why did physics become so apparently difficult to understand? In Europe and America, how did scientists and politicians behave in times of international catastrophe? How were the academic and social orders affected by the development of nuclear weapons?

Texts:

•           Jürgen Neffe, Einstein: A Biography, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009.

•           John Heilbron, The Dilemmas of an Upright Man. Max Planck and the Fortunes of German Science. Harvard University Press, 2000.

Grading:

•           One reaction essay, of 600 words in length. 

•           One historical analysis paper, 1000 words. The topic of the historical analysis paper will be individually selected by each student from a few alternatives. 

•           Final Research Paper, of at least 2500 words. A draft of the introduction or outline of the Research Paper will be expected 3 weeks before the final due date; for critical feedback. The subject of the final Research Paper will be designed by each student under advisement with the Instructor. This will equal 75% of the grade for the course.

This course explores interesting episodes in the history of science, focusing on questions about what aspects of human behavior are essentially determined by biological factors rather than by experiences and society. Changing beliefs about what is natural have affected how some people are treated, so we will discuss the social consequences of such notions. The course will include the following topics: theories of race, Darwin’s works, evolution in schools and U.S. courts, American eugenics and Nazi science, differences between women and men, IQ testing, the controversy about DNA and Rosalind Franklin, studies of twins separated at birth, genetic engineering, ethical issues on cloning animals and humans, biotechnology, the immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks, designer babies, biology in forensic science. This is a lecture course, with participation encouraged.

This course fulfills a College of Liberal Arts Science Component: Alternative Science & Technology course.

Grading: First exam 20%, Midterm Exam 20%, Final Exam 30%, Quizzes 20%, Attendance 10%

Texts: Some readings are in the Course Packet, required, which will be available at Jenn’s Copy & Binding, 2518 Guadalupe St. There are no readings at the Libraries, on reserve, instead, all other readings will be available online through the UT Libraries website or on Blackboard: https://courses.utexas.edu/

Some of the readings: Francis Galton, "Comparative Worth of Races," in Hereditary Genius (1869). Charles Darwin, Descent of Man (1871), "On the Races of Man," and “Sexual Differences." Cesare Lombroso, Criminal Man (1st ed. 1876). Lombroso, The Female Offender (1895). Julien Offray de La Mettrie, Man a Machine (1748). Francis Galton, "Eugenics: Its Definition, Scope and Aims" (1904). Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene (1976).

This course explores a selection of topics and episodes in the history of science and mathematics. It has four interlocking goals: to provide an overview of the history of science and math (for general education and to better comprehend subjects that you may eventually teach); to enable you to put these historical perspectives and context to work in pedagogy; to sharpen your independence of thought; and to improve your writing skills.

Students will design and prepare Two 5E Lesson Plans (each having a minimum length of 1200 words). Detailed instructions will be distributed separately. You will select the subject of these lesson plans from a variety of options. Once graded, you will incorporate corrections into your lesson plan, to electronically post the revised product, which will improve your grade. There will be several quizzes and writing assignments. All students will take a Midterm Exam, designed to test the extent to which you have followed, engaged, and learned from the topics discussed in class and in the readings. Furthermore, you will have to do a Presentation of one of your lesson plans to a group of peers. (You will also write Comments on other presentations.) Finally, all students will have to take a Final Essay Exam (about 800 words) in the classroom during Finals Week.

NOTE: this course involves a weekly discussion session with the Teaching Assistant from the History Department. You are required to attend one such session per week, to carry out work for the course.

This is an upper-division history course. The assigned readings vary in length, and we encourage you to read thoughtfully rather than waste your time skimming and forgetting. Some of the readings will be from primary sources (such as writings by prominent scientists), other readings will be from secondary texts (such as by historians). You will also be required to do additional research and reading for the lesson plans; so keep this in mind when budgeting your time for this course. Classes will be conducted as a mixture of lecture and discussion. Accordingly, attendance and participation are important, as you can also see from the grading distributions below. Attendance will be taken daily, and will be used in evaluating your overall grade for class participation. You are welcome to speak up at any time.

Texts:

There is a required Course Packet, available for purchase only at Jenn’s Copies on 2518 Guadalupe at Dean Keaton. Also, additional readings are available online, on Blackboard.

Grading:

This course is listed as having a Substantial Writing Component; therefore, much of your final grade will be based on written expression. The grading breakdown is as follows:

Class participation 10% (for speaking; minus absences, see below)

Quizzes and Assignments    16%

First Lesson Plan    16%

Midterm Exam    16% (in class)

Second Lesson Plan 16%

Presentation    10%

Final Exam    16% (in a classroom, during Finals Week)

This course explores a selection of topics and episodes in the history of science and mathematics. It has four interlocking goals: to provide an overview of the history of science and math (for general education and to better comprehend subjects that you may eventually teach); to enable you to put these historical perspectives and context to work in pedagogy; to sharpen your independence of thought; and to improve your writing skills.

Students will design and prepare Two 5E Lesson Plans (each having a minimum length of 1200 words). Detailed instructions will be distributed separately. You will select the subject of these lesson plans from a variety of options. Once graded, you will incorporate corrections into your lesson plan, to electronically post the revised product, which will improve your grade. There will be several quizzes and writing assignments. All students will take a Midterm Exam, designed to test the extent to which you have followed, engaged, and learned from the topics discussed in class and in the readings. Furthermore, you will have to do a Presentation of one of your lesson plans to a group of peers. (You will also write Comments on other presentations.) Finally, all students will have to take a Final Essay Exam (about 800 words) in the classroom during Finals Week.

NOTE: this course involves a weekly discussion session with the Teaching Assistant from the History Department. You are required to attend one such session per week, to carry out work for the course.

This is an upper-division history course. The assigned readings vary in length, and we encourage you to read thoughtfully rather than waste your time skimming and forgetting. Some of the readings will be from primary sources (such as writings by prominent scientists), other readings will be from secondary texts (such as by historians). You will also be required to do additional research and reading for the lesson plans; so keep this in mind when budgeting your time for this course. Classes will be conducted as a mixture of lecture and discussion. Accordingly, attendance and participation are important, as you can also see from the grading distributions below. Attendance will be taken daily, and will be used in evaluating your overall grade for class participation. You are welcome to speak up at any time.

Texts:

There is a required Course Packet, available for purchase only at Jenn’s Copies on 2518 Guadalupe at Dean Keaton. Also, additional readings are available online, on Blackboard.

Grading:

This course is listed as having a Substantial Writing Component; therefore, much of your final grade will be based on written expression. The grading breakdown is as follows:

Class participation 10% (for speaking; minus absences, see below)

Quizzes and Assignments    16%

First Lesson Plan    16%

Midterm Exam    16% (in class)

Second Lesson Plan 16%

Presentation    10%

Final Exam    16% (in a classroom, during Finals Week)

This course explores a selection of topics and episodes in the history of science. The main time frame ranges from the early 1600s to 1945 (the end of World War II). The major scientific developments discussed will include the Copernican revolution, Newton’s contributions to physics and their influence, the origins and rise of Darwin’s theory of evolution, the Eugenics movement, the Scopes Monkey Trial, the origins of Einstein’s theories of relativity, and the early development of nuclear weapons.

Readings:

Hal Hellman, Great Feuds in Science, New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1998.

Alberto Martínez, Science Secrets, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh University Press, 2011.

Jonathan Miller, Darwin for Beginners, New York: Pantheon Books, 1982.

Stephen J. Gould, Ever Since Darwin, New York: W.W. Norton, 1977/1992.

Grading:

Attendance   10%

Quizzes 15%

First Exam 20%

Second Exam 25%

Final Exam  30%

This reading seminar analyzes major topics in history of science. We will mostly analyze primary sources, including famous works that triggered conceptual revolutions and intense popular interest: works by Galileo, Darwin, Einstein, and others. We will discuss major controversies in the relations between sciences and Christian religions: transcripts of the Catholic Inquisition’s proceedings against Galileo (1633), and transcripts of the Dayton, Tennessee, trial against John Scopes for teaching evolution in public schools (1925). In physics, we will discuss Einstein’s relativity (1905 and 1916) and Heisenberg’s uncertainty (1927), especially in relation to the demise of positivism and the growth of relativism in the social sciences during the later 1900s. Also, we will discuss the development of scientific and pseudo-scientific theories of human races, including influential theories of polygenism, evolution, and eugenics. The course does not presuppose any specialized knowledge of the sciences in question. Nonetheless, we will clarify major scientific concepts and theories. The aim is to develop an accurate and sophisticated understanding of how major works in the sciences affected world-views at various times: how people used to “cut up” the world into particular entities, categories, or law-like relations, and how such world-views varied over time. We will analyze how scientists reached consensus, and how scientific standards changed over time. We will discuss various efforts to find criteria of demarcation between science, non-science, and pseudoscience. In particular, we will discuss Karl Popper’s work on this issue, and subsequent critiques.

In biology, we will analyze Darwin’s theory of evolution, especially as it appears in the first edition of his Origin of Species. We will elaborate this theme in readings and discussions about human evolution, theories of race, eugenics, studies of criminal behavior, and even a discussion of the growth of knowledge or the structure of scientific revolutions, in analogy to natural selection. In physics, we will discuss the rise of Einstein’s theories of relativity: how his original writings embodied departures from Newton’s paradigmatic style of physics, and how this departure affected physics and the sciences as a whole, including the social sciences. We will discuss how some German physicists rushed to abandon causality and determinism after WWI, and how this development related to social and intellectual currents that criticized rationalism.

Grades will be based on response essays (20%), class presentations (10%), historiographical essays (40%), and class participation (30%).

Partial list of Readings:

Maurice A. Finocchiaro, ed., The Galileo Affair: A Documentary History (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989).

Thomas Robert Malthus, An Essay on the Principle of Population (London: Johnson, 1798), or the edition of 1826 (read by Darwin).

Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species (1859).

Francis Galton, “Comparative Worth of Races,” in Hereditary Genius (London: Macmillan & Co., 1869), pp. 336-350; read also 351-353.

Charles Darwin, Descent of Man (1871), “On the Races of Man,” pp. 215-250; “Sexual Differences,” pp. 316-405Cesare Lombroso, Criminal Man (1st ed. 1876) translated and abridged by Gina Lombroso (New York: Putnam, 1911), selections from Chapters 1, 2, 3.

 Court transcripts:  Jeffrey P. Moran, The Scopes Trial (Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2002). “Bryan’s Last Speech,” 1925.

Albert Einstein, “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies,” Annalen der Physik, Vol. 17 (1905).

Albert Einstein, Relativity: The Special and the General Theory (1917).

Peter Galison, “Einstein’s Clocks: The Place of Time,” Critical Inquiry, vol. 26  (2000), pp. 355–389.

Alberto A. Martínez, “Material History and Imaginary Clocks: Poincaré, Einstein, and Galison on Simultaneity.”Werner Heisenberg, Physics and Beyond: Encounters and Conversations (Harper & Row, 1971).

Paul Forman, “Weimar Culture, Causality, and Quantum Theory, 1918-1927: Adaptation by German Physicists and Mathematicians to a Hostile Intellectual Environment,” Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences, vol. 3 (1971), pp. 1-115.

Stanley Milgram, “Behavioral Study of Obedience,” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, vol. 67, no. 4 (1963), pp. 371-378.

Craig Haney, Curtis Banks, and Philip Zimbardo, “Interpersonal Dynamics in a Simulated Prison,” International Journal of Criminology and Penology (1973), 69-97.

Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray, The Bell Curve (Free Press, 1994).

Karl Popper, “Science as Falsification,” excerpt from Conjectures and Refutations (1963).

This course explores a selection of topics and episodes in the history of science and mathematics. It has four interlocking goals: to provide an overview of the history of science and math (for general education and to better comprehend subjects that you may eventually teach); to enable you to put these historical perspectives and context to work in pedagogy; to sharpen your independence of thought; and to improve your writing skills.

Students will design and prepare Two 5E Lesson Plans (each having a minimum length of 1200 words). Detailed instructions will be distributed separately. You will select the subject of these lesson plans from a variety of options. Once graded, you will incorporate corrections into your lesson plan, to electronically post the revised product, which will improve your grade. There will be several quizzes and writing assignments. All students will take a Midterm Exam, designed to test the extent to which you have followed, engaged, and learned from the topics discussed in class and in the readings. Furthermore, you will have to do a Presentation of one of your lesson plans to a group of peers. (You will also write Comments on other presentations.) Finally, all students will have to take a Final Essay Exam (about 800 words) in the classroom during Finals Week.

NOTE: this course involves a weekly discussion session with the Teaching Assistant from the History Department. You are required to attend one such session per week, to carry out work for the course.

This is an upper-division history course. The assigned readings vary in length, and we encourage you to read thoughtfully rather than waste your time skimming and forgetting. Some of the readings will be from primary sources (such as writings by prominent scientists), other readings will be from secondary texts (such as by historians). You will also be required to do additional research and reading for the lesson plans; so keep this in mind when budgeting your time for this course. Classes will be conducted as a mixture of lecture and discussion. Accordingly, attendance and participation are important, as you can also see from the grading distributions below. Attendance will be taken daily, and will be used in evaluating your overall grade for class participation. You are welcome to speak up at any time.

Texts:

There is a required Course Packet, available for purchase only at Jenn’s Copies on 2518 Guadalupe at Dean Keaton. Also, additional readings are available online, on Blackboard.

Grading:

This course is listed as having a Substantial Writing Component; therefore, much of your final grade will be based on written expression. The grading breakdown is as follows:

Class participation 10% (for speaking; minus absences, see below)

Quizzes and Assignments    16%

First Lesson Plan    16%

Midterm Exam    16% (in class)

Second Lesson Plan 16%

Presentation    10%

Final Exam    16% (in a classroom, during Finals Week)

This course explores a selection of topics and episodes in the history of science and mathematics. It has four interlocking goals: to provide an overview of the history of science and math (for general education and to better comprehend subjects that you may eventually teach); to enable you to put these historical perspectives and context to work in pedagogy; to sharpen your independence of thought; and to improve your writing skills.

Students will design and prepare Two 5E Lesson Plans (each having a minimum length of 1200 words). Detailed instructions will be distributed separately. You will select the subject of these lesson plans from a variety of options. Once graded, you will incorporate corrections into your lesson plan, to electronically post the revised product, which will improve your grade. There will be several quizzes and writing assignments. All students will take a Midterm Exam, designed to test the extent to which you have followed, engaged, and learned from the topics discussed in class and in the readings. Furthermore, you will have to do a Presentation of one of your lesson plans to a group of peers. (You will also write Comments on other presentations.) Finally, all students will have to take a Final Essay Exam (about 800 words) in the classroom during Finals Week.

NOTE: this course involves a weekly discussion session with the Teaching Assistant from the History Department. You are required to attend one such session per week, to carry out work for the course.

This is an upper-division history course. The assigned readings vary in length, and we encourage you to read thoughtfully rather than waste your time skimming and forgetting. Some of the readings will be from primary sources (such as writings by prominent scientists), other readings will be from secondary texts (such as by historians). You will also be required to do additional research and reading for the lesson plans; so keep this in mind when budgeting your time for this course. Classes will be conducted as a mixture of lecture and discussion. Accordingly, attendance and participation are important, as you can also see from the grading distributions below. Attendance will be taken daily, and will be used in evaluating your overall grade for class participation. You are welcome to speak up at any time.

Texts:

There is a required Course Packet, available for purchase only at Jenn’s Copies on 2518 Guadalupe at Dean Keaton. Also, additional readings are available online, on Blackboard.

Grading:

This course is listed as having a Substantial Writing Component; therefore, much of your final grade will be based on written expression. The grading breakdown is as follows:

Class participation 10% (for speaking; minus absences, see below)

Quizzes and Assignments    16%

First Lesson Plan    16%

Midterm Exam    16% (in class)

Second Lesson Plan 16%

Presentation    10%

Final Exam    16% (in a classroom, during Finals Week)

While age-old scientific concepts were being overturned by the rise of modern physics, Europe was torn apart by wars of unprecedented scale. This history course analyzes these developments, examining the rise of the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics against the stage of international political upheavals. Following the life of Albert Einstein, the course focuses on conceptual developments (from the 1880s through the 1940s) and intellectual conflicts. It also studies the lives of physicists such as Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, in the context of changing cultural and political environments. We will read and discuss various kinds of materials: manuscripts, letters, accounts by historians, physicists, essays, and even secret transcripts of controversial conversations. The material will be understandable even to students with no significant background in physics. Among the topics involved are the following: How did relativity and the quantum clash with earlier conceptions of nature? Why did physics become so apparently difficult to understand? In Europe and America, how did scientists and politicians behave in times of international catastrophe? How were the academic and social orders affected by the development of nuclear weapons?

Grading

• One reaction essay, of 600 words in length. 
• One historical analysis paper, 1000 words. The topic of the historical analysis paper will be individually selected by each student from a few alternatives. 
• Final Research Paper, of at least 2500 words. A draft of the introduction or outline of the Research Paper will be expected 3 weeks before the final due date; for critical feedback. The subject of the final Research Paper will be designed by each student under advisement with the Instructor. This will equal 75% of the grade for the course.

Texts (subject to change)

• Jürgen Neffe, Einstein: A Biography, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009.
• John Heilbron, The Dilemmas of an Upright Man. Max Planck and the Fortunes of German Science. Harvard University Press, 2000.

This course explores interesting episodes in the history of science, focusing on questions about what aspects of human behavior are essentially determined by biological factors rather than by experiences and society. Changing beliefs about what is natural have affected how some people are treated, so we will discuss the social consequences of such notions. The course will include the following topics: theories of race, Darwin’s works, evolution in schools and U.S. courts, American eugenics and Nazi science, differences between women and men, IQ testing, the controversy about DNA and Rosalind Franklin, studies of twins separated at birth, genetic engineering, ethical issues on cloning animals and humans, biotechnology, the immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks, designer babies, biology in forensic science. This is a lecture course, with participation encouraged.

This course fulfills a College of Liberal Arts Science Component: Alternative Science & Technology course.

Grading: First exam 20%, Midterm Exam 20%, Final Exam 30%, Quizzes 20%, Attendance 10%

Texts: Some readings are in the Course Packet, required, which will be available at Jenn’s Copy & Binding, 2518 Guadalupe St. There are no readings at the Libraries, on reserve, instead, all other readings will be available online through the UT Libraries website or on Blackboard: https://courses.utexas.edu/

Some of the readings: Francis Galton, "Comparative Worth of Races," in Hereditary Genius (1869). Charles Darwin, Descent of Man (1871), "On the Races of Man," and “Sexual Differences." Cesare Lombroso, Criminal Man (1st ed. 1876). Lombroso, The Female Offender (1895). Julien Offray de La Mettrie, Man a Machine (1748). Francis Galton, "Eugenics: Its Definition, Scope and Aims" (1904). Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene (1976).

This course explores interesting episodes in the history of science, focusing on questions about what aspects of human behavior are essentially determined by biological factors rather than by experiences and society. Changing beliefs about what is natural have affected how some people are treated, so we will discuss the social consequences of such notions. The course will include the following topics: theories of race, Darwin’s works, evolution in schools and U.S. courts, American eugenics and Nazi science, differences between women and men, IQ testing, the controversy about DNA and Rosalind Franklin, studies of twins separated at birth, genetic engineering, ethical issues on cloning animals and humans, biotechnology, the immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks, designer babies, biology in forensic science. This is a lecture course, with participation encouraged.

This course fulfills a College of Liberal Arts Science Component: Alternative Science & Technology course.

Grading: First exam 20%, Midterm Exam 20%, Final Exam 30%, Quizzes 20%, Attendance 10%

Texts: Some readings are in the Course Packet, required, which will be available at Jenn’s Copy & Binding, 2518 Guadalupe St. There are no readings at the Libraries, on reserve, instead, all other readings will be available online through the UT Libraries website or on Blackboard: https://courses.utexas.edu/

Some of the readings: Francis Galton, "Comparative Worth of Races," in Hereditary Genius (1869). Charles Darwin, Descent of Man (1871), "On the Races of Man," and “Sexual Differences." Cesare Lombroso, Criminal Man (1st ed. 1876). Lombroso, The Female Offender (1895). Julien Offray de La Mettrie, Man a Machine (1748). Francis Galton, "Eugenics: Its Definition, Scope and Aims" (1904). Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene (1976).

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

In this course, we will survey the development of modern science from the time of Isaac Newton to the present, and will examine the growth of scientific ideas and institutions and their changing place in society.

Texts:

Thomas L. Hankins, Science and the Enlightenment,

Charles Darwin, Evolutionary Writings (ed. James Secord),

Bruce J. Hunt, Pursuing Power and Light: Technology and Physics from James Watt to Albert Einstein,

James D. Watson, The Double Helix (Norton Critical Ed., ed. G. S. Stent),

plus a set of additional  readings posted on Canvas.

Grading:

Grades will be based on three essay exams (25% each) and a short paper on a topic to be assigned (25%).

Course Description:

While eccentric physicists overturned fundamental scientific concepts, Europe was torn apart by wars of

unprecedented scale. This history course analyzes these developments, examining the rise of the theories

of relativity and quantum mechanics in the stage of international political upheavals. Following the life

and work of Albert Einstein, the course focuses on conceptual developments and intellectual conflicts

(mainly from the 1880s through the 1940s). It also studies the lives of physicists such as Max Planck,

Werner Heisenberg, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, in the context of changing cultural and political

conflicts. The material will be understandable even to students with no significant background in physics.

Among the questions that we will cover are the following:

• How did relativity and the quantum clash with earlier conceptions of nature?

• Why did physics become so apparently difficult to understand?

• How did Planck navigate scientific success, duties, and tragedy as he rose in society?

• How did Einstein conceive of the special theory of relativity?

• Did Einstein’s wife secretly collaborate in his works?

• Did the intellectual climate of post-war Germany lead physicists to change ideas about nature?

• In Europe and America, how did scientists and politicians confront international catastrophe?

• Why did Einstein criticize quantum mechanics?

• How did religion relate to developments in physics?

• Did German physicists such as Heisenberg contribute to Nazi projects?

• How were the academic and social orders affected by the development of nuclear weapons?

From the assigned readings, each student will choose a day to present in class. Each presentation may last around 30 minutes, and will involve also our comments.

Required Readings: available at the UT Co-op:

• Ju ürgen Neffe, Einstein: A Biography, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009.

• John Heilbron, The Dilemmas of an Upright Man. Max Planck and the Fortunes of German

Science. Harvard University Press, 2000.

• Additional reading materials will be distributed in class, plus, each student will research other

reading selections, especially primary sources.

The main required readings are Neffe’s biography of Einstein and Heilbron’s biography of Planck.

Attendance Policy: Attendance is required.

Course assignments

You’ll be required to complete several writing assignments. There will be Reaction Essays (500 words

each) in which you will critically respond to material covered in class. There will also be a Research

Paper (2500 words) where you will pursue a topic of your choice by finding and using appropriate

materials from the library, both primary and secondary sources. You will have opportunities to edit and

rewrite your work, and to read other students’ papers and give them peer review feedback.

Moreover, all students will be expected to take a Subject Comprehension Exam, designed to test the

extent to which you have followed, engaged, and learned from the topics discussed in class and in the

readings.

The class will be conducted as a discussion; attendance and participation are therefore essential.

This course carries a Writing Flag. 65% of the final grade will be based on written assignments.

COURSE GRADES will include plus and minus: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, etc. The grading breakdown is as follows:

Class participation 15%

Writing Assignments 30%

Subject Comprehension Exam 20%

Final Research Paper 35%

minus absences – 0.5 course points per unexcused absence.

In this course, we will survey the development of modern science from the time of Isaac Newton to the present, and will examine the growth of scientific ideas and institutions and their changing place in society.

Texts:

Thomas L. Hankins, Science and the Enlightenment,

Charles Darwin, Evolutionary Writings (ed. James Secord),

Bruce J. Hunt, Pursuing Power and Light: Technology and Physics from James Watt to Albert Einstein,

James D. Watson, The Double Helix (Norton Critical Ed., ed. G. S. Stent),

plus a set of additional  readings posted on Canvas.

Grading:

Grades will be based on three essay exams (25% each) and a short paper on a topic to be assigned (25%).

While age-old scientific concepts were being overturned by the rise of modern physics, Europe was torn apart by wars of unprecedented scale. This history course analyzes these developments, examining the rise of the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics against the stage of international political upheavals. Following the life of Albert Einstein, the course focuses on conceptual developments (from the 1880s through the 1940s) and intellectual conflicts. It also studies the lives of physicists such as Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, in the context of changing cultural and political environments. We will read and discuss various kinds of materials: manuscripts, letters, accounts by historians, physicists, essays, and even secret transcripts of controversial conversations. The material will be understandable even to students with no significant background in physics. Among the topics involved are the following: How did relativity and the quantum clash with earlier conceptions of nature? Why did physics become so apparently difficult to understand? In Europe and America, how did scientists and politicians behave in times of international catastrophe? How were the academic and social orders affected by the development of nuclear weapons?

Grading

• One reaction essay, of 600 words in length. 
• One historical analysis paper, 1000 words. The topic of the historical analysis paper will be individually selected by each student from a few alternatives. 
• Final Research Paper, of at least 2500 words. A draft of the introduction or outline of the Research Paper will be expected 3 weeks before the final due date; for critical feedback. The subject of the final Research Paper will be designed by each student under advisement with the Instructor. This will equal 75% of the grade for the course.

History 329U: Perspectives on Science and Math
11-11:50 AM, and 2:00-2:50 PM, in Classroom 4.18 PAI

Professor Alberto Marti?nez, Ph.D. D
epartment of History Office: Garrison Hall, GAR 0.138
Office hours: MW 1:00-1:50, and by appointment
almartinez@mail.utexas.edu

Ben Breen, Teaching Assistant
Office hours: Fridays 1:00-3:00
At: Cafe? Medici 22nd St & Guadalupe
breen85@gmail.com Office: BUR 4.12 by appointment

Discussions in PAI 4.18: M 12:00-12:50, M 3:00-3:50, W 12:00-12:50, W 3:00-3:50

This course explores a selection of topics and episodes in the history of science and mathematics. It has four interlocking goals: to provide an overview of the history of science and math (for general education and to better comprehend subjects that you may eventually teach); to enable you to put these historical perspectives and context to work in pedagogy; to sharpen your independence of thought; and to improve your writing skills.

Students will design and prepare Two 5E Lesson Plans (each having a minimum length of 1200 words). Detailed instructions will be distributed separately. You will select the subject of these lesson plans from a variety of options. Once graded, you will incorporate corrections into your lesson plan, to electronically post the revised product, which will improve your grade. There will be several quizzes and writing assignments. All students will take a Midterm Exam, designed to test the extent to which you have followed, engaged, and learned from the topics discussed in class and in the readings. Furthermore, you will have to do a Presentation of one of your lesson plans to a group of peers. (You will also write Comments on other presentations.) Finally, all students will have to take a Final Essay Exam (about 800 words) in the classroom during Finals Week.

NOTE: this course involves a weekly discussion session with the Teaching Assistant from the History Department. You are required to attend one such session per week, to carry out work for the course.

This is an upper-division history course. The assigned readings vary in length, and we encourage you to read thoughtfully rather than waste your time skimming and forgetting. Some of the readings will be from primary sources (such as writings by prominent scientists), other readings will be from secondary texts (such as by historians). You will also be required to do additional research and reading for the lesson plans; so keep this in mind when budgeting your time for this course. Classes will be conducted as a mixture of lecture and discussion. Accordingly, attendance and participation are important, as you can also see from the grading distributions below. Attendance will be taken daily, and will be used in evaluating your overall grade for class participation. You are welcome to speak up at any time.

READINGS: There is a required Course Packet, available for purchase only at Jenn’s Copies on 2518 Guadalupe at Dean Keaton. Also, additional readings are available online, on Blackboard. You are responsible for obtaining each reading assignment on time. Almost every day when there is an assigned reading, there will be a Reading Confirmation Quiz. The Class Calendar, below, lists the exact day when each reading will be tested.

The Class Calendar includes also a reliable schedule of when specific subjects will be covered in class. It also includes Project due dates, and the Exam dates. The date for the final exam, during finals week, is chosen by the UT Registrar, so it will be announced when posted.

GRADING:    This course is listed as having a Substantial Writing Component; therefore, much of your final grade will be based on written expression. The grading breakdown is as follows:
Class participation 10% (for speaking; minus absences, see below)
Quizzes and Assignments    16%
First Lesson Plan    16%
Midterm Exam    16% (in class)
Second Lesson Plan 16%
Presentation    10%
Final Exam    16% (in a classroom, during Finals Week)

ATTENDANCE: Everyone is expected to attend classes. There will be a sign-in sheet every day. As a courtesy, you have one free absence-without-consequences. But after that you must provide written medical proof of illness, or another acceptable exemption, otherwise, you will lose .5 percentage points for each absence.

Work turned in late without an extension negotiated at least a week in advance will be penalized by one full letter grade.

Alongside the present syllabus, you should soon have a handout titled “Avoiding Plagiarism in History Courses,” which has been prepared by the History Department to help prevent this problem. Accordingly, University policies on plagiarism and academic dishonesty will be enforced in this class.

Aug.25 Wed. Birdseye View of Mathematics, and What is a Science anymay?

Aug.27 Fri. Pythagorean Mysticism
Quiz: “Triangle sacrifice to the gods” pp.1-15

Aug.30 Mon. Murder for Irrational numbers Plato’s Philosophy of Math
Quiz: “An irrational murder at sea” pp.16-29

Sept.1 Wed. Plato's Philosophy of Math
Quiz: Plato’s dialogue, Meno, on Blackboard

Sept.3 Fri. The man with the golden nose
Quiz: “Galileo’s Pythagorean heresy” pp.30-45

Sept.6 Mon. Labor Day

Sept.8 Wed. The crime of Galileo
Quiz: “Galileo’s Pythagorean heresy” pp.45-62

Sept.10 Fri. Paradoxes of division

Sept.13 Mon. Less than nothing, squared
Quiz: “Much ado about less than nothing” pp.18-42

Sept.15 Wed.  Imaginary Numbers: radical puzzles
Quiz: “Meaningless expressions” pp.43-79

Sept.17 Fri. 5-E lesson: Species and Monsters

Sept.20 Mon. Darwin at the Gala?pagos
Quiz: “What is a Species?” on Blackboard

Sept.22 Wed. Controversies over Evolution
Quiz: “Darwin’s missing frogs” pp.86-107

Sept.24 Fri. Alchemy and the Philosopher’s Stone
Quiz: “Impossible alchemy” pp.63-74

Sept.27 Mon. Impossible Chemistry: Marie Curie
Quiz: “Impossible alchemy” pp.75-85

Sept.29 Wed. Mendel, the misinterpreted Priest
Quiz: Mendel, on Blackboard

Oct. 1 Fri. Electric experiments
Quiz: “Seemingly impossible experiments” pp. 108-131

Oct. 4 MON. What is Discovery anyhow? __FIRST LESSON PLAN DUE in class_ ___

Oct. 6 Wed. Mysterious Rays   
Quiz: “Who discovered the invisibly small?” pp.132-148

Oct. 8 Fri. Pascal’ s triangle

Oct. 11 Mon. Geologists and Biologists versus Physicists   
Quiz: “Age of the Earth,” 105-120 Class Presentation

Oct. 13 Wed. Class Presentation

Oct. 15 Fri. Class Presentation
 
Oct.18 Mon.  *MID-TERM EXAM in class* _______________________    ______

Oct. 20 Wed. Paradoxes in the Calculus   
Quiz: “The war over the infinitely small” pp.149-177

Oct. 22 Fri. Mathematical Psychology of Prisoners’ Dilemmas

Oct. 25 Mon. Class Presentation

Oct. 27 Wed. Class Presentation

Oct. 29 Fri. Revolution: Continental Drift
Quiz: “Wegener versus everyone” on Blackboard
 
Nov. 1 Mon. Class Presentation

Nov. 3 Wed. Class Presentation

Nov. 5 Fri. The Improbable Statistics of TV game shows

Nov. 8 Mon. Class Presentation

Nov.10 Wed.  Einstein and the Relativity of Time
Quiz: “Relativity” pp. 178-198

Nov.12 Fri. Class Presentation
Quiz: “The Cult of the Quiet Wife” 199-211
 
Nov.15 Mon.    Class Presentation    2ND LESSON PLAN DUE_______________

Nov.17 Wed. Class Presentation
Quiz: “The Secret of Einstein’s Creativity” pp.212-228

Nov.19 Fri. Impossible geometry?
Quiz: “Revelations against Euclid’s Faith” pp.229-242

Nov.22 Mon. Philosophies of Mathematics
Quiz: “Revelations against Euclid’s Faith” pp.243-255

Nov.24 Wed. Class Presentation

Nov.26 Fri. THANKSGIVING
 
Nov.29 Mon. Biology and Ideology
Quiz: “Eugenics against inferior blood” pp.256-271

Dec. 1. Wed. Class Presentation

Dec. 3 Fri. The Big Picture: History in Schools
Quiz “The cult of Pythagoras” pp.272-294

Dec. * FINAL EXAM * during Finals Week, in the classroom; date and time to be announced___

This course contains a Writing flag.

History 329U: Perspectives on Science and Math
11-11:50 AM, and 2:00-2:50 PM, in Classroom 4.18 PAI

Professor Alberto Marti?nez, Ph.D. D
epartment of History Office: Garrison Hall, GAR 0.138
Office hours: MW 1:00-1:50, and by appointment
almartinez@mail.utexas.edu

Ben Breen, Teaching Assistant
Office hours: Fridays 1:00-3:00
At: Cafe? Medici 22nd St & Guadalupe
breen85@gmail.com Office: BUR 4.12 by appointment

Discussions in PAI 4.18: M 12:00-12:50, M 3:00-3:50, W 12:00-12:50, W 3:00-3:50

This course explores a selection of topics and episodes in the history of science and mathematics. It has four interlocking goals: to provide an overview of the history of science and math (for general education and to better comprehend subjects that you may eventually teach); to enable you to put these historical perspectives and context to work in pedagogy; to sharpen your independence of thought; and to improve your writing skills.

Students will design and prepare Two 5E Lesson Plans (each having a minimum length of 1200 words). Detailed instructions will be distributed separately. You will select the subject of these lesson plans from a variety of options. Once graded, you will incorporate corrections into your lesson plan, to electronically post the revised product, which will improve your grade. There will be several quizzes and writing assignments. All students will take a Midterm Exam, designed to test the extent to which you have followed, engaged, and learned from the topics discussed in class and in the readings. Furthermore, you will have to do a Presentation of one of your lesson plans to a group of peers. (You will also write Comments on other presentations.) Finally, all students will have to take a Final Essay Exam (about 800 words) in the classroom during Finals Week.

NOTE: this course involves a weekly discussion session with the Teaching Assistant from the History Department. You are required to attend one such session per week, to carry out work for the course.

This is an upper-division history course. The assigned readings vary in length, and we encourage you to read thoughtfully rather than waste your time skimming and forgetting. Some of the readings will be from primary sources (such as writings by prominent scientists), other readings will be from secondary texts (such as by historians). You will also be required to do additional research and reading for the lesson plans; so keep this in mind when budgeting your time for this course. Classes will be conducted as a mixture of lecture and discussion. Accordingly, attendance and participation are important, as you can also see from the grading distributions below. Attendance will be taken daily, and will be used in evaluating your overall grade for class participation. You are welcome to speak up at any time.

READINGS: There is a required Course Packet, available for purchase only at Jenn’s Copies on 2518 Guadalupe at Dean Keaton. Also, additional readings are available online, on Blackboard. You are responsible for obtaining each reading assignment on time. Almost every day when there is an assigned reading, there will be a Reading Confirmation Quiz. The Class Calendar, below, lists the exact day when each reading will be tested.

The Class Calendar includes also a reliable schedule of when specific subjects will be covered in class. It also includes Project due dates, and the Exam dates. The date for the final exam, during finals week, is chosen by the UT Registrar, so it will be announced when posted.

GRADING:    This course is listed as having a Substantial Writing Component; therefore, much of your final grade will be based on written expression. The grading breakdown is as follows:
Class participation 10% (for speaking; minus absences, see below)
Quizzes and Assignments    16%
First Lesson Plan    16%
Midterm Exam    16% (in class)
Second Lesson Plan 16%
Presentation    10%
Final Exam    16% (in a classroom, during Finals Week)

ATTENDANCE: Everyone is expected to attend classes. There will be a sign-in sheet every day. As a courtesy, you have one free absence-without-consequences. But after that you must provide written medical proof of illness, or another acceptable exemption, otherwise, you will lose .5 percentage points for each absence.

Work turned in late without an extension negotiated at least a week in advance will be penalized by one full letter grade.

Alongside the present syllabus, you should soon have a handout titled “Avoiding Plagiarism in History Courses,” which has been prepared by the History Department to help prevent this problem. Accordingly, University policies on plagiarism and academic dishonesty will be enforced in this class.

Aug.25 Wed. Birdseye View of Mathematics, and What is a Science anymay?

Aug.27 Fri. Pythagorean Mysticism
Quiz: “Triangle sacrifice to the gods” pp.1-15

Aug.30 Mon. Murder for Irrational numbers Plato’s Philosophy of Math
Quiz: “An irrational murder at sea” pp.16-29

Sept.1 Wed. Plato's Philosophy of Math
Quiz: Plato’s dialogue, Meno, on Blackboard

Sept.3 Fri. The man with the golden nose
Quiz: “Galileo’s Pythagorean heresy” pp.30-45

Sept.6 Mon. Labor Day

Sept.8 Wed. The crime of Galileo
Quiz: “Galileo’s Pythagorean heresy” pp.45-62

Sept.10 Fri. Paradoxes of division

Sept.13 Mon. Less than nothing, squared
Quiz: “Much ado about less than nothing” pp.18-42

Sept.15 Wed.  Imaginary Numbers: radical puzzles
Quiz: “Meaningless expressions” pp.43-79

Sept.17 Fri. 5-E lesson: Species and Monsters

Sept.20 Mon. Darwin at the Gala?pagos
Quiz: “What is a Species?” on Blackboard

Sept.22 Wed. Controversies over Evolution
Quiz: “Darwin’s missing frogs” pp.86-107

Sept.24 Fri. Alchemy and the Philosopher’s Stone
Quiz: “Impossible alchemy” pp.63-74

Sept.27 Mon. Impossible Chemistry: Marie Curie
Quiz: “Impossible alchemy” pp.75-85

Sept.29 Wed. Mendel, the misinterpreted Priest
Quiz: Mendel, on Blackboard

Oct. 1 Fri. Electric experiments
Quiz: “Seemingly impossible experiments” pp. 108-131

Oct. 4 MON. What is Discovery anyhow? __FIRST LESSON PLAN DUE in class_ ___

Oct. 6 Wed. Mysterious Rays   
Quiz: “Who discovered the invisibly small?” pp.132-148

Oct. 8 Fri. Pascal’ s triangle

Oct. 11 Mon. Geologists and Biologists versus Physicists   
Quiz: “Age of the Earth,” 105-120 Class Presentation

Oct. 13 Wed. Class Presentation

Oct. 15 Fri. Class Presentation
 
Oct.18 Mon.  *MID-TERM EXAM in class* _______________________    ______

Oct. 20 Wed. Paradoxes in the Calculus   
Quiz: “The war over the infinitely small” pp.149-177

Oct. 22 Fri. Mathematical Psychology of Prisoners’ Dilemmas

Oct. 25 Mon. Class Presentation

Oct. 27 Wed. Class Presentation

Oct. 29 Fri. Revolution: Continental Drift
Quiz: “Wegener versus everyone” on Blackboard
 
Nov. 1 Mon. Class Presentation

Nov. 3 Wed. Class Presentation

Nov. 5 Fri. The Improbable Statistics of TV game shows

Nov. 8 Mon. Class Presentation

Nov.10 Wed.  Einstein and the Relativity of Time
Quiz: “Relativity” pp. 178-198

Nov.12 Fri. Class Presentation
Quiz: “The Cult of the Quiet Wife” 199-211
 
Nov.15 Mon.    Class Presentation    2ND LESSON PLAN DUE_______________

Nov.17 Wed. Class Presentation
Quiz: “The Secret of Einstein’s Creativity” pp.212-228

Nov.19 Fri. Impossible geometry?
Quiz: “Revelations against Euclid’s Faith” pp.229-242

Nov.22 Mon. Philosophies of Mathematics
Quiz: “Revelations against Euclid’s Faith” pp.243-255

Nov.24 Wed. Class Presentation

Nov.26 Fri. THANKSGIVING
 
Nov.29 Mon. Biology and Ideology
Quiz: “Eugenics against inferior blood” pp.256-271

Dec. 1. Wed. Class Presentation

Dec. 3 Fri. The Big Picture: History in Schools
Quiz “The cult of Pythagoras” pp.272-294

Dec. * FINAL EXAM * during Finals Week, in the classroom; date and time to be announced___

This course contains a Writing flag.

This course contains a Writing flag.

History 329U: Perspectives on Science and Math
11-11:50 AM, and 2:00-2:50 PM, in Classroom 4.18 PAI

Professor Alberto Martínez, Ph.D.
Department of History
Office: Garrison Hall, GAR 0.138
Office hours: MW 1:00-1:50, and by appointment
almartinez@mail.utexas.edu

D.B. Briscoe, Teaching Assistant, dbriscoe@mail.utexas.edu

* * * * * * * * * * * *
This course explores a selection of topics and episodes in the history of science and mathematics. It
has four interlocking goals: to provide an overview of the history of science and math (for general
education and to better comprehend subjects that you may eventually teach); to enable you to put
these historical perspectives and context to work in pedagogy; to sharpen your independence of
thought; and to improve your writing skills.

Students will design and prepare Two 5E Lesson Plans (each having a minimum length of
1200 words). Detailed instructions will be distributed separately. You will select the subject of
these lesson plans from a variety of options. Once graded, you will incorporate corrections
into your lesson plan, to electronically post the revised product, which will improve your
grade. There will be several quizzes and writing assignments. All students will take a Midterm
Exam, designed to test the extent to which you have followed, engaged, and learned from the
topics discussed in class and in the readings. Furthermore, you will have to do a Presentation
of one of your lesson plans to a group of peers. (You will also write Comments on other
presentations.) Finally, all students will have to take a Final Essay Exam (about 800 words)
in the classroom during Finals Week.

NOTE: this course involves a weekly recitation session with the Teaching Assistant from the History
Department. You are required to attend one such session per week, to carry out work for the course.

This is an upper-division history course. The assigned readings vary in length, and we encourage you
to read thoughtfully rather than waste your time skimming and forgetting. Some of the readings will
be from primary sources (such as writings by prominent scientists), other readings will be from
secondary texts (such as by historians). You will also be required to do additional research and reading
for the lesson plans; so keep this in mind when budgeting your time for this course. Classes will be
conducted as a mixture of lecture and discussion. Accordingly, attendance and participation are
important, as you can also see from the grading distributions below. Attendance will be taken daily,
and will be used in evaluating your overall grade for class participation. You are welcome to speak up
at any time.

READINGS: There is a required Course Packet, available for purchase only at Jenn’s Copies on
Guadalupe at Dean Keaton. Also, additional readings are available online, on Blackboard. You are
responsible for obtaining each reading assignment on time. Every day when there is an assigned
reading, there will be a Reading Confirmation Quiz. The Class Calendar, below, lists the exact
day when each reading will be tested.

The Class Calendar includes also a reliable schedule of when specific subjects will be covered in class.
It also includes Project due dates, and the Exam dates. The date for the final exam, during finals
week, is chosen by the registrar, so it will be announced when posted.

GRADING: This course is listed as having a Substantial Writing Component; therefore, much of
your final grade will be based on written expression. The grading breakdown is as follows:
Class participation 10% (for speaking; minus absences, see below)
Quizzes and Assignments 16%
First Lesson Plan 16%
Midterm Exam 16% (in class)
Second Lesson Plan 16%
Presentation 10%
Final Exam 16% (in a classroom, during Finals Week)

ATTENDANCE: Everyone is expected to attend classes. There will be a sign-in sheet every day. As a
courtesy, you have one free absence-without-consequences. But after that you must provide written
medical proof of illness, or another acceptable exemption, otherwise, you will lose .5 percentage
points for each absence.

Work turned in late without an extension negotiated at least a week in advance will be penalized by
one full letter grade.

Alongside the present syllabus, you should soon have a handout titled “Avoiding Plagiarism in
History Courses,” which has been prepared by the History Department to help prevent this problem.
Accordingly, University policies on plagiarism and academic dishonesty will be enforced in this class.

History 329U: Perspectives on Science and Math
Class Calendar, Spring 2010

Jan.20 Wed. Birdseye View of Mathematics, and What is a Science anyway?
Jan.22 Fri. Pythagorean Mysticism
Jan.25 Mon. Murder for Irrational numbers
Jan.27. Wed. Plato’s Philosophy of Math
Jan.29 Fri. Copernicus and the man with the golden nose
Feb. 1 Mon. The crime of Galileo
Feb. 3 Wed. Paradoxes of division
Feb. 5 Fri. Less than nothing, squared
Feb. 8 Mon. Imaginary Numbers: radical puzzles
Sept.10 Wed. 5-E lesson: Species, Hybrids, and Monsters
Feb.12 Fri. Darwin at the Galápagos
Feb.15 Mon. Controversies over Evolution
Feb.17 Wed. Alchemy and the Philosopher’s Stone
Feb.19 Fri. Impossible Chemistry: Marie Curie
Feb.22 Mon. Mendel, the misinterpreted Priest
Feb.24 Wed. Electrical experiments
Feb.26 Fri. J.J. Thomson and Cathode Rays
Mar.1 MON. What is Discovery anyhow? __FIRST LESSON PLAN DUE in class_ ___
Mar. 3 Wed. Pascal’s triangle
Mar. 5 Fri. Geologists and Biologists versus Physicists
Mar. 8 Mon. Class Presentation
Mar.10 Wed. Class Presentation

Mar.12 Fri. *MID-TERM EXAM in class*

March 15 to March 20 -- Spring Break

Mar. 22 Mon. Paradoxes in the Calculus
Mar.24 Wed. Prisoners’ dilemma
Mar.26 Fri. Class Presentation
Mar.29 Mon. Class Presentation
Mar.31 Wed. Revolution: Continental Drift
Apr. 2 Fri. Class Presentation
Apr.5 Mon Class Presentation
Apr.7 Wed. Improbable statistics
Apr.9 Fri. Class Presentation
Apr.12 Mon. Einstein and the Relativity of Time 2ND LESSON PLAN DUE_____
Apr.14 Wed. Relativity: Historical Perspectives
Apr.16 Fri. Class Presentation
Apr.19 Mon. Seemingly impossible geometry
Apr.21 Wed. Philosophies of Mathematics, Choose or continue to Sleepwalk
Apr.23 Fri. Class Presentation
Apr.26 Mon. Eugenics in America, and in World War II
Apr.28 Wed. Class Presentation
Apr.30 Fri. Biology and Ideology
May 3 Mon. Class Presentation
May 5 Wed. Class Presentation
May 7 Fri. Big Picture: History in Science and Math classes

Dec. * FINAL EXAM * during Finals Week, in the classroom; date and time to be announced

In this course, we will survey the development of modern science from the time of Isaac Newton to the present, and will examine the growth of scientific ideas and institutions and their changing place in society.

Texts:

Thomas L. Hankins, Science and the Enlightenment,

Charles Darwin, Evolutionary Writings (ed. James Secord),

Bruce J. Hunt, Pursuing Power and Light: Technology and Physics from James Watt to Albert Einstein,

James D. Watson, The Double Helix (Norton Critical Ed., ed. G. S. Stent),

plus a set of additional  readings posted on Canvas.

Grading:

Grades will be based on three essay exams (25% each) and a short paper on a topic to be assigned (25%).

In this course, we will survey the development of modern science from the time of Isaac Newton to the present, and will examine the growth of scientific ideas and institutions and their changing place in society.

Texts:

Thomas L. Hankins, Science and the Enlightenment,

Charles Darwin, Evolutionary Writings (ed. James Secord),

Bruce J. Hunt, Pursuing Power and Light: Technology and Physics from James Watt to Albert Einstein,

James D. Watson, The Double Helix (Norton Critical Ed., ed. G. S. Stent),

plus a set of additional  readings posted on Canvas.

Grading:

Grades will be based on three essay exams (25% each) and a short paper on a topic to be assigned (25%).

In this course, we will survey the development of modern science from the time of Isaac Newton to the present, and will examine the growth of scientific ideas and institutions and their changing place in society.

Texts:

Thomas L. Hankins, Science and the Enlightenment,

Charles Darwin, Evolutionary Writings (ed. James Secord),

Bruce J. Hunt, Pursuing Power and Light: Technology and Physics from James Watt to Albert Einstein,

James D. Watson, The Double Helix (Norton Critical Ed., ed. G. S. Stent),

plus a set of additional  readings posted on Canvas.

Grading:

Grades will be based on three essay exams (25% each) and a short paper on a topic to be assigned (25%).