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COURSE DESCRIPTION AND APPLICATION INFORMATION

Course Name Code Semester T+A+L (hour/week) Type (C / O) Local Credit ECTS
Scientific Revolutions and Their Social Impacts KHAS 1030 Spring 03+00+00 Elective 3 5
Academic Unit: Department of Core Academics – Core Program
Mode of Delivery: Face to face
Prerequisites: None
Language of Instruction: English
Level of Course Unit: Undergraduate
Course Coordinator: - -
Course Objectives: The aim of the course is to provide a timeline of mathematical and scientific discoveries together with an analysis of social climate during that period and their social impact. Examples will be selected from “revolutionary” events, that transformed the paradigm of the discipline.
Course Contents: The course will consist of 3 modules, in the areas of physics, mathematics, computer science and space science. Each module will consist of 3 weeks of lectures and 1 week for student contributions.. Last 2 weeks of the course will be devoted to student’s work on historical revolutionary scientific events/perspectives. The modules are as follows. In each module, selected events will be described in terms of their technical specifications, their contributions to the state of the art, the attitude of the society towards the topic/event before and after the impact of the given event. Module 1: Physics: Mythical universes, geocentric system, heliocentric system, celestial mechanics, relativity theory. Module 2: Mathematics: The evolution of number systems and the notion of infinity, “irrational numbers”, “imaginary numbers”, “solving the cubic”, “insolvability of the quintic”, “Xenon’s paradox”, “infinite series”. Module 3: Computer and space sciences: Advances in computational tools: Napierian logarithm, computers, programming languages. Artificial intelligence. Space Science: Telescopes, spacecrafts, landing on the moon, landing on the Mars.
Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit (LO):
  • 1- Understanding of the development of scientific ideas
  • 2- Understanding of the social reactions to innovations
  • 3- Basic understanding of physical principles
  • 4- Basic understanding of mathematical concepts
  • 5- Basic understanding of computational tools
  • 6- Efficient writtin and oral communication skills
Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods: In class lectures


WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATIONS

WeekSubjectsRelated Preperation
1 Module 1, Physics: Description of the universe in various mythologies. Science in ancient Greek. The geocentric description of the universe and its effects on the science during medieval ages. N/A
2 Module 1, Physics: Heliocentric universe, the response/reaction of the society. Astronomical observations, celestial mechanics N/A
3 Module 1, Physics: Modern physics, quantum physics, relativity theory, the Michelson-Morley experiment,, observations for elementary particles and for gravitational waves. N/A
4 Student contributions and evaluations for Module 1 Preparing presentations and reports
5 Module 2: Mathematics: The evolution of number systems. Ancient mathematics: The necessity of introducing “irrational numbers”, elementary proofs, Mathematics in middle ages, solving polynomial equations. Social attitude towards mathematics. N/A
6 Module 2, Mathematics: The invention of “calculus”, effects on navigation. Zenon’s paradox, the notion of infinity. Towards modern mathematics. Graph theory. N/A
7 Module 2: Mathematics: Modern mathematics. New ideas, Non-Riemannian geometries. The notion of “topology”, invariants. Applications and social impacts. Cryptology, quantum computing. N/A
8 Student contributions and evaluations for Module 2 Preparing presentations and reports
9 Module 3: Computer Science: Computational methods and tools, historical perspective. Advances in computational tools: Napierian logarithm, and its effects. Computers and programming languages. Effects of increasing computational power to space technologies. N/A
10 Module 3. Space Science: Telescopes, spacecrafts, technical and computational requirements for space explorations. Social impacts of landing on the moon and of landing on Mars. N/A
11 Module 3. Artificial intelligence. What it is? How it is coded? What were the precursors of artificial intelligence. Perception of AI in society. N/A
12 Student contributions and evaluations for Module 3 Preparing presentations and reports
13 Presentation of term projects Preparing presentations and reports
14 Presentation of term projects Preparing presentations and reports


REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED READING

• McClellan J.E & Dorn H. (2009). The History of Science and Technology in the World, Baltimore : John Hopkins University Press.
• Dear, P. (2009).Revolutionizing the Sciences: European Knowledge and Its Ambitions, 1500-1700. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
• Cardwell D. (1995). The Norton History of Technology, New York: Norton.
• Seline H. (1997). Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non – Western Cultures, Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publisher
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fabric-Heavens-Development-Astronomy-Dynamics/dp/0226808483


OTHER COURSE RESOURCES

• S. Toulmin, J. Goodfield, The Fabric of Heavens, The Development of Astronomy and Dynamics Harper & Row, Publishers New York, Hagerstown, San Francisco, London, 1961
• T.S. Kuhn, The Copernical Revolution,Harvard University Press, 1985


ASSESSMENT METHODS AND CRITERIA

Semester RequirementsNumberPercentage of Grade (%)
Attendance / Participation 14 -
Project 3 60
Final Exam 1 40
Total: 18 100


WORKLOAD

EventsCountDuration (Hours)Total Workload (hour)
Course Hours14342
Project31030
Final Exam15353
Total Workload (hour):125


THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (LO) AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS (PQ)

# PQ1 PQ2 PQ3 PQ4 PQ5 PQ6 PQ7 PQ8 PQ9 PQ10 PQ11 PQ12 PQ13
LO1                          
LO2                          
LO3                          
LO4                          
LO5                          
LO6