136-229 Upheavals in Scientific Thought

Note

All BSc students, except those enrolled in the BA/BSc combined course and the BASc course, can only receive 12.5 points science credit at the 200-level for this subject.

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Normally 12.5 points of first-year HPS or 75 points of first-year Science subjects.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

Historical, philosophical and sociological aspects of revolutions in scientific thought. Case studies to be examined include the 'modern revolution' in the earth sciences and the on-going controversy about the 'death of the dinosaurs'. Students completing this subject should develop: detailed knowledge of both philosophical and sociological frameworks for the analysis of cumulative and revolutionary change in science; practice in applying these frameworks to historical and contemporary instances of scientific change; skills in the critical analysis of scientific publications; improved written and oral communicative skills.

Assessment

A 3-hour examination at the end of the second semester. Exemption may be earned by satisfactory performance on prescribed written work (1 essay of 1500 words 30%; 1 essay 2500 words 45%, tutorial exercises 25%) not exceeding 5000 words.

Prescribed Texts

• Kuhn TS, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
• Riggs P, The Whys and Ways of Science.
• Le Grand H, Drifting Continents and Shifting Theories.
• Hallam A, Great Geological Controversies.