MWF 1:45-2:50 (X- hour on Thursday)

Instructors:

Dorothy Wallace Choate House (upstairs) Phone: 6-3610
Scott Sciortino Bradley Hall (basement) Phone: 6-1058

SYLLABUS:

WEEK I

W 3/26 Course Introduction. Robert Record, from The Castle of Knowledge.

F 3/28 Thomas S. Kuhn, The Copernican Revolution, Chapter l: "The Ancient Two-sphere Universe."

WEEK 2

M 3/31 Ben Jonson, News from a World Discovered in the Moon

W 4/7 Kuhn, The Copernican Revolution, chapters 2-3: "The Problem of the Planets" The Two-Sphere Universe in Aristotelian Thought"

F 4/4 Nicholas Copernicus, De Revolutionibus: On the Revolutions (1543), Book 1. Kuhn, The Copernican Revolution, Chapter 4 "Recasting the Tradition: Aristotle to Copernicus."

WEEK 3

M 4/7 John Dee, Preface to Euclid's Geometry ( 1570); Euclid, Elements of Geometry Copernicus, De revolutionibus, Bk. 6, Chapter 3-7.

W 4/9 Marie Boas-Hall, The Uses of Mathematics. Kuhn, The Copernican Revolution, Chapter 5 "Copernicus' Innovation."

F 4/11 Marcellus Palingenius, from Zodiacus Vitae. Thomas Digges's Perfit Description of The Celestiall Orbes.

WEEK 4

M 4/14 Christopher Marlowe, The Tragical history of 'Doctor Faustus. First paper assignment.

W 4/16 Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning, Book 1, Francis Bacon, On the Dignity and Advancement of Learning

F 4/18 Francis Bacon, Novum Organum, preface, and Aphorisms, Book 1.

WEEK 5

M 4/21 Francis Bacon, New Atlantis.

W 4/23 Galileo Galilei, Siderius Nuncius.

F 4/25 Galileo, A Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems.

WEEK 6

M 4/28 Gerald Holton, The Thematic Imagination in Science. First paper due. Second paper assignment.

W 4/30 Giordano Bruno, The AshWednesday Supper.

F 5/2 John Donne, Ignatius, His Conclave, "An Anatomy of the World."

WEEK 7

M 5/5 Mane Boas and A. R. Hall, Tycho Brahe's System's of the World. Johannes Kepler, selections from Astronomia Nova.

W 5/7 Tommaso Campenella. The City of the Sun.

F 5/9 Margaret Cavendish, New Blazing World.

WEEK 8

M 5/12 Themes in Celestial Art (w/ Math 5).

W 5/14 Themes in Celestial Art, continued.

F 5/16 In-class algebra lesson. (Get ahead on the reading. Some tough ones are still before you.)

WEEK 9

M 5/19 Johannes Kepler, Somnium.

W 5/21 Kepler, Epitome of Copernican Astronomy & the Harmonies of the World.

F 5/23 Holton, Johannes Kepler's Universe Its Physics and Metaphysics.

WEEK 10

M 5/26 Jonson, News From a World Discovered in the Moon. (Again!) LOG BOOKS DUE. SECOND PAPER DUE.

Texts:

Course Reader (At Wheelock Books)
Thomas S. Kuhn, The Copernican Revolution.
Johannes Kepler, Epitome of Copernican Astronomy & the Harmonies of the World.
Margaret Cavendish, The Blazing World and Other Writings.
Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus.
Famous Utopias, Introduction and Notes by Frederic R. White.

Course Requirements:

• Students are expected to have competed the readings on the syllabus when you arrive at class.

• Students must maintain and submit a log of their astronomical observations.

• There will be two papers. The first will be an "interdisciplinary?' paper (suggested length: 5-6 pages); the second will be a "literary" paper, since it will address a specific piece of the literature you have read (suggested length: 10 pages). All papers must be the students' own work or properly credited and cited sources. (See your handbook for further details; ignorance of what constitutes intellectual theft is not an excuse).

• Students are to participate in this class. There will often be material covered or math exercises done which cannot be made up. Attendance will be taken. If for any reason you expect to have a problem attending this class regularly you should consider dropping it.