IDE2090 – Evolution, Extinction, and Progress: Perspectives in the History of Modern Science (since c. 1800)

This course explores ideas about the place of humans in the natural world since around 1800, with a particular focus on the social and cultural context of scientific ideas. Key topics include the theory of evolution and its relationship to religion; concepts of natural order and social progress; and debates over the causes and consequences of extinctions.

Students will read primary sources covering both the ideas themselves and the societies in which they developed. Emphasis will be placed on how scientific ideas have reflected their social contexts but also on how such ideas have changed through time, and why.

Upon completion of the course students will be able to:

• Describe and discuss key scientific ideas related to the place of humans in the natural world since around 1800
• Understand and use the concept of reception when discussing the history of scientific ideas
• Synthesize diverse ideas and events into narratives of change through time
• Evaluate the significance of social, political, and cultural context in the production and reception of scientific ideas

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The teaching will consist of fourteen two-hour sessions combining lecture (one hour) and discussion/activities (one hour). Normally these activities will include group as well as individual components and will build upon the assigned readings.

The course includes one obligatory written assignment of one page in length, reflecting on the readings for a specific course session. The course session will be assigned by the responsible teacher.