Course Name | Scientific Thinking and Society |
Code | Semester | Theory (hour/week) | Application/Lab (hour/week) | Local Credits | ECTS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GENS 207 | Fall/Spring | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
Prerequisites | None | |||||
Course Language | English | |||||
Course Type | Service Course | |||||
Course Level | First Cycle | |||||
Mode of Delivery | - | |||||
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course | ||||||
Course Coordinator | - | |||||
Course Lecturer(s) | ||||||
Assistant(s) | - |
Course Objectives | The aim of this course is to help the students to develop a critical perspective about science and its relationship with society. In the first part of the course, the period during which modern science was born will be discussed in a broader fashion. In the second part, the focus will be on a series of issues taken from more recent periods of history of science. This course is for students that are interested in popular science. |
Learning Outcomes | The students who succeeded in this course;
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Course Description | This course is designed to discuss the relationship between science and the society that generates it. |
Related Sustainable Development Goals |
| Core Courses | |
Major Area Courses | ||
Supportive Courses | ||
Media and Managment Skills Courses | ||
Transferable Skill Courses |
Week | Subjects | Required Materials |
1 | Introduction; presentation of the course and related questions; The Three Revolutions | Course syllabus |
2 | Types of Societies and their technologies | Machionis, J. (2017) “Society and Technology” |
3 | Sapiens and the Cognitive Revolution | Harari, Y. (2015), Sapiens. A Brief History of Humankind, Part One: The Cognitive Revolution |
4 | Guns, Germs, and Steel I: Yali’s Question | Diamond, J. (1997), Guns, Germs and Steel, Prologue: “Yali’s Question”; Part I “From Eden to Cajamarca” |
5 | Guns, Germs and Steel II: Agricultural Revolution | Diamond, J. (1997), Guns, Germs and Steel, Part 2: “The Rise and The Spread of Food Production” |
6 | Dawn of Civilizations, Birth of Natural Philosophy and the Aristotelian Worldview | Lecture Notes |
7 | Ptolemy and the Geocentric Model | Lecture Notes |
8 | Nicholaus Copernicus and the Heliocentric Model | Gribbin, J. (2002), Science: A History Chapter 1, “Renaissance Men” pp. 21-32 |
9 | Tycho Brahe and his observations & Johannes Kepler and the movement of planets | Gribbin, J. (2002), Science: A History Chapter 2, “The Last Mystics” |
10 | First Scientists: Galileo and others, Part I | Gribbin, J. (2002), Science: A History Chapter 3, “The First Scientists” |
11 | First Scientists: Galileo and others, Part II | Gribbin, J. (2002), Science: A History Chapter 3, “The First Scientists” |
12 | René Descartes, Christiaan Huygens, Robert Boyle and first steps of science | Gribbin, J. (2002), Science: A History Chapter 4, “Renaissance Men” (Descartes: pp. 118-126; Boyle pp. |
13 | Robert Hooke and Isaac Newton | Gribbin, J. (2002) Science: A History Chapter 5, “Newtonian Revolution” (Hooke: pp. 151-164; Newton pp. 172-188) |
14 | Semester Review | Lecture Notes |
15 | Review of the Semester | |
16 | Final examination |
Course Notes/Textbooks | Reading 1: Machionis, J. (2017) “Society and Technology”, in Machionis, J. (2017) Sociology, 16th Edition, pp. 118-123, Pearson: Hoboken Reading 2: Harari, Y. (2015), Sapiens. A Brief History of Humankind, HarperCollins: New York Reading 3: Diamond, J. (1997), Guns, Germs and Steel. The Fates of Human Societies, W. W. Norton: New York Reading 4: Gribbin, J. (2002), Science: A History 1543–2001, Penguin: London |
Suggested Readings/Materials |
Semester Activities | Number | Weigthing |
Participation | ||
Laboratory / Application | ||
Field Work | ||
Quizzes / Studio Critiques | ||
Portfolio | ||
Homework / Assignments | ||
Presentation / Jury | ||
Project | ||
Seminar / Workshop | ||
Oral Exam | ||
Midterm | 2 | 60 |
Final Exam | 1 | 40 |
Total |
Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade | 3 | 60 |
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade | 1 | 40 |
Total |
Semester Activities | Number | Duration (Hours) | Workload |
---|---|---|---|
Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
Laboratory / Application Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours) | 16 | ||
Study Hours Out of Class | 16 | 1 | 16 |
Field Work | |||
Quizzes / Studio Critiques | |||
Portfolio | |||
Homework / Assignments | |||
Presentation / Jury | |||
Project | |||
Seminar / Workshop | |||
Oral Exam | |||
Midterms | 2 | 15 | |
Final Exams | 1 | 20 | |
Total | 114 |
# | Program Competencies/Outcomes | * Contribution Level | ||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
1 | To be able to have a grasp of basic mathematics, applied mathematics or theories and applications of statistics. | |||||
2 | To be able to use advanced theoretical and applied knowledge, interpret and evaluate data, define and analyze problems, develop solutions based on research and proofs by using acquired advanced knowledge and skills within the fields of mathematics or statistics. | |||||
3 | To be able to apply mathematics or statistics in real life phenomena with interdisciplinary approach and discover their potentials. | |||||
4 | To be able to evaluate the knowledge and skills acquired at an advanced level in the field with a critical approach and develop positive attitude towards lifelong learning. | |||||
5 | To be able to share the ideas and solution proposals to problems on issues in the field with professionals, non-professionals. | |||||
6 | To be able to take responsibility both as a team member or individual in order to solve unexpected complex problems faced within the implementations in the field, planning and managing activities towards the development of subordinates in the framework of a project. | |||||
7 | To be able to use informatics and communication technologies with at least a minimum level of European Computer Driving License Advanced Level software knowledge. | |||||
8 | To be able to act in accordance with social, scientific, cultural and ethical values on the stages of gathering, implementation and release of the results of data related to the field. | |||||
9 | To be able to possess sufficient consciousness about the issues of universality of social rights, social justice, quality, cultural values and also environmental protection, worker's health and security. | |||||
10 | To be able to connect concrete events and transfer solutions, collect data, analyze and interpret results using scientific methods and having a way of abstract thinking. | |||||
11 | To be able to collect data in the areas of Mathematics or Statistics and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language. | |||||
12 | To be able to speak a second foreign language at a medium level of fluency efficiently. | |||||
13 | To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout the human history to their field of expertise. |
*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest