COURSE INTRODUCTION AND APPLICATION INFORMATION


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;
  • to grasp science as a social activity and
  • to discuss how it is related with the society that generates it
  • to formulate an opinion on why modern science was born in Europe in 17th century, and not in another place and time
  • to express in what ways scientists’ understanding of the World and the Universe has changed after the “Scientific Revolution”
  • to recognize the examples of pseudoscience
  • to understand why the examples of pseudoscience are qualified as such
Course Description This course is designed to discuss the relationship between science and the society that generates it.
Related Sustainable Development Goals

 



Course Category

Core Courses
Major Area Courses
Supportive Courses
Media and Managment Skills Courses
Transferable Skill Courses

 

WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATION STUDIES

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

 

EVALUATION SYSTEM

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

ECTS / WORKLOAD TABLE

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

 

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS RELATIONSHIP

#
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