HIST 295 - Seminar: Topics in History

FDR: HU
Credits: 3-4

A seminar offered from time to time depending on student interest and staff availability, in a selected topic or problem in history. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.

Fall 2019, HIST 295A-01: Darwin & Company: The Theory of Evolution from 1755 till Today (3). Not open for additional credit to students who have another Darwin course with Prof. Rupke. One of the most influential scientific theories is that of organic evolution. Its history has largely been written by Darwin and his followers. In this course, we explore a revisionist history that includes the non-Darwinian tradition in evolutionary biology. The different approaches to evolution will be examined in terms of scientific facts as well as of their historical, national locations. Students are required to attend and participate in a small international conference on “New Perspectives on Evolution,” to be held on campus in early November. (HU) Rupke.

Fall 2019, HIST 295B-01: The Scientist as National Hero (3). We discuss the place of science and its practitioners in Western society, from the time of the Victorian professionalization of science until today, and focus on the formation of a 20th-century elite of Nobel laureates and their role in national politics and, to a lesser extent, international affairs. How/why have some scientists gained extraordinary leadership status in our culture? How/why have some become national heroes, a few even international ones? Can scientists provide the moral and political leadership to deal with the challenges in society that their very successes have created? (HU) Rupke