CLA 050, Sec 001-004 Ancient Science

C. Webster Lecture TR 12:10 PM - 1:30 PM     Wellman 106

Section 1: Discussion R 2:10 PM - 3:00 PM     Physics 140

Section 2: Discussion R 2:10 PM - 3:00 PM     Social Science and Humanities 90

Section 3: Discussion R 3:10 PM - 4:00 PM     Physics 140

Section 4: Discussion R 3:10 PM - 4:00 PM     Social Science and Humanities 90

This course examines the practices of science in the ancient world, including traditions in Assyro-Babylonian, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and beyond. It will examine the origins and developments of physics, medicine, biology, mathematics, astronomy, astrology, cosmology, and meteorology. Students will read and engage with primary texts in translation while asking fundamental questions: What constitutes a science? How do ancient scientific authors construct arguments, justification, and authority? How does science relate to other knowledge practices? How do scientific ideas emerge within broader social environments and how do these ideas shape society in turn? Through the course, students will learn about the origins and practices of science in antiquity and how ancient thinkers conceptualized many of the disciplines that we take for granted today.