2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Humanities and social science courses
Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences58:History of Physical Sciences
- Academic unit or major
- Humanities and social science courses
- Instructor(s)
- Hiroto Kono
- Class Format
- Lecture
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAH.S449
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
The physical sciences, including physics and chemistry, are fundamental to our understanding of natural phenomena. How did these disciplines take shape, and how are they connected to scientific research today?
This course explores the historical development of the physical sciences, focusing primarily on the period from the 19th century to the mid-20th century. It examines how earlier traditions—such as natural philosophy, natural history, and chemical philosophy in the late 18th century—were transformed into the modern disciplines of physics and chemistry. This process is analyzed not only in terms of theoretical and conceptual development but also through shifts in individual practices, institutional structures, and broader societal contexts.
The course aims to provide a historical understanding of how these foundational scientific disciplines emerged and to offer a broader perspective on how we can critically examine scientific endeavor, as well as human thought and practice more generally, in their historical contexts. While the course does not focus on modern, specialized knowledge in the physical sciences, it is designed to encourage students—particularly those aspiring to research careers in related fields—to reflect on how their own work can be situated within historical contexts.
Course description and aims
This course is designed to encourage students to:
(1) Develop a comprehensive historical understanding of how the modern physical sciences came to be.
(2) Recognize the multifaceted nature of the history of science, acknowledging its interplay with various aspects of human activity, including cultural, philosophical, and social.
(3) Cultivate a critical perspective that questions contemporary scientific practices and technological advancements, encouraging reflection on their historical roots and implications.
Keywords
History of Physics; History of Chemistry; History of Science; Philosophy of Science; Science and Society
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
The lecture will be structured around a combination of the instructor’s presentation, supported by slides, and interactive group discussions.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction: the landscape of physical sciences in the 19th century | Understand the course structure and objectives. |
| Class 2 | The pursuit of a theory of matter: Dalton, Berzelius, Laplace, and Mendeleev | Examine the development of atomic theory and the diverse approaches to studying matter in the 19th century, including early atomic models and the periodic classification of elements. |
| Class 3 | The electromagnetic view of nature and the theory of ether: Faraday, Kelvin, Maxwell, and Hertz | Explore the formation of electromagnetic theory and its role in transforming the understanding of natural phenomena in the 19th century. |
| Class 4 | Thermodynamics and the science of energy: Joule, Kelvin, Helmholtz, and Boltzmann | Investigate the construction of the theory of heat and energy in the 19th century, including its applications in chemistry. |
| Class 5 | The physics and chemistry of organic substances: Liebig, Kekulé, Pasteur, and Fischer | Analyze the physical and chemical approaches to studying organic substances from the 19th to the early 20th century. |
| Class 6 | A new physics, a new chemistry: Bohr, Schrödinger, Heisenberg, and Pauling | Examine the transformation of the physical sciences from the late 19th to the mid-20th century, focusing on the development of quantum mechanics and its profound impact on physics and chemistry. |
| Class 7 | The two World Wars and the rise of nuclear science: Haber, Einstein, Joliot-Curie, and Oppenheimer | Understand several aspects of science and society in the era of the World Wars, mainly the developments of nuclear science. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to course material.
Textbook(s)
None required.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Mary Jo Nye, Before Big Science: The Pursuit of Modern Chemistry and Physics, 1800-1940 (Harvard University Press, Reprint, 1999).
Evaluation methods and criteria
Class participation and submission of short reports 60 %; Final report 40 %
Related courses
- LAH.T102 ： History of Science A
- LAH.T202 ： History of Science B
- LAH.T302 ： History of Science C
- LAH.S433 ： Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences37:History of Science
Prerequisites
No prerequisites. Note that this lecture will be given in English.