Science

(1 unit in each semester compulsory)

Science 303:  The History, Philosophy and Social Study of Science

Science holds a pre-eminent place in our culture as an authoritative source of knowledge. Scientists shape our daily activities and controversial scientific issues are constantly in the news: climate change, medical research, genetic engineering, and nuclear energy are just a few examples. But what exactly is this thing called ‘Science’? What do scientists actually do? What makes their knowledge ‘scientific’ and authoritative? And if science shapes our lives, can society, in turn, shape science? This subject sets out to answer these vital questions. Students will learn how science works (or is supposed to work), and how science and society interact.

Science 304:  The Darwinian Revolution

In light of the introduction to the history and philosophy of science in the first semester, students will have the opportunity to perform a case-study analysis of the complex relationship between science and society. That case-study is the so-called Darwinian Revolution of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Beginning with biological and geological treatises written during the Enlightenment, students will move onto an examination of works by pre-Darwinian scholars, including Thomas Malthus, William Paley and Charles Lyell in order to appreciate the social and intellectual context of Darwin’s work. Subsequently, students will study the formulation and reception of Darwin’s The Origin of Species, as well as modern debates regarding evolution and creationism. Without advocating one position or the other, students will learn how religious, social and political values and interests shape the construction, formulation, as well as the acceptance or rejection, of scientific claims. Students will witness how scientists must then debate and negotiate with each other, as well as the wider community, about their theories.

Science 305:  Human Biology 1

This subject provides an introduction to the principles governing biological systems, and how they operate at different levels of organisation. This subject will provide a broad coverage of human biology, with an emphasis upon the interrelatedness of the different body systems, and how they function normally and in various disease states. The subsequent study of Human Biology II/SCI 302 will complete and build upon this knowledge to provide students with sufficient understanding of human biology to better understand and critically appraise current developments in the biological sciences in relation to human life, health and well-being.