German
337-0-20: Science & Culture in Germany: 1770-1870 :

Instructor: Helmut Muller-Sievers
Office address: 1-101 Crowe Hall Evanston Campus
Phone: 847-467-5173
E-mail: hms@northwestern.edu
Office Hours:

Expected Enrollment: 15

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The Nineteenth Century saw the rise of new branches of science and their application in industry and government. Chemistry, biology, thermodynamics, and mechanical engineering all rose to prominence during this period, and were quickly integrated into industrial and bio-political processes. Vast new machines in heavy industry, scientific treatment of agriculture, experiments in physiology and psychiatry all caused considerable anxiety among the populace. As a response, the leading scientists of the time tried to explain, in layman’s terms, what the new discoveries meant and how they could be used for the benefit of society. In this course we want to read some of these popular writings and discuss their place in German culture, and their meaning for our times. We will begin with a text by Kant that sums up the achievements of the previous century, and then proceed to key popularizing texts of the 19th Century. Our goal is, first and foremost, to understand the cultural context of German science, not the intricacies of scientific arguments; students from all majors are invited, and encouraged to enroll.

Distribution Credit in Area VI

PREREQUISITES: Advanced reading knowledge of German; good conversational skills

EVALUATION METHOD: Texts will be available in a reader. Students are asked to introduce one of the authors (10%), take an in-class midterm exam (30%), write a final paper of 7 pages (40%), and participate actively in class (20%)

READING: Immanuel Kant: Metaphysische Anfangsgründe der Naturwissenschaft
Justus von Liebig: Chemische Briefe
Heinrich von Helmholtz: Über die Erhaltung der Kraft
Karl Marx: Sections of Das Kapital on Heavy Industry
Franz Reuleaux: Theoretische Kinematik
Ernst Häckel: Natürliche Schöpfungsgeschichte
Kunstformen der Natur

[Course Descriptions for Spring 2009] [Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences] [GERMAN German]