1. Space in Early Science
Textbooks: [SZE] Nick Huggett (1999) Space from Zeno to Einstein (required). Readings also available on Blackboard.
| Wk | Date | Topic | Reading Due | Coursework Due |
| 1.1 | Aug 26 | Science in Antiquity | BWS Chapter 2 (up to Plato) | - |
| 1.2 | Aug 28 | Plato / Introductory Exercises | BWS Chapter 2 (Plato), SZE Chapter 1. Also: USC Logic Web Unit 1. Further reading: TU Plato (optional). | - |
| 2.1 | Sep 2 | Euclid and Zeno | SZE Chapter 2, SZE Chapter 3 (up to p. 38), SEP Zeno. Further reading: SEP Zeno's Paradoxes (optional). | Assignment 1 |
| 2.2 | Sep 4 | Zeno Resolved | SZE Chapter 3, EAE Chapters 3-4. Further reading: Salmon Appendix (optional). | - |
| 3.1 | Sep 9 | Aristotle | BWS Chapter 3 | Assignment 2 |
| 3.2 | Sep 11 | Aristotle's Theory of Place | SZE Chapter 4. Further reading: TU Aristotle (optional). | - |
2. The Copernican and Scientific Revolutions
| Wk | Date | Topic | Reading Due | Coursework Due |
| 4.1 | Sep 16 |
Early Astronomy | CR Chapter 3. Further reading: TU Ptolemy. | Assignment 3 |
| 4.2 | Sep 18 | Copernicus | SZE Chapter 5, FH reading (pp. 158-180) | - |
| 5.1 | Sep 23 | Galileo, Brahe and Kepler | CR Chapter 6. Further reading: TU Galileo & Kepler | Assignment 4 |
| 5.2 | Sep 25 | Galileo's Mechanics | CMS Chapter 2. Notes on Logical Argument | - |
| 6.1 | Sep 30 | Descartes and Newton | SZE Chapter 6, SZE Chapter 7 | Essay Assignment Part 1 |
| 6.2 | Oct 2 | Newton's Principia | Pask 3.3-5.5, Pask 6.1-6.5,7.1-7.2 |
3. Philosophical Controversies
| Wk | Date | Topic | Reading Due | Coursework Due |
| 7.1 | Oct 7 | Leibniz and Clarke | SZE Chapter 8 | Essay #1 Outline. Example Thesis Statement. |
| 7.2 | Oct 9 | Berkeley and Mach | SZE Chapter 9 | Assignment 5 |
4. Development of Geometry
| Wk | Date | Topic | Reading Due | Coursework Due |
| 8.1 | Oct 14 | Perspective and Galileo | Transcript of Joseph W. Dauben Documentary | Essay #1 Due. Grading Guidelines. |
| 8.2 | Oct 16 | Midterm Exam | Midterm Exam Guidelines | Midterm Exam |
| 9.1 | Oct 21 | Kant and Euclid | SZE Chapter 12, Norton Chapter 14 | - |
| 9.2 | Oct 23 | Non-Euclidean Geometry | SZE Chapter 13, Norton Chapter 15. Further Reading: Einstein Chapter 1-2, Poincare Chapter 3-5. | - |
| 10.1 | Oct 28 | Four Dimensions and Curved Spaces | Rucker Chapter 1; Norton Ch. 13, Ch. 16, Ch. 17. For fun: A rotating hypercube, Banchoff (1978) Hypercube Projections and Slicing. Further reading: Abbott (1884) Flatland, Helmholtz (1876) Geometrical Axioms. | Assignment 6 |
5. Relativity and Space-Time
| Wk | Date | Topic | Reading Due | Coursework Due |
| 10.2 | Oct 30 | Understanding Space-Time | SZE Chapter 10. | - |
| 11.1 | Nov 4 | Special Relativity | Mermin Chapters 1-3, Norton Ch. 2, Ch. 3, Ch 4. | Assignment 7 |
| 11.2 | Nov 6 | Library Resources (Ross Scimeca) | No reading. Come to class with a laptop if possible. Attendance will be taken. | Essay 2 Pt. 1 |
| 12.1 | Nov 11 | No Class | No Class | - |
| 12.2 | Nov 13 | Minkowski Space | Norton Ch. 10, Mermin Ch. 8. | Assignment 8 |
| 13.1 | Nov 18 | Length Contraction, Time Dilation, Simultaneity | Norton Ch. 5, Ch. 11. Einstein 1905 (Sec. 1-2). | Assignment 9 |
| 13.2 | Nov 20 | Velocity Addition, E=mc2 | Norton Ch. 6, Ch. 7, Mermin Ch. 4 | - |
| 14.1 | Nov 25 | General Relativity | Norton Ch. 18, Ch. 19, SZE Ch. 14 | Assignment 10 |
| 14.2 | Nov 27 | No class | No class | No class |
| 15.1 | Dec 2 | Gravitation, Black Holes | Norton Ch. 20, Ch. 21, Ch. 27. Further reading: Ch. 28 | Essay #2 Progress Report |
6. The Fourth Dimension in Art and Science
| Wk | Date | Topic | Reading Due | Coursework Due |
| 15.2 | Dec 4 | Geometry and Modern Art | Henderson, Tony Robbin | - |
| 16.1 | Dec 9 | Study Session | Essay Grading Guidelines | Essay #2 |
| 16.2 | Dec 11 | Exam Week | - | - |
| 17.1 | Dec 16 | Final Exam | - | - |