The Copernican Revolution

Catalog description

This course will introduce students across the disciplines to the story of the Copernican Revolution, beginning with pre-Copernican astronomy and then moving from Copernicus' first writings to Newton's Principia of 1687, which united the new heavenly laws of Kepler with the new earthly laws of Galileo. Throughout the course, students will chart the Copernican Revolution's pathways, forms, and effects, through texts, letters, maps, images, and fiction. Students also will consider various historical interpretations of the Copernican Revolution in order to explore different conceptions of what science is and how science works. The course will include a number of hands-on activities and trips to help students consider the meaning and implications of the Copernican Revolution outside of our readings and classroom discussions.