Science, Culture, and Society in Western Civilization III: Modern Science

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course will examine the constitutive relationship between major sociopolitical and scientific events in Western and Central Europe between 1815 and 1945, including the role of the post-Napoleonic "Vienna System" in the consolidation of the statistical style of reasoning in France and the connection between interwar politics and the rise of eugenics. By the end of the course, students should have a better understanding of a critical period in European history and acquired a set of theoretical tools for understanding how sociopolitical and epistemic developments are related.