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Unit outline_

HPSC2900: The Birth of Modern Science (Advanced)

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

The topics covered in 'The Birth of Modern Science' will be covered in more depth, in a special tutorial set aside for advanced students.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit History and Philosophy of Science Academic Operations
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
An average mark of 75 or above in (12 credit points of 1000 or 2000 level units of study)
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
HPSC2100
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Cindy Hodoba Eric, cindy.eric@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Tutorial quiz Component 1: Knowledge and understanding
Online quizzes
30% Multiple weeks 15-20 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO2
Assignment Component 2: Critical skills
Questions due online
28% Multiple weeks 100 words each
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3
Assignment Component 3: Writing skills
Total of three short essays
30% Multiple weeks 1500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3
Participation Component 4: Engagement and participation
Online activities
12% Ongoing See canvas for details
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3 LO2

Assessment summary

  • Online quizzes: Quizzes will open up for 30 minutes either on the Thursday or Friday each week. You should take the quiz in only one of the time slots. Once the Thursday quiz is accessed, it will be graded. If you receive a grade for the Thursday time slot, you will not receive a grade for Friday. You can choose to take the quiz at a different time slot each week. A total of ten quizzes will be available of which the first two quizzes will not be graded. The other eight quizzes will be worth 3% each.
  • Short questions: 10 well-formulated short question submissions about the primary source of the week. All readings will be available early and all submissions are due on Friday. The first two questions will not be graded. The next two will be worth 2% each, the following two 3% each and the last four – 4%. The question must show genuine involvement with the content of the particular text. It should be a question for interpretation and discussion – requests for further information, musings and fictive exam questions will not be accepted.
  • Short essays: Three short essays will be submitted through Canvas. The first one will be 250 words and worth 5%. The second one will be 500 words and worth 10%. The last one will be 750 words and worth 15%. If you would like to receive detailed feedback on your essays, you should indicate it clearly on the front page and indicate a time you are available to meet for discussion (the tutor may or may not wish to conduct the meeting). A bibliography with proper in-text citations and referencing is mandatory. Written work that is not properly referenced will be awarded a fail.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The following criteria are specific to HPSC2900. Marks may be scaled to fit grade distributions; please note that all grades on returned work are ‘raw’ marks.

The section that follows indicates broadly the qualitative judgements implied by the various marks which are awarded. A more precise evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of individual components will be provided in examiners’ comments/feedback.

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2021

As a general guide, a High Distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result Name

Mark Range

Description

High Distinction

85 - 100

High Distinction (85+):

  • Indicates that assignments are consistently of an exceptional standard, and exhibit considerable initiative and ingenuity in research and reading.
  • Demonstrates the ability to formulate innovative interpretations and arguments including insightful contributions to theoretical debates; and the ability to develop abstract or theoretical arguments based on detailed research and original interpretation. 
  • Your academic writing must be characterised by a high degree of creativity, scholarly style, and critical analysis. 

Distinction

75 - 84

Distinction (75-84): 

  • Demonstrates initiative in research and reading. 
  • Indicates a complex understanding and original, creative, critical analysis of the subject matter and its context; and takes a critical stance in relation to the underlying assumptions in the field as well as the theoretical arguments and their interpretations associated with the course topics. 
  • Your written work and class participation must be properly documented, and academic writing is characterised by scholarly style, clarity, and some creativity. 

Credit

65 - 74

Credit (65-74):

  • Indicates significant command of the course material and genuine interest in the readings and appreciation of the challenges they present. 
  • A low (65-69) credit indicates competent work, demonstrating the potential to pursue honours work, though further development would be needed to do so successfully. 
  • A high (70-74) credit demonstrates a clear capacity to pursue honours.

Pass

50 - 64

(Low) Pass (50-57): 

  • Indicates poor understanding of the UoS material and a lack of progress and intellectual development in the depth and sophistication of your submitted assignments, activities, and quiz results. 

(High) Pass (58-64): 

  • Indicates some understanding of the UoS material and some development of your interpretative and argumentative skills. 
  • This mark, however, still indicates a minimal engagement in the course material and the readings and little development and progress in the intellectual skills required to interpret them. 

Fail

0 - 49

Fail (below 50):

  • Indicates that your work is not of acceptable standard overall, and/or you have failed to achieve a 50 % in some component of the UoS. 
  • You may receive a fail for a particular assessment for any or all of the following reasons: 
    • unacceptable levels of paraphrasing or lack of citation (see Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism); 
    • irrelevance of content; 
    • careless or sloppy presentation, grammar and punctuation, or argument structure such that it is difficult to understand the claims being made; 
    • evidence of inadequate knowledge or understanding of readings or lectures; 
    • late submission without extension via the Faculty special consideration procedure (see Special Consideration and Special Arrangement Policies). 

 

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction – cathedrals Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 02 Greek thought Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 03 The birth of astronomy Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 04 Mediaeval learning Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 05 Medieval learning Tutorial (1 hr) LO2
Week 06 The seeds of revolution Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 07 Magic Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 08 The moving Earth Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 09 The moving Earth Lecture and tutorial (1 hr) LO2
Week 10 Medicine and the body Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 11 The new science Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 12 Science’s cathedral Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 13 Science's cathedral Tutorial (1 hr) LO2

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Course Materials

Textbook:

Ofer Gal, Orgins of Modern Science (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2021).

Available on Canvas as pre-publication draft PDFs (the publication differences are minor), in the library (print form), for purchase from Gleebooks (print form) or online (for example, Amazon), either in print or Kindle.

Readings:

All texts are available on Canvas (mostly as scanned PDFs).

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. identify and discuss some major chapters in the history of science from antiquity through the scientific revolution
  • LO2. read and try to interpret primary historical material from these periods (in English translation)
  • LO3. appreciate and discuss some of the particular philosophical and methodological challenges involved in the historiography of science.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered.

Work, health and safety

We are governed by the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 and Codes of Practice. Penalties for non-compliance have increased. Everyone has a responsibility for health and safety at work. The University’s Work Health and Safety policy explains the responsibilities and expectations of workers and others, and the procedures for managing WHS risks associated with University activities.

General Laboratory Safety Rules

  • No eating or drinking is allowed in any laboratory under any circumstances 
  • A laboratory coat and closed-toe shoes are mandatory 
  • Follow safety instructions in your manual and posted in laboratories 
  • In case of fire, follow instructions posted outside the laboratory door 
  • First aid kits, eye wash and fire extinguishers are located in or immediately outside each laboratory 
  • As a precautionary measure, it is recommended that you have a current tetanus immunisation. This can be obtained from University Health Service: unihealth.usyd.edu.au/

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.