Nature: Ecology of the Planet

This course will focus on fundamental ideas of the nature of the universe, with special attention to fundamentals of science.  We will focus on the rise of modern science, the great enduring ideas, and the merging of science and technology, thus reshaping the world of the 21^st century.  The great ideas of science will be integrated with the Harvard Classics readings, and some attention will be given to future mathematics, the “green revolution,” and global warming issues. Again, the student will be asked to identify areas of future interest, as well as a basic “reading continuum” plan for keeping up with the cultural conversation of the scientific community.  The specific objectives are:

• To understand the history of the development of the sciences
• To understand the power of the sciences in everyday life
• To motivate future interest the growth and development of key issues in the sciences
• To spark interest in specific scientific debates in the arena of the sciences
• To sketch a future course for lifelong learning in the sciences