HISTSCI 100: Knowing the World: An Introduction to the History of Science

Semester: Fall

Year offered: 2026

Link: Course Website

With Professor Alex Csiszar on Monday and Wednesday 10:30-11:45 am

What are the origins of modern science and of the scientific method? Have the ways of knowing the world of different cultures and societies changed over time? How has scientific knowledge been related to other enterprises such as art, religion, literature, and commerce? We will ask these questions and more through a broad survey of many of the crucial moments in the development of science from the Middle Ages to the present day. Topics and figures will include Ibn Sina, Li Shizhen, Galileo, evolution, eugenics, the atomic bomb, and the human genome project.

Alex Csiszar

acsiszar@fas.harvard.edu

Professor of the History of Science

Director of Graduate Studies

Areas of Research: Book History, Media Studies, Philosophy of Science, Science & Technology Studies Alex Csiszar studies the history of science in modern Europe. He publishes primarily on the history of communications media and information technology in...