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Identical coursesNatural Sciences for the Humanities (B-KUL-W0L18A)
Cannot be taken as part of an examination contractAims
The main goal of this introductory course is to develop a basic level of scientific literacy. The course familiarizes its students with concepts and methods from the natural sciences, in particular physics. It supports these students to develop their ability to interpret scientific information presented in graphs, numbers and formulas, as they may occur in scientific reports, but also increasingly in other media.
At the end of this course, the student:
- is able to name, define, and explain important concepts from mathematics, physics, and astronomy;
- is able to apply formulas to word problems, carrying out computations, using the correct units of physical quantities and with attention to significant digits;
- is able to extract information from graphs and free body diagrams;
- understands commonalities as well as essential differences between the humanities and the natural sciences.
Previous knowledge
Although this course will be easier to follow for students who had more mathematics and science courses in secondary school, it is intended to be self-contained.
Is included in these courses of study
- Bachelor of Philosophy (Leuven) (Minor Liberal Arts with Language Track French) 180 ects.
- Bachelor of Philosophy (Leuven) (Minor Liberal Arts with Language Track German) 180 ects.
Activities
5 ects. Natural Sciences for the Humanities (B-KUL-W0L18a)
Content
This course considers the natural sciences from two complementary perspectives: the content of contemporary science as well as its history, which is often connected to philosophical and foundational discussions.
Of course, it is not possible to cover all the sciences and their history in a single course. Therefore, most of this course focuses on physics and astronomy, and their relation to mathematics (algebra, geometry, and calculus). More specifically, the focus lies on the development of what is now called classical or Newtonian mechanics, which remains a core course in nearly all Bachelor programs in the natural sciences.
Content of the two parts:
- Studying (a fragment of) science requires becoming familiar with quantifying physical properties, studying laws or other empirical regularities, and their applications. Hence, numbers, units, and equations play a big role in this component of the course. This part covers scientific notation of numbers and SI units, kinematics (describing motion), and dynamics in classical mechanics (the laws of Newton), including periodic motion.
- Studying the history of how (a fragment of) current textbook physics came to be requires becoming familiar with selections from historically influential sources, analysing how their approach would have made sense at the time, and tracing their influence on the current state of science. This part includes case studies of protosciences and their relation to both scientific and pseudoscientific practices.
Course material
- Students should buy a course reader at the start of the semester.
- Other material is made available via Toledo.
Evaluation
Evaluation: Natural Sciences for the Humanities (B-KUL-W2L18a)
Explanation
The exam consists of exercises, short theory questions, and essay questions:
- The exercises are word problems (which may include graphs), similar to those presented during term. The goal is typically to determine the values and the units of target variables. Some of these will be in multiple-choice format.
- The theory questions ask to identify and to explain concepts and formulas.
- The essay questions cover the historical part as well as the relation between the natural sciences and the humanities.
A formulary will be provided. The exam is graded anonymously.