Making modern science: a history of chemistry 1750-1950

1. Student can account historically for the emergence of modern chemical concepts and theories  (such as oxidation, stoichiometry, organic chemistry, the table of the elements, osmotic pressure)
2. Student can characterize how chemistry has developed over the past two centuries, in terms of institutional settings, its relation to other disciplines, instrumentation, and social role.
3. Student can use historical examples to show that chemistry was never practiced in an ivory tower, but has always been closely connected to its societal context.
4. Student can connect developments in chemistry to broader developments in the natural sciences.
5. Student can use the history of chemistry to reflect on the nature of science, ranging from questions of scientific method to issues such as scientific integrity and social responsibility.

In terms of academic skills, this course focused on reading comprehension, academic writing, and reflection on the nature of science and the science social role from a historical perspective. These aims tie in closely with the learning objectives of the build-up of “Ethics, Philosophy and Society”, coordinated by Eelco Vogt.
 

According to the standard narrative, modern science was born in the seventeenth century. This course, which focuses on the history of chemistry, argues instead that modern science emerged only in the past two centuries. The field of chemistry took shape around 1800 from a variety of practices, including natural history, natural philosophy, and pharmacy. It was around that time that Lavoisier introduced his oxygen theory of combustion. This period has been called the “Chemical Revolution”, but the term requires some qualification as there were significant continuities with the past and fundamental innovations were introduced only later in the nineteenth century, for example in the new, rapidly growing disciplines of organic chemistry and physical chemistry.

In this course we also pay a lot of attention to the institutional setting and changing social role of chemistry: from the rise of research (and teaching) laboratories to connections with industry and with war. Public perceptions of chemistry reflect chemistry’s central place in modern society and its discontents. Finally, in order to link the history of chemistry to broader developments in the history of the natural sciences – or the making of modern science – we shall frequently look at its shifting relation to neighboring disciplines.

The course is part of the leerlijn (build-up/trajectory/through-line) “Philosophy, Ethics, and Society” for chemistry students coordinated by Eelco Vogt.
The course can be followed as part of the minor History and Philosophy of Science: https://students.uu.nl/en/academics/minors/history-and-philosophy-of-science
The course can be used as preparation for the Master’s programme History and Philosophy of Science: https://www.uu.nl/masters/en/history-and-philosophy-science