Course Description
In the first six classes of this course, the instructor will provide an overview of the history of science from ancient times to the 20th century from four perspectives (the cosmos, matter, life, and technology). From the seventh class onward, specialized faculty members will be in charge of each session, introducing the history of science and technology from the perspectives of different fields in agriculture according to their expertise in "forest and environmental symbiosis," "animal resource life science," and "plant resource science."
At the end of In each class, students will be given assignments, such as small essays and quizzes, to facilitate their review and check their level of understanding (the styles of the assignments will differ depending on the instructor and from session to session.)
Keywords
History of science, agriculture
Course Plan
Overview of the history of science (1st–6th sessions):
1) Overview of the history of science (Arase)
2) History of cosmology: Before and after Newton's modern science (Arase)
3) History of the view on matter: Before and after the emergence of the concept of energy (Arase)
4) History of the view on life 1: Up to Linnaeus's taxonomy (Arase)
5) History of the view on life 2: Physiology, evolutionary theory, and beyond (Arase)
6) History of technology (Arase)
Theories from agricultural perspectives (7th–15th sessions):
7) Perspective of symbiosis of forestry and environment 1: The industrial revolution and the origins of forestry (Miki)
8) Perspective of symbiosis of forestry and environment 2: Modernization and deepening of forest science research (Miki)
9) Perspective of symbiosis of forestry and environment 3: New forest needs and symbiosis with forests and the environment (Miki)
10) Perspective of animal resources and life sciences 1: Advances in animal science with the development of microscopy (Yonekura)
11) Perspective of animal resources and life sciences 2: Advances in animal science with the development of chemistry (Yonekura)
12) Perspective of animal resources and life sciences 3: Advances in animal science with the development of molecular biology (Yonekura)
13) Perspective of plant resource science 1: History of breeding science and breeding technology (Matsushima)
14) Perspective of plant resource science 2: History of drones and growth monitoring (Watanabe)
15) Perspective of plant resource science 3: History of agronomy (Hagiwara), Course survey
As a means of reviewing the contents of the class and deepening your understanding, you will be given an essay assignment almost every session. In relay-style lectures, the instructor in charge of the next week is often different, with the deadline for submission often being the next week.
Since information is presented and files are often submitted via e-ALPS, please get used to navigating e-ALPS as soon as possible and submit assignments according to the instructions and deadlines for essay submissions.
