HISTORY 106 · also ICS 118, SCISOC 118
Science and the Modern World: Introduction to the History of Science
Evan Hepler-Smith
Description from DukeHub
This course surveys the history of science from the sixteenth century through the present day. It addresses science not just as a body of knowledge and methods but as a cultural activity that has shaped and been shaped by modern global history. Topics will range across physical sciences, life sciences, earth and environmental sciences, and social sciences. This course takes a global perspective, with emphasis on parallels, differences, and interconnections among ways of knowing nature in different places and times, as well as the role of specific materials, environments, technologies, and practical problems in the development of modern science.
Skills
No skill passed the confidence bar. Weak matches go to review instead of this page: an AI pass that has to quote the description, then a person.
AI-resilient: 1 of 5
- No: Physical, lab or field work
- No: Live work with people
- Yes: Judgment someone is accountable for · "justice"
- No: A craft you practice with your hands or body
- No: Small, in-person format
The checks lean on Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025), which found generative AI applies least to physical work and hands-on work with people. A signal, not a promise. How the score works
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