HPSC10001: From Plato to Einstein

- Source Analysis: 10 x 200 words [50%] (Separated into 3 separate assessments worth 15, 20, and 15 percent each)
- Take-home Exam: 2,000 words [50%]

HPSC10001 is generally taken by BSc students as breadth. I was one of the few arts students taking it as my elective. There is quite a lot of science concepts involved, and while the lecturer/tutor explains them as they pop up, it is much more beneficial if you know them already.

This subject starts off with pre-Socratic philosophy in Ancient Greece to modern physics. The subject is split into different time periods: ancient/medieval, early modern, and modern science. There is a heavy emphasis on maths, physics, and astronomy, with not much on other areas of science like chemistry or biology (alchemy gets brought up in one lecture but that's about it).

Yes, with screen capture.

Kristian Camilleri

Nope

4 Out of 5

Subject reader available from Co-op, but is also for free on LMS

- Lectures: 2 x 1 hour per week
- Tutorials: 1 x 1 hour per week

2019 Semester 2

H2B (72)

3x analysis tasks making up 50% and a final essay worth 50%

I picked this subject as a breadth (BSc student).

The subject looks at famous philosophers throughout history, starting with the Ancient Greeks and progressing to individuals that we now refer to as scientists (Maxwell, Faraday etc.). The historical shifts in views on physical concepts (light, gravity etc.) was thoroughly discussed. I found it very interesting to learn about theories that different individuals proposed about the concepts, especially when comparing them to what we know today

The lecturer showed great enthusiasm about the subject and was very well researched. Students were given plenty of opportunities to ask questions, especially after he discussed concepts that were tricky. If he didn’t know the answer he wasn’t afraid to say so, and would go and research the answer.

In the tutorials we would read and discuss both primary and secondary sources related to the current lectures. There is a compulsory 75% attendance, however they don’t seem too worried if you miss more than that. The lecturer would occasionally join in tutorials, allowing questions to be asked. Usually this happened just before the assessments.

The semester assessments consisted of looking at 3-4 paragraphs and analysing them (200 words each). Both the meaning and the historical significance needed to be looked at. Often the information was covered in the tutorials. Examples were posted on the LMS to give a rough idea of how an analysis should be written. They went out at 5:15PM on the Wednesday and were due 11:59PM Sunday. This was a reasonable timeframe.

The final essay topics were released at the start of the semester. There was the option to pick one of the first five topics (related to the first half of the semester) and submit it before the exam period or opt to complete the essay on a later topic and submit it during the exam period. The topics were fair and reasonable (10 in total) and there is at least one topic for everyone. The lecturer spent a lecture explaining what he wanted from us in the essay and gave us a comprehensive list of books that the library had access to .

Overall I found this subject to be intellectually stimulating and would definitely recommend it as a breadth for BSc students, especially those who are knowledgeable on physics.

Yes, with screen capture

Kristian Camilleri

N/A

4 Out of 5

Subject reader

2x 1 hour lecture per week, 1x 1 hour tutorial per week

Semester 2 2017

(Optional) 66 H3