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Interpretation essay

#	Due Date	Pts	Activity	Time
4	Friday 11:59 p.m.	20	Interpretation Essay Unless it explains, history is trivial. Write a short persuasive essay agreeing or disagreeing with a common interpretation about the topic and expressing your own view	60 min.

Sic et Non

Write your interpretation in a 1200-1800 word essay.

It’s time to put on our thinking caps and interpret the significance of what we’ve been exploring! Unless it explains, history is trivial. Did you discover anything unexpected this week that needs to be explained? What surprised you this week? Did you make any unexpected discoveries? What was the most meaningful part of your explorations this week?

In your explorations of science in Asia, you encountered many different, sometimes contradictory explanations. Interpretations have varied immensely over time, and continue to be disputed even today.

For example, until the 20th century, most Europeans would have agreed with the following assessment, written by Francis Bacon in 1620. Bacon championed the new era of modern discovery by pointing to three supreme novelties: printing, gunpowder, and the magnet. Bacon explained that these three discoveries…

“were unknown to the ancients;… their origin, though recent, is obscure and inglorious. For these three have changed the whole face and state of things throughout the world; the first in literature, the second in warfare, the third in navigation; whence have followed innumerable changes, insomuch that no empire, no sect, no star seems to have exerted greater power and influence in human affairs than these mechanical discoveries.”
Francis Bacon, 1620

These three transformational inventions, namely, printing, gunpowder and the magnet, may have been novelties in Europe, but they had long been known in ancient China. How ironic that the very discoveries Bacon singled out as the pinnacle of modern European achievement actually had an ancient pedigree in Asia.

In this course we have surveyed the natural knowledge of at least eight cultures so far, including Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Hellenic, Hellenistic, Roman, Islamic, Indian, and Chinese. Given what you have learned about science in these cultures, defend or critique the thesis that:

"The growth of western science cannot be understood apart from rich and sustained interactions between multiple cultures."

This thesis is one of the organizing principles of this course. Do you find that it illuminates your understanding of the history of science to the age of Newton?

What is the most significant implication of what you have learned this week?

What is your interpretation?"
 

Instructions for Interpretation assignments: Go to Janux and watch the Interpretations video prompt. Comment on your initial reaction to the video prompt in the discussion stream at Janux. Take one of the questions or points of view listed here and consider how it relates to the assigned readings for this week. Consider both Context and Evidence assignments, whenever applicable. Write a short essay defending your thesis and/or refuting competing interpretations. An Interpretation essay must express a point of view, supporting that argument with specific evidence gathered from the assigned readings. Your Interpretation essay should be at least 1200 words long, and not more than 1800 words (you can do a word count at Motionnet.com). This word count does NOT include the original question you are responding to, any quotations from assigned readings, or the two notes at the end of the essay. Spellcheck, word count, and proofread your essay. Since this is a longer writing assignment, you will probably want to use the spellcheck and word-count features in your word processor. In a one or two sentence note at the end of your essay (not part of the word-count), indicate why you chose to respond to that issue and how you came up with the interpretation. In a one-sentence note after your essay (not part of the word-count), identify which style or genre you selected (analytical, narrative, dialogue, etc.) and explain why you thought that would be the most effective way to convey your interpretation. Include reference citations or links to any textbook, website, course page, or Exhibits Online that are closely related to your Interpretation (e.g., "For Redondi's view, go here: insert link"). Additional reading beyond course assignments is not required, but you must include at least two citations or links to assigned readings that provide evidence and relevant historical context. These two sources must be either primary sources that pertain to the topic and come from the period being discussed or secondary sources (e.g., one of our textbooks or assigned web pages) written with demonstrable knowledge of the relevant primary sources (for example, in addition to the assigned background readings, professional historians of science may be assumed to be familiar with the sources they write about; see guidelines for evaluating sources). An argument that is not supported with documented evidence does not meet the minimum requirements for an Interpretation essay. For citations and links, use the forms described in the bibliographical guidelines. (For example, a citation to our text could be "Lindberg, Beginnings, p. #." ) Cut-and-paste your completed essay, with notes and links, and post it in the Interpretation forum for this week at the Confluence discussion board. After you have posted your Interpretation, complete the Gradebook Declaration in Desire2Learn. (Your Gradebook Declaration is subject to the Honor Code.)

	HSCI 3013. History of Science to 17th century Kerry Magruder, Instructor, 2004-14 Brent Purkaple, TA Report typos or broken links	Go to this course at Janux spellcheck.net | wordcounter.net Many thanks to the pedagogical model developed in Mythology and Folklore and other online courses by Laura Gibbs, which have been an inspiration for this course.	Academic Calendar
	This course is currently undergoing major reconstruction to bring it into alignment with the new version of the course at Janux