Cognitive Science 0109 - Lives of the Scientists

Before they got famous, every celebrated scientist was just some person. Perhaps they did amazing work in their time, but these people did not spring fully formed from the mind of God. Many of them were strange and unusual. Newton would go to taverns in disguise to catch counterfeiters, as part of his day job at the Royal Mint. Niels Bohr loved cowboy movies but always had a hard time following the plot. Don Quixote was one of Einstein's favorite books. In this course, we will read about the lives and work of 24 scientists from across the span of history. Some of them you've heard of; others you have probably not. You will read a little of their research, and learn a bit about them as a person. And I think you will find that, in many ways, they are not what you have been taught to expect Keywords:History of science, history, science

Media and Technology Students should expect to spend 8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time