laboratory
During the 2-year Laboratory program you'll learn through both reasoned discourse and hands-on observation and analysis. You'll use primary texts and replicated experiments to consider fundamental scientific questions throughout the ages, exploring the theories of Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler,Newton and Einstein. You'll follow the revolutionary thought and crucial experiments of scientists such as William Harvey in the 18th century and Watson and Crick in the 20th century. We do not believe that scientific studies and the humanities are distinct and autonomous learning domains — the integrity of scientific pursuits stems from all areas of intellectual life. Labs meet twice a week, with ample time for discussion and experiments.
Freshman Laboratory: Biology, Chemistry
In Freshman Laboratory you'll learn the arts of careful observation, dissection, measurement, and experimentation, as well as how to record your observations in drawings, symbols, graphs, and mathematical expressions. The year is divided into what might be classified as biology, physics, and chemistry sequences, but the natural sciences are conceived as parts of a coherent whole. You'll begin by observing and dissecting plants and animals, and reading texts such as Aristotle's Parts of Animals and On the Soul. You'll explore the nature of measurement and equilibrium through works by Archimedes, Pascal, Black, and Gay-Lussac. You'll study the constitution of bodies using Lavoisier's Elements of Chemistry and move on to atomic theory by Dalton, Thomson, Gay-Lussac, Avogadro, Cannizzaro and Mendeleev.
Junior Laboratory: Physics, Chemistry, Evolution, Genetics, Heredity
Junior Laboratory combines readings and discussion with practical experiments: physics and chemistry in the fall, evolution, genetics and heredity in the spring. The fall term focuses on the mathematization of physical phenomena. You'll begin with Galileo's work on strength and motion of matter, move on to the constitution of matter with readings from Black, Lavoisier, Dalton, Thompson, Gay-Lussac, Avogadro, Cannizzaro, Berzelius, Faraday, Mendeleev and others, and conclude with quantum theory. Spring term focuses on comparison of Neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory with physicochemical theories, beginning with Darwinian evolution and moving on to genetics with Mendel, Sutton, Morgan, Wilson, Dawkins and others.
