Oriental Languages and Cultures

This course explores the contribution of savants and proto-scientists, a few of them residing in Rome like Athanasius Kircher,SJ, to the production and transmission of knowledge about East Asia during the XVII century. Selected topics in the history of science will be explored during the second semester. The student will know the contribution of Jesuit savants, like Athanasius Kircher, Jean Baptiste du Halde, and others, to the production and circulation of knowledge about China in early modern Europe; he/she will be able to place this body of knowledge within the larger context of the scientific debates of the time, mainly those concerning cosmology, diversity, technological mastery and scientific primacy. Syllabus: Week 1: Science and Religion during the Early Modern Age 1 Week 2: Science and Religion during the Early Modern Age 2 Week 3 - Catholicism and Early Modern Science Week 4 - Reflection Paper Submission Week 5 - Jesuit Science at the Roman College Week 6 - The Shape of the Earth in Europe and China Week 7 - Athanasius Kircher, the Roman College Museum and Scientific Culture in Rome Week 8 - Athanasius Kircher and the Spread of Knowledge about China in Europe and beyond Week 9 - Hierarchising Humankind Week 10 - Colonising as a "Civilising Mission". The Aftermath of the Industrial Revolution 1 Week 11 - Colonising as a Civilising Mission: the Aftermath of the Industrial Revolution 2 Week 12 - Term Paper Submission and Informal Presentation of Individual Research. All the weekly readings are available on Perusall, an LLM tool accessible on Elearning Sapienza Moodle. Course short name: SCIENCECHINA

This course is open to graduate, exchange and Erasmus students.

Paula Findlen (ed.), Athanasius Kircher, SJ. The Last Man Who Knew Everything, London, Routledge, 2004, selected chapters; Mordechai Feingold, ‘Jesuits: Savants’, in Mordechai Feingold (ed.), Jesuit Science and the Republic of Letters, Cambridge (MA), The MIT Press, 2003, pp.1-45; Paula Findlen, “Scientific Spectacle in Baroque Rome: Athanasius Kircher and the Roman College Museum”, in Mordechai Feingold (ed.), Jesuit Science and the Republic of Letters, Cambridge (MA), The MIT Press, 2003, pp. 225-284; Rivka Feldhay, Galileo and the Church. Political Inquisition or Critical Dialogue?, Cambridge, CUP, 1995, selected chapters. All readings are available on Perusall through Moodle. Course short name: SCIENCE/24

Graduate students, graduate exchange and Erasmus students may enroll for this course. Kindly note that you must provide evidence of having taken the following courses either during their undergraduate or graduate studies: Chinese, History of China, Early Modern History and History of Science. Knowledge of Chinese and Latin is mandatory. Erasmus students who do not have the above mentioned courses on their Transcript of Records will not be accepted. They should note that directed study consists of independent research or fieldwork and additional hours of academic assignments. According to Sapienza’s Statute, 1 CFU is equal to 22 hours of directed study and 6 CFU is equal to one semester of study. Student’s progress will be rigorously monitored by academic supervisors. This course runs through the Spring semester. Graduate students may also submit an independent research plan on one of the topics dealt with in this course.

Attendance is strongly recommended.

Readings, writing, reports on visits to sites of interest in Rome, participation in discussion groups, individual or group presentations. There will be no final exam at the end of this course for students who attend class regularly, however, a term paper on a topic agreed with the lecturer must be handed in within a week of the end of the course. Students who are unable to attend lectures but who wish to receive credit for this course must take an oral examination on all topics and readings covered during the semester and submit a final essay on a topic agreed in advance with the lecturer.

Complementary readings are available on Perusall through Moodle. Course short name: SCIENCE/24

The mode of delivery of this teaching is "inverted" (flipped classroom). This means that students are invited to read the proposed material weekly via access to Perusall (external LT in Moodle), commenting and annotating on the texts, inserting questions at unclear points. During class, after a brief introduction by the instructor, a discussion will be initiated based on comments made on the readings, providing answers to questions. The mode of delivery is therefore highly interactive and stimulating. This learning environment is ideal for master's students because it fosters the development of critical skills, accustoms to reflexivity and develops metacognitive skills.