We will examine changing scientific beliefs and practices from 1500 to 1800, a time often referred to as the Scientific Revolution and as the birth of modern science. At the core, this is an examination of how knowledge itself changed: how it was gathered, tested and disseminated. We will also examine how the study of the natural world branched from one subject (“natural philosophy”) into multiple specialized disciplines including astronomy, physics, botany, biology, geology and chemistry. Prerequisites: sophomore standing.