The History Of Time

AY2017/2018 Semester 2

As obvious as it may be that history unfolds in time, we often lose sight that time itself has a history. This course explores three important elements of the history of time: its intellectual conception and cultural representation; its scientific and technological quantification, rationalization, and mastery; and its role in structuring societies and their activities. First, over the course of history, different cultures have conceived of time in a variety of ways (e.g. circular, cyclical, progressive) and on many different scales (e.g. cosmic, geologic, civilizational, industrial). In turn, these cultural conceptions of time have given rise to different ideas about the relationship of individual human lives to societies, and societies to history as a whole. Second, the effort to quantify time has given rise to a distinct science and technology of time-keeping, from the ancient sun-dial to today?s atomic clock. Third, the consciousness and quantification of time has made possible numerous social institutions and practices, ranging from the invention of interest on debt to the modern state to the institution of wage-labor. Through discussions of secondary texts and primary sources (including films, art works, and literary texts) this course will explore the history of time as a critical element of human experience from antiquity to present. Through the course, students will practice aesthetic analysis, formulating arguments, historical and cultural knowledge, and critical thinking.