History and Philosophy of Science (HPSC40016)

In this subject students will be introduced to a range of classic texts in the history and philosophy of science and science and technology studies. The subject is organized as a series of four three-week learning modules, each of which will be taught by one member of the HPS program with a focus on their particular area of teaching/research expertise. Each module will introduce students to a carefully selected seminal text, which has been the subject of considerable scholarly attention in a particular subfield.

Students will become familiar with the main issues arising from that text, and the different ways in which leading scholars have attempted to engage with it. In any given year, students will take four out of a possible six modules, depending on staff availability. The six areas are: (i) philosophy of science (ii) sociology of science, (iii) history of science, (iv) science and technology studies, (v) history of medicine, or (vi) metaresearch. Students taking this subject will acquire a deeper understanding of the issues that are of most pressing concern to scholars in these fields today, and will have an opportunity to develop their own critical analysis of what is at stake in current debates.