Departments & Programs

History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine

Certificate in the Cultures of Science and Medicine
Purpose

This program aims to give both undergraduates majoring in the sciences and undergraduates majoring in the humanities a unique opportunity to bridge the ever-widening gap between the notorious "two cultures." The program is organized and administered within the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine, but it also involves a wide spectrum of other units across the university, such as the Departments of Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, English, History, Journalism, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Psychological and Brain Sciences, Religious Studies, and Sociology; and the Schools of Business, Education, Informatics and Computing, and Public and Environmental Affairs. The program involves several different tracks that integrate the sciences and the humanities in a variety of ways: (1) Life Sciences; (2) Physics, Computation, and Cognition; (3) Science, Society, and Culture; (4) the Nature of Science.

Required Courses

Students must complete 25 credit hours—24 credit hours of course work divided into eight 3 credit courses, with 1 additional credit hour given for a capstone research project, typically in conjunction with one of the talks in the departmental colloquium (X333). Four courses, totaling 12 credit hours, will be in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine, and the remaining four, also totaling 12 credit hours, will be spread across the other curricular units involved in the program in accordance with the chosen track. Each student's plan for a particular track must be approved by the director of the program.

A 100-level core course in the history and philosophy of science and medicine is required for all students in the program. Students may select either the introductory survey course offered every semester under the course number HPSC-X 102 or a Critical Approaches (CAPP) course relevant for their chosen track taught by HPSC faculty. Prior to registration, students should check with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to make sure a specific CAPP course will count toward their chosen track. 

Three other HPSC courses relevant for the chosen track, one of which must be at or above the 300 level, are also required. These courses will be selected in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Four courses from other relevant units, adapted to the particular track elected by the student, will complete the program. In non–HPSC courses, at least one must be at the 300 level or above. Four courses (including both HPSC and non–HPSC courses) will be at the 300–400 level.

Recommended HPSC Courses (offered regularly)

Track 1
  • Introduction to Medical History (X205)
  • Memoirs of Madness (HON-H 226)
  • Environmental History (X223)
  • The Origins of Darwinism (X226)
  • History of Physiology from 18th Century–20th Century (X226)
  • History and Philosophy of Medicine (X305)
  • History of Biology (X308)
  • Human Nature (X320)
  • Perception and Observation (X323)
  • Anatomy and Physiology on William Harvey and His Century (X326)
  • Neuropsychological Pathography (X424)
Track 2
  • Philosophical Foundations of Cognitive Science (COGS-Q 240)
  • The Atomic Bomb: Modern Physics, Manhattan Project, and History of Nuclear Weapons (X206)
  • Technology and Culture (X210)
  • What Computers Cannot Do (X227)
  • History and Philosophy of Physics (X229)
  • Understanding Pictures: Aesthetics and Science (X306)
  • Topics in the Philosophy of Physics (X326)
  • The Computer—A Biography (X327)
Track 3
  • The Atomic Bomb: Modern Physics, Manhattan Project, and History of Nuclear Weapons (X206)
  • Occult in Western Civilization (X207)
  • Environmental History (X223)
  • The Origins of Darwinism (X226)
  • Understanding Pictures: Aesthetics and Science (X306)
  • Cultural History of Astrology (X320)
  • Anatomy and Physiology: William Harvey and His Century (X326)
  • Science and Gender (X370)
  • Victorian Science, Philosophy, and Culture (X420)
Track 4
  • Scientists at Work: Frankenstein to Einstein (X110)
  • Perception and Observation (X323)
  • Instruments and Experiments (X326)
  • The Art of Science: History and Philosophy of the Use of Images in Science (X326)
  • History of Science before 1750 (X406)
  • History of Science since 1750 (X407)
  • Scientific Understanding (X451)
  • Modern Philosophy of Science (X452)

Additional courses may be selected in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.