Mail Code: 94305-2024
Phone: 650-725-0714
Email: rrogers@stanford.edu
Web Site: http://HPS.stanford.edu
Courses offered by the Program in History and Philosophy of Science are listed under the subject code HPS on the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses web site.
The Program in History and Philosophy of Science (HPS) teaches students to examine the sciences, medicine and technology from a number of perspectives, conceptual, historical and social. The community of scholars includes core faculty and students in History and Philosophy and affiliated members in Classics, Anthropology, English, Political Science, Communication, and other disciplines. Together, they draw upon the multiple methods of their disciplines to study the development, functioning, applications, and social and cultural engagements of the sciences.
Stanford's Program in History and Philosophy of Science is a collaborative enterprise of the departments of History and Philosophy. Each department has its own undergraduate and graduate degree programs in this area, but these overlap and interact through the structure of requirements, advising, team-taught courses, an active graduate student community and a shared colloquium series.
The program's courses span from antiquity to the late 20th century, with emphasis on:
- ancient science
- Renaissance science
- the Scientific Revolution
- Enlightenment and transatlantic science
- history of medicine and the body
- history and philosophy of biology
- history and philosophy of modern physics
- history of the philosophy of science from the early modern period to the present
- central issues in contemporary philosophy of science
- gender, science, and technology
Undergraduate Degrees
HPS offers undergraduates the opportunity to study science, medicine and technology by combining scientific and humanistic perspectives in a single program. Students can pursue HPS through the two departments (History and Philosophy) that coordinate this interdisciplinary program. The HPS Program offers students an in-depth understanding of the nature and evolution of scientific ideas, practices, and institutions; their contemporary significance to intellectual life; and their material transformation of the modern world.
The Department of History offers an interdisciplinary track in History of Science, and Medicine. This track is especially well suited to students who wish to combine history and science, or who are interested in studying the history of science and medicine in combination with premed science requirements in preparation for a future career in medicine and public health.
The Department of Philosophy offers a special program in History and Philosophy of Science. This program is especially well suited to students who want to combine their concentration in Philosophy with the study of science and its history.
Students interested in HPS should contact the faculty advisors (in 2015-16 Paula Findlen for History and Michael Friedman for Philosophy) to discuss the undergraduate program.
Graduate Degrees
Graduate students in the Program in History and Philosophy of Science can pursue a Ph.D. either in History, through its Ph.D. concentration in History of Science, Medicine, and Technology, or in Philosophy, through its Ph.D. subplan in History and Philosophy of Science. Diplomas will be issued by the respective departments, but the HPS study will not be noted on the transcript nor on the diploma. Ph.D. students completing the requirements of the HPS program will receive a certificate issued by the Program.
Graduate students in the Program in History and Philosophy of Science that wish to pursue a Ph.D. in Philosophy must fulfill Departmental degree requirements and the following requirements:
1. HPS colloquium series attendance
2. One of the following graduate level Philosophy of Science courses: 263, 264, 264A, 265, 265C, 266, 267A or 267B
3. One elective seminar in the history of science
4. One elective seminar (in addition to the course satisfying requirement 2) in philosophy of science
Philosophy Ph.D. students declaring the HPS subplan in Axess will have it appear on the official transcript but is not printed on the diploma.
The Program in History and Philosophy of Science degree requirements for the Ph.D. in History of Science, Medicine and Technology, in addition to the general History Department Ph.D. degree requirements, are:
1. HPS colloquium series attendance
2. the History Department core seminar in History of Science, Medicine and Technology
3. Four other courses in the history of science, technology and/or medicine
4. One course in the philosophy of science
5. Four additional courses in a given geographical or national field of research, one of which must be a core course
The courses described above must include two research seminars, at least one of which must be in the history of science, technology and/or medicine. Students are expected to write papers on substantially different topics for each seminar. You should also aim to present your research at the annual meeting of a professional society associated with the history of science, technology and/or medicine sometime during your third or fourth year. For more information, see the program's web site.
Bachelor of Arts Programs
HPS offers undergraduates the opportunity to study science, medicine and technology by combining scientific and humanistic perspectives in a single program. Students can pursue HPS through the two departments (History and Philosophy) that coordinate this interdisciplinary program. The HPS Program offers students an in-depth understanding of the nature and evolution of scientific ideas, practices, and institutions; their contemporary significance to intellectual life; and their material transformation of the modern world.
The Department of History offers an interdisciplinary track in History of Science, and Medicine. This track is especially well suited to students who wish to combine history and science, or who are interested in studying the history of science and medicine in combination with premed science requirements in preparation for a future career in medicine and public health.
The Department of Philosophy offers a special program in History and Philosophy of Science. This program is especially well suited to students who want to combine their concentration in Philosophy with the study of science and its history.
Students interested in HPS should contact the faculty advisers (in 2015-16 Paula Findlen for History and Michael Friedman for Philosophy) to discuss the undergraduate program.
Course Sequences
The following courses are offered in 2015-16 in the area of History and Philosophy of Science.
Introductory
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| HPS/PHIL 60 | Introduction to Philosophy of Science | 5 |
| HPS 61 | Philosophy and the Scientific Revolution | 5 |
Science in History
This sequence is designed to introduce students to the history of Science from antiquity to the 20th century. Students are advised to take most or all of this sequence as a core foundation.
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| HISTORY 40/140 | World History of Science | 3 |
| HISTORY 140A | The Scientific Revolution | 5 |
| HISTORY 44/144 | Women and Gender in Science, Medicine and Engineering | 3 |
| HISTORY 44Q | Gendered Innovations in Science, Medicine, Engineering, and Environment | 4-5 |
| HISTORY 240/340 | The History of Evolution | 4-5 |
| HISTORY 203C/303C | History of Ignorance | 5 |
| HISTORY 232D | Rome: The City and the World, 1300-1800 | 4-5 |
| HISTORY 332G | When Worlds Collide: The Trial of Galileo | 4-5 |
| HISTORY 342 | Darwin in the History of Life | 4-5 |
| HISTORY 431 | Early Modern Things | 4-5 |
| MATH 163 | The Greek Invention of Mathematics | 3-5 |
| OSPFLOR 44 | ||
| HISTORY 243C/343C | People, Plants, and Medicine: Atlantic World Amerindian, African, and European Science | 4-5 |
| HISTORY 344F | Gender Methods in History, Medicine, and Technology | 4-5 |
| HISTORY 202B/302B | Coffee, Sugar, and Chocolate: Commodities and Consumption in World History, 1200-1800 | 4-5 |
| HISTORY 234 | The Enlightenment | 3-5 |
| HISTORY 204D/304D | Advanced Topics in Agnotology | 4-5 |
| HISTORY 205A/305A | The History of Information | 4-5 |
| HISTORY 241K/341K | Technology in Modern American Culture | 4-5 |
| HISTORY 444 | Graduate Research Seminar: Gender in Science, Medicine, and Engineering | 5 |
| HISTORY 430 | Graduate Research Seminar: Early Modern Europe | 4-5 |
Medicine in History
This sequence is designed to introduce students to the history of medicine from antiquity to the 20th century.
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| HISTORY 40 | World History of Science | 3 |
| HISTORY 41Q | Madwomen: The History of Women and Mental Illness in the U.S. | 3 |
| HISTORY 130A | In Sickness and In Health: Medicine and Society in the United States: 1800-Present | 5 |
| AMSTUD 156H | Women and Medicine in US History: Women as Patients, Healers and Doctors | 5 |
| HISTORY 243G/343G | Tobacco and Health in World History | 4-5 |
| HISTORY 244C | The History of the Body in Science, Medicine, and Culture | 4-5 |
| HISTORY 264G | The Social History of Mental Illness in the United States | 5 |
Philosophical Perspectives on Science, Medicine, and Technology
This sequence is designed to introduce students to the philosophy of science. Students are advised to take HPS 60 Introduction to Philosophy of Science above as a starting point, and combine a number of the electives listed below in conjunction with courses in the other concentrations that address their specific interests.
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| PHIL 153/253 | Feminist Theories and Methods Across the Disciplines | 2-5 |
| PHIL 164/264 | Central Topics in the Philosophy of Science: Theory and Evidence | 4 |
| PHIL 165/265 | Philosophy of Physics | 4 |
| PHIL 166/266 | Probability: Ten Great Ideas About Chance | 4 |
| PHIL 167D | Philosophy of Neuroscience | 4 |
| PHIL 326 | Kant's Transcendental Deduction | 4 |
| PHIL 348 | Evolution of Signalling | 2-4 |
| PHIL 361 | Social Dimensions of Scientific Knowledge | 4 |
| PHIL 362 | Grad Seminar on Philosophy of Science | 4 |
| PHIL 374F | Science, Religion, and Democracy | 4 |
Advanced Course Sequences
Contemporary Perspectives on Science, Medicine and Technology
The following courses focus on contemporary cultural and social science approaches to science, technology, and medicine.
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| HPS 199 | Directed Reading | 1-15 |
| HPS 299 | Graduate Individual Work | 1-15 |
| ANTHRO 180 | Science, Technology, and Gender | 3-5 |
| HISTORY 243S/443A | Human Origins: History, Evidence, and Controversy | 4-5 |
Graduate Degrees
Graduate students in the Program in History and Philosophy of Science can pursue a Ph.D. either in History, through its Ph.D. concentration in History of Science, Medicine, and Technology, or in Philosophy, through its Ph.D. subplan in History and Philosophy of Science. Diplomas will be issued by the respective departments, but the HPS study will not be noted on the transcript nor on the diploma. Ph.D. students completing the requirements of the HPS program will receive a certificate issued by the Program.
Graduate students in the Program in History and Philosophy of Science that wish to pursue a Ph.D. in Philosophy must fulfill Departmental degree requirements and the following requirements:
1. HPS colloquium series attendance
2. One of the following graduate level Philosophy of Science courses: 263, 264, 264A, or 266
3. One elective seminar in the history of science
4. One elective seminar (in addition to the course satisfying requirement 2) in philosophy of science
Philosophy Ph.D. students declaring the HPS subplan via the Declaration or Change to a Field of Study form will have it appear on the official transcript but is not printed on the diploma.
The Program in History and Philosophy of Science degree requirements for the Ph.D. in History of Science, Medicine and Technology, in addition to the general History Department Ph.D. degree requirements, are:
1. HPS colloquium series attendance
2. the History Department core seminar in History of Science, Medicine and Technology
3. Four other courses in the history of science, technology and/or medicine
4. One course in the philosophy of science
5. Four additional courses in a given geographical or national field of research, one of which must be a core course
The courses described above must include two research seminars, at least one of which must be in the history of science, technology and/or medicine. Students are expected to write papers on substantially different topics for each seminar. You should also aim to present your research at the annual meeting of a professional society associated with the history of science, technology and/or medicine sometime during your third or fourth year. For more information, see the program's web site.
Course Sequences
See the Bachelors tab for all History and Philosophy of Science courses offered in 2015-2016.
Co-chairs: Paula Findlen (History), Michael Friedman (Philosophy)
Committee-in-Charge: Paula Findlen (History), Michael Friedman (Philosophy), Helen Longino (Philosophy), Reviel Netz (Classics), Robert Proctor (History), Jessica Riskin (History), Thomas Ryckman (Philosophy)
Program Committee: Paula Findlen (History), Michael Friedman (Philosophy), Helen Longino (Philosophy), Tom Mullaney (History), Reviel Netz (Classics), Robert Proctor (History), Jessica Riskin (History), Thomas Ryckman (Philosophy), Londa Schiebinger (History)
Professors: Keith Baker (History), Paula Findlen (History), Michael Friedman (Philosophy), David Holloway (History, Institute for International Studies, Political Science), Helen Longino (Philosophy), Reviel Netz (Classics), Robert Proctor (History), Londa Schiebinger (History), Richard White (History), Caroline Winterer (History)
Associate Professors: Thomas Mullaney (History), Jessica Riskin (History), Fred Turner (Communication), Sarah Jain (Anthropology), Priya Satia (History)
Professor (Teaching): Thomas Ryckman (Philosophy)
Professor (Research): Rega Wood (Philosophy, emerita)
Lecturer: Margo Horn, Kristen Haring
Other Affiliation: Henry Lowood (Stanford University Libraries), Larry Lagerstrom (UAR)
Visiting Scholar: Adrienne Mayor (Classics)
Overseas Studies Courses in History and Philosophy of Science
The Bing Overseas Studies Program manages Stanford study abroad programs for Stanford undergraduates. Students should consult their department or program's student services office for applicability of Overseas Studies courses to a major or minor program.
The Bing Overseas Studies course search site displays courses, locations, and quarters relevant to specific majors.
For course descriptions and additional offerings, see the listings in the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses or Bing Overseas Studies.
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| OSPFLOR 77 | The Convergence of the Arts and Sciences Since the Renaissance | 3 |
Courses
HPS 60. Introduction to Philosophy of Science. 5 Units.
The nature of scientific knowledge: evidence and confirmation; scientific explanation; models and theories; objectivity; science, society, and values.
Same as: PHIL 60
HPS 61. Philosophy and the Scientific Revolution. 5 Units.
Galileo's defense of the Copernican world-system that initiated the scientific revolution of the 17th century, led to conflict between science and religion, and influenced the development of modern philosophy. Readings focus on Galileo and Descartes.
Same as: PHIL 61
HPS 199. Directed Reading. 1-15 Unit.
May be repeated for credit.
HPS 299. Graduate Individual Work. 1-15 Unit.
May be repeated for credit.
