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HPS HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYOn this page: Introduction | Faculty Members | Programs | Courses See also: Course Summer Timetable | Course Winter Timetable | More on Department IntroductionThe history and philosophy of science and technology cuts across traditional disciplines of the sciences and the humanities. HPS courses treat the sciences and technology, including mathematics and medicine, as being historically and philosophically significant in themselves, and also as being integral components of the general development of knowledge, culture, and society. The undergraduate courses serve to introduce the student to this discipline, and also to provide a wider context for understanding science and technology. All courses have a substantial historical component, and many deal with philosophical, economic and related issues. For example, students of history will find courses in the history of science to be an important part of social and intellectual history, while students of economic history may be especially interested in the history of technology. For philosophy students, history of science courses form a natural adjunct to issues in the theory of knowledge, philosophy of science and history of philosophy. Students of the humanities with particular interests in the physical or biological sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics, or medicine will naturally be interested in HPS courses, and students in these scientific disciplines will benefit from the broad historical and philosophical perspective on their studies that HPS courses can provide. Some students may wish to plan their entire programs around a core of HPS courses. The Specialist and Major programs listed are suitable training for graduate study in this field, and for elementary and secondary school teaching, museum and library work, science writing and editing, and other fields where competence in both science and humanities is valuable. For more information consult the IHPST Undergraduate Handbook, available at the Institute. Undergraduate Coordinator: Professor M.P. Winsor, Victoria College, Room 322 (978-6280) Enquiries: Victoria College, Room 316 (978-5397)
HPS PROGRAMSEnrolment in the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology programs requires the completion of four courses; no minimum GPA required. HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE (B.A.)Specialist program (Hon.B.A.): S16151 (11.5 full courses or their equivalent)
Major program Major program: M16151 (7 full courses or their equivalent)
Minor program Minor program: R16151 (4 full courses or their equivalent)
HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (B.A.)Specialist program (Hon.B.A.): S06651 (11 full courses or their equivalent)
NOTE: At least three of the above ten courses must be 300+series Major program Major program: M06651 (7 full courses or their equivalent)
Minor program Minor program: R06651 (4 HPS full courses or their equivalent) Four HPS courses, of which at least one must a 300+ series course. One course may be replaced by a course in the history of science offered by another department, but requires approval of the Undergraduate Coordinator. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES (B.A.)(Program under review, not offered in 1998-99)Specialist program (Hon.B.A.): S17921 (13 full courses or their equivalent)
HPS COURSES(see Section 4 for Key to Course Descriptions)For Distribution Requirement purposes, some HPS courses are cross-listed; check individual course descriptions.
HPS200Y The culture of the natural sciences, explored through revolutionary bursts of innovation that propelled science in new and sometimes unexpected directions. Although some familiarity with scientific concepts is helpful, the course is designed for students in both the sciences and the humanities.
This counts as a Humanities or Science course
HPS201H Technology and its place in our culture from Antiquity to the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. Relations between technology and science, religion, the arts, social institutions, and political beliefs. This is a Humanities course
HPS202H A survey of technical change and its social implications from the Industrial Revolution to the present.
This is a Humanities course
HPS250H This course critically examines several influential models of science and ideas of objectivity, rationality, theory change, revolution in science and the growth of scientific knowledge. (A suitable pre-cursor to PHL355H) This is a Humanities course
HPS299Y Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. See Research Opportunity Program for details.
HPS306H An examination of the tools of war in the Western world from the Middle Ages to World War II, including not only weapons but the means of transportation, communication, and organization used in violent conflict. The effects of war on the development of science and technology.
This is a Humanities course
HPS307H The history of human control of various sources of energy, including technical developments, scientific theories, and impact on culture and society. Recent debates on fossil fuel and nuclear power examined in historical context.
This is a Humanities course
HPS314Y A survey of medical theory and practice from Antiquity to the modern welfare state, with emphasis on social, cultural and political setting.
This is a Humanities course
HPS323H A close examination of the theory advanced in Darwin's Origin of Species, including historical investigation of its development in European thought in general and in Darwin's mind in particular, and the logic and strategy of Darwin's argument. Consideration of the effect of evolutionary ideas on science, religion and social thought in the 19th and 20th centuries, including eugenics, the Scopes trial and sociobiology.
This counts as a Humanities or Science course
HPS324H Historical examination of the interactions of science (both as body of knowledge and as enterprise) with ideological, political and social issues. The impact of science; attacks on and critiques of scientific expertise as background to contemporary conflicts. Subjects may vary according to students' interests. This is a Humanities course
HPS333H Classic episodes from the history of physiology, cell theory, embryology, genetics, and molecular biology, including the work of Aristotle, Galen, Harvey, Descartes, Roux, Mendel, Morgan, Watson and Crick.
This counts as a Humanities or Science course
PHL355H
HPS360H Conceptions of universe since 1800 with attention to observational sources of changing ideas. History of large telescopes, stellar spectroscopy and radio astronomy. Relativistic conceptions of space and time, models of stellar evolution, discovery of extra-galactic nebulae, Hubble red-shift and microwave background radiation. Philosophical and religious implications are examined. This counts as a Humanities or Science course
HPS390H A survey of ancient, medieval, and early modern mathematics with emphasis on historical issues. (Offered in alternate years)
This counts as a Humanities or Science course
HPS391H A survey of the development of mathematics from 1700 to the present with emphasis on historical issues. (Offered in alternate years)
This counts as a Humanities or Science course
HPS410H An historical survey from pre-Greek to the present. Various themes are emphasized year to year, to show mathematics as changing and evolving. A student could expect to gain an historical overview as well as a sense of the unity of the mathematical sciences.
This is a Humanities course
HPS412H Advanced level survey of biological science from ancient Greece to the 20th century emphasizing primary sources analyses.
This is a Humanities course
HPS427H The development of chemistry from the Chemical Revolution of Lavoisier to the periodic table of Mendeleev: electro-chemistry, the rise of organic chemistry, classification, valency, structural chemistry.
This is a Humanities course
HPS430H An advanced survey of the history of technology from Antiquity to the Industrial Revolution.
This is a Humanities course
HIS431H An advanced survey of the history of technology from the Industrial Revolution to modern times.
This is a Humanities course
HPS495Y A reading and research project in some aspect of history of science and technology, supervised by a faculty member. Projects must be approved by the Institute and are subject to availability of a faculty supervisor.
This is a Humanities course
HPS496H/497H Individual Studies A reading and research project in some aspect of the social, cultural or intellectual history of science and technology, supervised by a faculty member. Projects must be approved by the Institute by the previous June for a Fall course or by November for a Spring course, and are subject to availability of a faculty supervisor.
HPS498H/499H Individual Studies A reading and research project in some aspect of the development of scientific theory or practice, supervised by a faculty member. Projects must be approved by the Institute by the previous June for a Fall course or by November for a Spring course, and are subject to availability of a faculty supervisor.
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