History of Science, Technology and Medicine

Many great discovery moments in science have become embedded in popular culture - think of the apple hitting Newton on the head, Archimedes' Eureka moment when he jumped out of the bath, and Darwin's insight into evolution by natural selection via his voyage to the Galapagos. But these stereotypes fail to capture the complexities inherent in the process of learning about our natural world using methods which we now describe as 'science'. They also fail to interrogate the ways in which science has shaped, and in turn been shaped by, sociocultural, political, and economic forces throughout history. This course examines the relationship between the production of scientific knowledge and its broader sociocultural contexts. In particular, this course explores how science has influenced our understanding of what it means to be human: our place in nature and in the universe, and the nature of matter, life, and death. Students will investigate key episodes in the history of science, technology, and medicine in depth to gain an understanding of the relationship between science and power throughout history, and also to reflect on the implications of this history for our contemporary views on science and our privileging of it as a form of knowledge production.