История науки

Магистратура 2026/2027

ID 1161031

Статус: Курс по выбору (Глобальная и региональная история / Global and Regional History)

Кто читает: Департамент истории

Где читается: Санкт-Петербургская школа гуманитарных наук и искусств

Когда читается: 1-й курс, 4 модуль

Охват аудитории: для своего кампуса

Преподаватели: Лоскутова Марина Викторовна

Язык: английский

Кредиты: 3

Контактные часы: 30

Full Syllabus Ask Question

Abstract

The purpose of the course is to familiarise students with the main problems in the development of natural philosophy and natural sciences in the early modern and modern times and to examine entangled histories of scientific knowledge, technology, economics and social structures in different historical periods. We will consider how the European expansion to other regions of the world, which began in the 16th century, not only stimulated the accumulation of new scientific data but also led to the emergence of new research practices and institutions of scientific research. We will analyse what the history of science and technology can provide for a better understanding of contemporary problems such as food security, climate change, depletion of natural resources, and the transition to new sources of energy.

Learning Objectives

The course aims to familiarise students with the advancement of natural sciences in the early modern and modern periods (from the Scientific Revolution to the early 20th century) in a broader context of social, economic and technological changes, and to hone their critical and argumentative skills in analysing contemporary problems in the relations between science and society.

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze major epistemic shifts and evaluate diverse historiographical approaches in the history of science.
Students will be able to assess how socio-institutional contexts shape the production and validation of scientific knowledge.
Students will be able to compare diverse global scientific traditions to critique Eurocentric and teleological historical narratives.
Students will be able to construct and defend coherent, evidence-based historical arguments synthesizing complex secondary literature.

Course Contents

Introduction and the Historiography of Science
Science in Antiquity: Episteme, Techne, and the Cosmos
The Middle Ages: Transmission, Scholasticism, and the Divine Order
Premodern Science in India and China
Early Modern Science: Experimentalism, Induction, and the New Epistemic Order
The Enlightenment and the Age of Classification: Chemistry, Medicine, and the Statistical Gaze
Science and Modernity: Positivism, Professionalization, and the Sacred
20th-Century Technoscience: The State, the Corporation, and the Bomb

Assessment Elements

Seminar Discussions (Continuous Assessment)
Student Presentations
Written In-Class Exam
On the appointed day, the student comes to sit for the in-class exam. They will be presented with a list of essay questions (the list will be different from any practice questions offered previously). The student will select one question and write a detailed answer (2-3 pages in length) based on the readings and discussions from the course. They will have 1 hour to write and submit their answer. The essay must contain the student's personal views on the matter, supported by arguments based on historiographical debates (properly referenced) and examples from relevant episodes in the history of science.

Interim Assessment

2026/2027 2nd module
0.4 * Written In-Class Exam + 0.3 * Seminar Discussions (Continuous Assessment) + 0.3 * Student Presentations

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

9780262274210 - Grafton, Anthony; Siraisi, Nancy G. - Natural Particulars : Nature and the Disciplines in Renaissance Europe (Dibner Institute Studies in the History of Science and Technology) - 2000 - The MIT Press - http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=35334 - nlebk - 35334
A little history of science, Bynum, William, 2013
Kwa, C. (2011). Styles of Knowing : A New History of Science From Ancient Times to the Present. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=829387
Lightman, B. V. (2016). A Companion to the History of Science. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1163670
Sarton, G. (1962). Introduction to the history of science. Pub. for the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Английский язык. История науки. The history of science - Гвоздева Е. А. - Издательство "Лань" - 978-5-8114-9458-3 - 2022 - русский - https://e.lanbook.com/book/195469 - ЛАНЬ - 195469

Authors

Loskutova Marina Viktorovna

Course Syllabus