The course aims to familiarize students to a diversity of methodological approaches that use history as a resource to advance our understanding of science and of its philosophy. Students will have the opportunity to discuss how these approaches can be implemented in their own research in seminar sessions. The lecture sessions will tackle, in turn: theoretical and practical motivations for work in HPS; the legacy of French Historical Epistemology; the importance of “method discourses” in history and philosophy of science; the challenges and promises of quantitative methods in history of philosophy; the role that reconstructing instruments and experiments from the past may play in understanding scientific practice; and, finally, how the history of a specific technology (in this case, a battery) offers crucial insights into our philosophical understanding of science.
The course is divided into two parts:
Part I: Lectures, presenting different approaches in HPS (History and Philosophy of Science) over six weeks.
Part II: Seminars, allowing students to discuss the application of one or more of these approaches to their own research over four weeks. Students are expected to prepare a 10-minute presentation on their research for one of the seminars; there will be max 4 presentations per seminar.
Please note: The course will follow a hybrid format. However, to encourage in-person attendance, lectures and seminars (Part I and Part II) will take place on the same day. When applicable, a lecture will be held in the morning, followed by a seminar in the afternoon, with an opportunity to share lunch together.
Primary target group | PhD researchers and ReMA students working in history and/or philosophy of science |
If places available also open to | Postdocs |
Type of activity | Seminar |
Certificate credit points | 4 EC |
Organizer | Dr. Claudia Cristalli (Tilburg University) |
Location | |
Date | March 21 @ 10:30 |
Venue | Tilburg University, Room TBC |
This is a tentative program. Some dates may still change – the final program will be determined in late November.
The course is articulated in 2 parts:
Friday March 7
Friday March 21
Friday April 4
Friday April 11
Friday April 25
Friday May 9
Required readings will be circulated prior to each lecture (where applicable).
Assessment will consist of:
Detailed instructions will be made available in class.
Costs:
How to register:
The registration deadline is February 17, 2025. If registration has been closed because the maximum amount of participants has been reached, you can submit your name to the waiting list by sending an email to . Please also indicate whether you are a ReMA student or PhD candidate and whether you are a member of the OZSW or not.
The OZSW registration and cancellation policy applies to this activity (to be found here).
Name | Dr. Claudia Cristalli (Tilburg University) |