History and Philosophy of
Science is currently offering two undergraduate course that should be of
considerable interest to undergraduates who are concerned with contemporary
social issues. They are Philosophy of Medicine -X320, and Science and Society,
H240. I’m pasting in the course descriptions and relevant logistics
below.
Thanks,
Bill Newman
DUGS, HPSC
Philosophy of Medicine
History and Philosophy of Science X320
Professor Elisabeth
Lloyd
X320
Section 27836
Tuesday, Thursday
9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
Location: SY
103
Course Description
We will study both the history of public health and
medicine, starting with the ancient Greeks, and moving up to contemporary
problems in these fields. When and how did modern medical understandings
of the body emerge? How did people learn how the body was put together,
such as the circulatory system, the beating of the heart, or the functioning of
the kidneys? When was the germ theory of disease developed? What is the
biggest cause of the recent, 20th Century reduction in infant
mortality in the US and England? Our contemporary topics will include the
issues of genetic diseases and predispositions. What does it mean to say
that a person “has a gene for” heart disease or breast cancer? Can they
be discriminated against at work or in health care on this basis? What
are the ethics of smoking, alcohol use, and eating right? We will read
about the AIDS/HIV case as a modern crisis in public health. What are
new, emerging challenges to medicine and public health? What are the
ethics of the distribution of expensive treatments or rare drugs?
Texts include:
Rosen, George A History of Public Health (1993) Johns
Hopkins University Press.
Nuland, Sherwin Doctors: The Biography of Medicine
(1988) Vintage Books.
Oncourse Readings
Science and Society: Science & Public Engagement
Professor Jutta Schickore
H240
Section 30338
Monday, Wednesday
2:30 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
Location: HU111
Modern science is a highly specialized activity, pursued by
trained experts at research labs or universities. But of course, science is not
confined to the laboratory or academy. The outcome of scientific research
informs and shapes our society and culture at all levels. We encounter science
in the media, in museums, or in the court room. Politicians, lawyers, and other
professionals draw on, assess, and sometimes seek to restrict scientific
activity. This course explores how science engages with the public, how the
public engages with science, and how the relation between science and the
public has changed over time. Beginning in the 18th century, we will
focus on three related topics.
The forms of engagement: How are complex scientific
issues made palatable to wider audiences? We will survey different forms of
science communication, such as popular lectures and magazines, museum displays,
novels, and films. We will discuss how audiences’ responses shape the course of
science, and whether basic scientific literacy is sufficient to understand and
evaluate scientific activity.
The sites of engagement: Where do the exchanges
between scientists and public audiences occur? We will consider sites and
spaces such as museums and zoos, cabinets of curiosity, lecture halls, court
rooms, and mass media. How do these sites facilitate – or perhaps impede – the
flow of information?
The purposes and effects of engagement: What are the
goals of science communication? Why do scientists, science educators, and
science journalists care about what non-scientists think about science? Have
these goals changed since the late 18th century? Why might lay
audiences engage with science; what are their interests and expectations?
