Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge
Encyclopedia
The Department of History and Philosophy of Science (HPS), of the University of Cambridge
is the largest department of History and Philosophy of Science
in the United Kingdom
. It received a maximum rating of 4* for the majority of its submissions to the RAE 2008 Research Assessment Exercise
. Located in the historic buildings of the Old Physical Chemistry Laboratories on Free School Lane
, Cambridge
, the Department teaches undergraduate courses towards the Cambridge Tripos
and graduate courses including a taught Masters and PhD supervision in the field of HPS. The Department shares its premises with the Whipple Museum and Whipple Library which provide important teaching resources for its teaching and research.
, in addition to external supervisors and examiners. The head of department is Professor John Forrester
, an international authority in the History of Mind, and a leading figure on Sigmund Freud
and the history of psychoanalysis
. Professor James Secord is due to become Acting Head of Department in 2011. Other teaching staff include, Professor Hasok Chang, Dr Eleanor Robson
, Professor Simon Schaffer
, Dr Tim Lewens
and Dr Patricia Fara
. Emeritus Professor Nicholas Jardine retired from full-time teaching duties in the summer of 2010.
having formerly been a Wellcome
Unit in this field. It has played a major role in the Wellcome Trust
funded Generation to Reproduction project at Cambridge and hosted seminars and day conferences in this field.
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
is the largest department of History and Philosophy of Science
History and philosophy of science
The history and philosophy of science is an academic discipline that encompasses the philosophy of science and the history of science. Although many scholars in the field are trained primarily as either historians or as philosophers, there are degree-granting departments of HPS at several...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It received a maximum rating of 4* for the majority of its submissions to the RAE 2008 Research Assessment Exercise
Research Assessment Exercise
The Research Assessment Exercise is an exercise undertaken approximately every 5 years on behalf of the four UK higher education funding councils to evaluate the quality of research undertaken by British higher education institutions...
. Located in the historic buildings of the Old Physical Chemistry Laboratories on Free School Lane
Free School Lane
Free School Lane is in the centre of the City of Cambridge, England. It is the location of the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, the Department of History and Philosophy of Science the University's faculty of Social and Political Sciences, and is the original site of the Cavendish...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, the Department teaches undergraduate courses towards the Cambridge Tripos
Tripos
The University of Cambridge, England, divides the different kinds of honours bachelor's degree by Tripos , plural Triposes. The word has an obscure etymology, but may be traced to the three-legged stool candidates once used to sit on when taking oral examinations...
and graduate courses including a taught Masters and PhD supervision in the field of HPS. The Department shares its premises with the Whipple Museum and Whipple Library which provide important teaching resources for its teaching and research.
Academic staff
The Department of HPS at Cambridge employs eleven full-time teaching staff and numerous supervisors and research associates from departments and colleges across the University of CambridgeUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, in addition to external supervisors and examiners. The head of department is Professor John Forrester
John Forrester (historian)
John Forrester is a historian of philosophy, science and medicine. He has taught at Cambridge since 1974 and is an expert on the history of psychoanalysis and the life and work of Sigmund Freud...
, an international authority in the History of Mind, and a leading figure on Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
and the history of psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
. Professor James Secord is due to become Acting Head of Department in 2011. Other teaching staff include, Professor Hasok Chang, Dr Eleanor Robson
Eleanor Robson
Eleanor Robson is a Reader in History and Philosophy of Science at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University, vice-chair of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq and a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford....
, Professor Simon Schaffer
Simon Schaffer
Simon Schaffer . He is a professor of the history and philosophy of science at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University and was until recently editor of The British Journal for the History of Science.-Life:Schaffer was born in Southampton and attended Varndean...
, Dr Tim Lewens
Tim Lewens
Tim Lewens is a reader in the history and philosophy of biology, medicine, and bioethics at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge...
and Dr Patricia Fara
Patricia Fara
Patricia Fara is a historian of science at the University of Cambridge. She is a graduate of the University of Oxford and did her PhD at the University of London. She is a former Fellow of Darwin College and is currently a Fellow of Clare College where she is Senior Tutor and Tutor for graduate...
. Emeritus Professor Nicholas Jardine retired from full-time teaching duties in the summer of 2010.
Degree courses
The Department offers a nine month MPhil course in History, Philosophy and Sociology of Science, Medicine and Technology (formerly History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine). It also supervises graduate students for the Cambridge PhD in HPS and provides advisors in the related fields of research in History, Philosophy and Social Science. The Department also provides undergraduate teaching and supervision for students who have completed their first year at Cambridge. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the Cambridge Tripos system, undergraduates from a wide range of fields may study HPS. The resources of the Whipple Museum provide for first-hand study of scientific instruments which often provide topics for student dissertations.History of medicine
In recent years, the Department has regained its ground as a major centre for the study of the History of MedicineHistory of medicine
All human societies have medical beliefs that provide explanations for birth, death, and disease. Throughout history, illness has been attributed to witchcraft, demons, astral influence, or the will of the gods...
having formerly been a Wellcome
Wellcome
Wellcome is a supermarket chain owned by Jardine Matheson Holdings via its Dairy Farm subsidiary. The Wellcome supermarket chain is one of the two largest supermarket chains in Hong Kong, the other being PARKnSHOP. Wellcome also operates supermarkets in Taiwan under the Wellcome name...
Unit in this field. It has played a major role in the Wellcome Trust
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
funded Generation to Reproduction project at Cambridge and hosted seminars and day conferences in this field.