Outline of the graduate course “Introduction to the History of Science” at the Institute of History
<br>Alexei Volkov (琅元)
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<br>NB: All the lectures and assignments will use English as teaching medium.
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<br>Location: GE 201; time: Tuesdays, 9:00-12:00
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<br>Introduction: the goals and the scope of the Course
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<br>The intention to open a 3-credit graduate introductory course reflects the necessity to introduce to the graduate students majoring in History of Science the basic elements of history of science and of research methodology which they will need in their research. The course pursues one more goal, namely, it aims at introducing the Professors of the Institute working in the field (that is, the potential future scientific advisors of the MA students). 
<br>The course is compulsory for the first-year Graduate students majoring in “History of Science” (hereafter HS) Program and optional for the students majoring in “Science and Technology in Society” (hereafter STS) Program. However, the STS students, as well the students enrolled in HS Program in previous years, and the PhD students in HS and STS, are all encouraged to take the course.
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<br>The contents of the course
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<br>The course will provide the students entering the MA Program in HS with basic knowledge in relevant fields. They will be offered a general introduction to the history of science and will become familiar with the elements of philosophy and sociology of science that may provide theoretical frameworks for their future work in HS. The students will learn about the main approaches to the history of science, the major 20PthP century works on the history of science (Marxist historiography of science; T. Kunh;  I. Lakatos; K. Popper; P. Feyerabend; M.Foucault, D. Blur, S. Shaffer, S. Shapin, M. Mulkay, among others). Last but not least, they will learn to structure and to express their ideas in the conventional forms adopted in the field when working on their 
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<br>Invited Lectures in this course will include: 
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<br>- A lecture of Professor Huang Yi-Long on the history of Chinese astronomy, astrology and calendar, and/or on the transfer of scientific and technological expertise in the 17PthP-19PthP centuries (in Chinese); 
<br>- A lecture of Professor Hsu Kuang-Tai on Scientific Revolution and on the transmission of Western knowledge to China and a lecture on research methodology in history of science (in Chinese); 
<br>	- A lecture of Professor Lei Hsiang-Lin on the history of medicine (in Chinese);
<br>	- Professor Fu Daiwie will offer a lecture on T. Kunh’s theory, the issue of incommensurability of scientific traditions and on the variety of approaches in modern history of science (in Chinese or in English).
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<br>The textbook for the course: Kragh, Helge. An introduction to the historiography of science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987. [Available in the NTHU library and posted on the e-learning web-site].
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<br>The textbook will be supplemented by a selection of papers/book chapters posted on the internet.
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<br>The students are expected to attend all lectures and to take notes. 
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<br>UEvaluation:
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<br>U1. Review paper on a representative book in the fields of the future expertise of students (assigned by the instructor or selected by students themselves): 25 % of the final mark. 
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<br>U2. Written assignment given to students weekly. The total mark for this unit will amount to 25% of the final mark.
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<br>3. Term paper (30%), to be submitted on or before January 15, 2008.
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<br>4. Oral defence of the term paper, class discussion and mutual peer evaluation: the presentations of the papers, the reviews, and the intervention as discussants will be evaluated: 20%. 
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