Interpreting the History of Science and Technology

Full course description

The third module trains students in historiographical awareness and introduces them to historical methods. Two historical sub-disciplines are under scrutiny, namely History of Science and History of Technology. The first half of the course deals with (re)interpretations of the Scientific Revolution (particularly the role of experiments and mathematical and mechanical ways of explanation). The second half deals with the Industrial Revolution and the history of technological modernisation in the 19th and 20th centuries. The module asks questions going beyond a mere “what happened?” by problematising historical events and developments in order to force students to reconsider what it meant to become (and what it means to be) modern. The module thus examines history as a subject of interpretation juxtaposing different historiographical perspectives.