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History and Philosophy of Science and Technology

Contact | Courses | Faculty | Overview | Programs: Collaborative, Degree

Faculty Affiliation


Arts and Science

Degree Programs Offered

History and Philosophy of Science and Technology – MA, PhD
Fields:
Philosophy of Science
History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences
History of Medicine and Life Sciences
History of Technology

Collaborative Programs

The following collaborative programs are available to students in participating degree programs as listed below:

1. Book History and Print Culture

  • History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, MA, PhD

Overview

The Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IHPST) offers two degree programs: Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy. The Institute conducts research, offers advanced studies programs, and serves as a focus for University-wide interest in its field.

Courses are open to all graduate students and are suitable complements for specialists in science or the humanities. Students participate in the IHPST colloquia, which are open to the University community.

Admission is highly selective and competitive. Acceptance is based on a combination of grades, references, academic and professional accomplishments, areas of interest, and a sample of written work. All the forms required for application, including the standard application form, can be downloaded from the Institute’s Web site. The Web site also contains detailed instructions for completing applications. Applications must be accompanied by transcripts, a statement of interest, letters of reference, and a writing sample of no more than 3,000 words. Application deadline is February 1. Applicants who wish to take one or more of the courses offered by the Institute as non-degree students should apply for admission as Special Students. The application procedures are the same as for those of the MA program, but the deadline for applications is May 1.

Contact and Address

Web: www.hps.utoronto.ca/
E-mail: ihpst.info@utoronto.ca
Telephone: (416) 978-5397
Fax: (416) 978-3003

Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology
University of Toronto
Old Victoria College
Room 316, 91 Charles Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1K7
Canada

Degree Programs

History and Philosophy of Science and Technology

Master of Arts

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • General regulations of the School of Graduate Studies.
  • Four-year University of Toronto bachelor's degree, or its equivalent from a recognized university with an average grade of at least B+ in the final two years of undergraduate work. While the majority of accepted students exceed this standard, the very broad scope of the field and the variety of fruitful approaches to it also imply that many different backgrounds are appropriate. Accordingly, grades are only one criterion by which applicants are judged.
  • Applications must be accompanied by a statement of interest of approximately 300-500 words, indicating the applicant’s areas of interest in history and/or philosophy of science and technology at the graduate level. A writing sample is required.
  • Application deadline is February 1.
  • Applicants whose primary language is not English and who are not graduates of a university whose language of instruction is English must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and (Test of Written English (TWE) with the following minimum scores:
  • Paper-based TOEFL: 580 and 5 on the TWE
  • Computer-based TOEFL: 237 and 5 on the essay-rating component
  • Internet-based TOEFL: 93/120 and 22/30 on the writing and speaking sections

Program Requirements

  • Minimum of 3.5 full-course equivalents (FCE). Among these, each student must take either:
  • 1.5 FCE History of Science Fundamentals courses (HPS 5000 series) and 1.0 FCE Philosophy of Science courses (History of Science Stream) or
  • 1.5 FCE Philosophy of Science courses and 1.0 FCE History of Science Fundamentals courses (HPS 5000 series) (Philosophy of Science Stream)
  • The balance of the curriculum is arranged in consultation with the student's faculty instructors and the guidance of the Director of Graduate Studies. Students make choices consistent with a commitment to either a History of Science Stream or a Philosophy of Science Stream.
  • For students in the History fields, reading knowledge of French or German is required. Language instruction courses are not counted in the 3.5 FCE required for the degree.
  • For students in the Philosophy field, one of the following is required: proficiency in introductory logic, reading knowledge of French, or reading knowledge of German. Logic and language instruction courses are not counted in the 3.5 FCE required for the degree.
  • Full-time MA students normally complete all program requirements in the Fall and Winter sessions. Part-time students must complete all program requirements within five academic years.

Doctor of Philosophy

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • General regulations of the School of Graduate Studies.
  • One of:
  • a four-year University of Toronto bachelor’s degree, or its equivalent from a recognized university, with an average grade of at least a B+ in the applicant’s overall program and of at least an A- in the applicant’s final two years of study, or
  • a University of Toronto master’s degree in history and philosophy of science, or its equivalent from a recognized university, with an average grade of at least an A- in the applicant’s program and with no individual grade less than B+. While the majority of accepted students exceed this standard, the very broad scope of the field and the variety of fruitful approaches to it also imply that many different backgrounds are appropriate. Accordingly, grades are only one criterion by which applicants are judged.
  • Applications must be accompanied by a statement of interest of approximately 300-500 words, indicating the applicant’s areas of interest in history and/or philosophy of science and technology at the graduate level. A writing sample is required.
  • Application deadline is February 1.
  • Applicants whose primary language is not English and who are not graduates of a university whose language of instruction is English must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Test of Written English (TWE) with the following minimum scores:
  • Paper-based TOEFL: 580 and 5 on the TWE
  • Computer-based TOEFL: 237 and 5 on the essay-rating component
  • Internet-based TOEFL: 93/120 and 22/33 on the writing and speaking sections

Program Requirements

  • Students admitted on the basis of a four-year bachelor’s degree must complete 6.5 full-course equivalents (FCE).
  • Students admitted on the basis of a master’s degree in History and Philosophy of Science must take a minimum of 3.0 FCE. A student whose MA degree does not exhibit sufficient breadth is required to take additional courses.
  • All students must include at least 0.5 FCE from each of the following three historical periods: pre-renaissance (Classical Antiquity to 1400 AD); Renaissance (1400 AD) to end of the eighteenth century; beginning of the nineteenth century to the present. The breadth requirement may be met with courses in either the History of Science Stream or the Philosophy of Science Stream.
  • The balance of the student's curriculum is arranged in consultation with the student's faculty instructors and is subject to the overall guidance of the Director of Graduate Studies. Students make choices consistent with a commitment to either a History of Science Stream or a Philosophy of Science Stream.
  • For students in the History fields, reading knowledge of French or German is required. Language instruction courses are not counted among the 6.5 FCE required for the PhD.
  • For students in the Philosophy field, one of the following is required: proficiency in introductory logic, reading knowledge of French, or reading knowledge of German. Logic and language instruction courses are not counted among the 6.5 FCE required for the PhD.
  • Proposal for an extended research paper (required for HPS 2000Y). Students are responsible for ensuring that they have an appropriate supervisor. All supervision arrangements are reviewed and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies who assists in the search for a supervisor, if necessary. Proper supervision is a prerequisite for continuation in the program.
  • All required courses, including HPS 2000Y, should be completed by the end of the student's second post-bachelor year. In general, all students should maintain a cumulative average of at least A- with no individual grade less than B+. In addition, all students should receive at least an A- on the HPS 2000Y research paper. Students falling below these standards may be recommended for termination from the program.
  • Other competencies crucial to conducting research in the student’s thesis area, as determined by the Supervisory Committee in consultation with the student and the Director of Graduate Studies. This may include, for example, competence in another language, mathematics, a science, or sociology.
  • Pass a qualifying examination in areas related to the field of expected research. Examination is conducted by the student's Specialist Committee, normally three faculty members.
  • Thesis proposal approved by the student's thesis Supervisory Committee and the Director of Graduate Studies.

Course List

Not all courses are offered every year. Consult the Institute regarding course offerings.

History and Philosophy of Science and Technology
HPS 1000Y Individual Reading and Research
HPS 1001H Individual Reading and Research
HPS 1002H Individual Reading and Research
HPS 1003H Individual Reading and Research
HPS 1005H Historical Topics in Scientific Methodology
HPS 1006H Historical Introduction to the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge
HPS 1015H The Scientific Revolution: Galileo to Newton
HPS 1017H Topics in the History of Physics in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
HPS 1018H,Y Topics in the History of Technology
HPS 1019H History of Systematics
HPS 1020H History of Evolutionary Biology
HPS 1021H The Intellectual Context of Nineteenth-Century Science
HPS 1022H Religion and Science on Human Sexuality
HPS 1024H History of Physiology
HPS 1025H History of Immunology
HPS 1026H Body, Medicine, and Society in Early Modern Europe
HPS 1027H Chemistry from Lavoisier to Mendeleev
HPS 1029H The Invention of Modern Biology
HPS 1030H Newton and Mechanics
HPS 1036H History of Engineering
HPS 1037H Science in Canadian History
HPS 1038H Topics in the History of Chemistry, 1600-1950
HPS 1041H History of Medical Microbiology
HPS 1042H The Biology of Death: Experimental Biology and Experimental Medicine, 1860-1940
HPS 1043H Science in the Renaissance
HPS 1044H Biology and Human Nature
HPS 1045H Human Genetics and the Eugenics Movement
HPS 1046H Teleology, Adaptation and Design
HPS 1050H Topics in Ancient Greek and Scientific Revolution Mathematics
HPS 1052H The Emergence of Modern Mathematics in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
HPS 1060H History of Psychology
HPS 1101H Philosophy Applied to History of Science
HPS 1102H Laws of Nature
HPS 1103H Complexity, Reduction and Emergence in Contemporary Biology
HPS 1104H Topics in the Philosophy of Science: Models, Truth, and Representation
HPS 1105H Philosophy of Medicine
HPS 1106H History and Philosophy of the Social Sciences
HPS 1107H Topics in Philosophy of Science: Empiricism
HPS 1108H Philosophy of Physics
HPS 1109H Philosophy of Probability
HPS 1110H Philosophy of Economics
HPS 1111H Philosophy of Science and Religion
HPS 1112H Thought Experiments
HPS 1214H Studies in Ancient and Medieval Science
HPS 1215H Medieval Technology and Society
HPS 1217H Technology and War: 1090-1918
HPS 1500H+ Research Paper
HPS 2000Y Research Paper
HPS 3000H Historiography of Science and Technology
HPS 3001H The Marxist Theory of Knowledge and History
HPS 5001H Fundamentals of the History of Mathematics
HPS 5002H Fundamentals of the History of Physics
HPS 5004H Fundamentals of the History of Chemistry
HPS 5005H Fundamentals of the History of Biology
HPS 5006H Fundamentals of the History of Medicine
HPS 5007H Fundamentals of the History of Technology I
HPS 5008H Fundamentals of the History of Technology II
HPS 5009H Fundamentals of the History of Astronomy
HPS 5010H Fundamentals of the Philosophy of Science
HPS 5011H Fundamentals of the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology
JPH 2192H Philosophy of Science
JPH 2194H Topics in History of the Philosophy of Science

Outside Courses of Possible Interest

Check with individual departments for course availability during the academic year.

Book History and Print Culture

BKS 1000Y Book History and Print Culture
BKS 2000H Advanced Seminar in Book History and Print Culture
BKS 2001H Practicum in Book History and Print Culture

Classics

CLA 5013H Studies in Ancient Science

History

HIS 1269H The Social History of Medicine in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
HIS 1270H History of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Illness

See Department of History entry for more course offerings.

McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology
(C&T courses offered only if there is sufficient enrolment)

C&T 1004H Communications in History, Theory, Technology
C&T 1007H Perspective and Design in the Twentieth Century

Philosophy

PHL 2040H Medieval Philosophy
PHL 2045H Late Medieval Philosophy
PHL 2051H The Rationalists
PHL 2055H The Empiricists
PHL 2057H Seminar in Seventeenth-Eighteenth Century Philosophy
PHL 2062H Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason
PHL 2093H Fege
PHL 2095H Wittgenstein
PHL 2111H Seminar in Epistemology
PHL 2124H Seminar in Logic
PHL 2145H Bioethics
PHL 2190H Philosophy of Language
PHL 2195H Philosophy of Biology
PHL 2196H Topics in the Philosophy of Science
PHL 2199H Seminar in the Philosophy of Science

+ Extended course. For academic reasons, course work is extended into session following academic session in which course is offered.

Graduate Faculty

Full Members

Baigrie, Brian - BA, MA, PhD
Berkovitz, Joseph - BSc, MA, PhD
Brown, James - BA, MA, PhD
Castle, David - BA, BSc, MA, PhD
Chakravartty, Anjan - BSc, MPH, MA, PhD (Director)
Chazan, Michael - BA, BA, MA, PhD
Dacome, Lucia - BA, MPH, PhD
Fehige, Yiftach - MA, PhD, DTh
Fraser, Craig - BA, MA, PhD (Director of Graduate Studies)
Friedmann, Harriet - AB, MA, PhD
Gayon, Jean - MA, MPH, PhD
Gillon, Brendan - BA, MA, AM, PhD
Gingras, Yves - BSc, MSc, PhD
Griffin, Nicholas - BA, PhD
Hall, Bert - BA, PhD
Hehmeyer, Ingrid - MSc, MSA, PhD
Howson, Colin - BSc, PhD
Hull, James - BSc, MA, PhD
Huneman, Philippe - BM, MMath, PhD
Jones, Alexander - BA, PhD
Krementsov, Nikolai - PhD
Langins, Janis - BEng, MEng, MA, PhD
Lightman, Bernard - BA, MA, PhD
Matthen, Mohan - PhD
Morrison, Margaret - BA, MA, PhD
Murphy, Michelle - BA, PhD
Penfold, Steven - MA, PhD
Sapp, Jan - BSc, MSc, PhD
Seager, William Edward - BA, MA, PhD
Shorter, Edward - BA, MA, PhD
Solomon, Susan - BA, MA, PhD
Stefanovic, Ingrid - BA, MA, PhD
Thompson, Paul - PhD
Upshur, Ross Edward - BSc, BA, MA, MD
Vicedo Castello, Maria - BA, MA, PhD, PhD
Wallis, Faith - BA, MLSC, MA, PhD
Walsh, Denis - BA, MPH, PhD
Warner, Jessica - BA, PhD
Wolfe, David - BA, MA, PhD
Yeang, Chen-Pang - BS, SM, PhD, SCD
Zeller, Suzanne - BA, MA, PhD

Members Emeriti

Barbeau, Edward - BA, MA, PhD
De Sousa, Ronald - BA, PhD
Goldstick, Daniel - BA, BPhil, DPhil
Gotlieb, Calvin Carl - BA, MA, PhD
Levere, Trevor - BA, MA, DPhil
Mazumdar, Pauline - MSc, MD, PhD
Urquhart, Alasdair - MA, MA, PhD
Winsor, Mary - AB, MPH, PhD

 

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