Department of History and Philosophy of Science

Undergraduate Study

What is History and Philosophy of Science?

HPS Area Certificate

Minoring in HPS

HPS Area Certificate

The Department of History & Philosophy of Science offers an Interdisciplinary Area Certificate in History and Philosophy of Science. This program is intended to address the current crisis in American science education arising from increasing specialization and compartmentalization within the sciences, on the one hand, and general technical and scientific illiteracy outside the sciences, on the other.

By developing a new interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary program open to both undergraduates majoring in the sciences and undergraduates majoring in the humanities, we aim to give all undergraduates at Indiana University a unique opportunity to bridge the ever widening gap between the notorious "two cultures" of science and the humanities.

The program is organized and administered within the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, but it also involves a wide spectrum of other units across the University, such as, for example, the Departments of Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, English, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Religious Studies, and Sociology, and the Schools of Business, Education, Journalism, and Public and Environmental Affairs.

The program involves several different tracks integrating the sciences and the humanities in a variety of ways: (1) medicine and health; (2) science writing, literature, and literacy; (3) science, technology, and the environment; (4) science, computation, and information; (5) science and pseudo-science. Within these 5 tracks, there is a great deal of room for flexibility to accomodate students' interests in history and philosophy of science.

All courses taught in HPSC will automatically be eligible for credit within the area certificate, in accordance with the requirements outlined above, and conditional upon their acceptance by the HPSC Certificate Program Director. Some courses in other departments may be taken to fulfill the non-HPSC part of a student's track. The precise courses to be counted for credit will be determined in consultation with the HPSC faculty director in accordance with the above model.

More Detailed Information about Area Certificate.

Minoring in HPS

At present, the Department of History and Philosophy of Science does not offer an undergraduate major, but students can minor in this field, and those wishing to pursue study specifically in this area can do so through the Individualized Major Program (IMP). Inquiries and applications to the IMP should be made at the IMP office, Ballantine Hall 129. In addition to the minor, students can participate in our area certificate program. Just click on 'Certificate' in the menu on the left for more information.

Requirements for the minor are: 18 credit hours in history and philosophy of science, chosen in consultation with an adviser, including:

• At least one course at the 300 or 400 level.
• Not more than three courses from the following: X100, X102, X110, X200, X207.

Selected courses in history and philosophy of science fulfill College of Arts and Sciences fundamental skills requirements as well as distribution requirements for Traditions and Ideas, Social Inquiry, Historical Studies, and Mathematical Sciences and Cognition; all other schools accept approved history and philosophy of science courses to fulfill their distribution requirements (see each individual school's Bulletin for a listing of approved courses). Students should consult with their advisers to ensure that a particular history and philosophy course will meet their needs.