Übung Classical Texts in the History of Science Concepts Theories Approaches Dozent Robert Jan Wille

Have you ever wondered what a ‘paradigm’ exactly is, or how historians have conceptualized the Scientific Revolution since the early twentieth century? Why can we compare Robert Boyle’s chemical air pump to the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes, and why did twentieth century microphysicists not only work in cloud chambers but also in ‘trading zones’? Should we use ‘big science’ as both a concept for the networks of botanical gardens in colonial empires and for the American atomic bomb project in the Second World War? We will not have to solve these broad and large problems in this class because others have done that for us: generations of American and British historians have produced an avalanche of concepts, theories and approaches that historians need to know in order to deal with all kinds of cultures of scientific knowledge in the early and late modern period. On these, they have built strong programs in the History and Philosophy of Science and in Science and Technology Studies. Are you curious about this wealth of Anglo-Saxon literature, but you do not know where to start? This course gives you an overview. We will learn to critically engage with its concepts, and where possible, oppose or pair them to approaches in the continental historiography of science. We will practice reading, discussing and writing in academic English by doing it. Prüfungsform im BA, mod. LA und Master: ES Übungen des BA-Typs -Theorie und Methode- entsprechen den Anforderungen der LPO I § 71 (1) Nr. 2 c bzw. der neuen LPO I § 67 Nr. 2 d Fakultät für Geschichts- und Kunstwissenschaften LMU München SoSe 2016 Wille Robert Jan