History and Philosophy of Science

The Program in History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at Stanford

About the Program
The Program in History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at Stanford teaches students to examine the sciences, medicine and technology from myriad perspectives, conceptual, historical and social. Our community of scholars includes core faculty and students in History and Philosophy and affiliated members in Classics, Anthropology, English, Political Science, Communication and other disciplines. Together, we draw upon the multiple methods of our disciplines to study the development, functioning, applications and social and cultural engagements of the sciences.

Stanford's Program in History and Philosophy of Science and Technology is a collaborative enterprise of the Departments of History and Philosophy. Each department has its own undergraduate and graduate degree programs in this area, but these overlap and interact in several ways. First, because of the interdisciplinary structure of requirements, students who come into the program through each department take courses and work with faculty in the other. This helps to create a single community of students and faculty, as does the colloquium series, which brings everyone together regularly throughout the year. The faculty from the two departments also team-teach core courses in which students do joint coursework, and the graduate students conduct joint activities including an annual conference, Critical Conversations.