Overview Form

College And Department

Proposal for a New Course

Choose any that Apply:

Required for a Major

Required for a Minor

Required for a Certificate

Cognate

Elective

Is this course repeatable for credit?

Yes

No

Are there any restrictions to repeatability? (# of credits, # of completions, different topics, etc.)

Are there any course equivalencies for this course?

Yes

No

What restrictions apply?

Is this course to be listed for Pass/Fail Grading?

Yes

No

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Prerequisite(s)

Co-requisite(s)

Number of Credits

Crosslisting

Course name/number

Course name/number

Catalog description, in the present tense, including prefix, number, title, (credits), (prerequisites), (co-requisites), course description, and semesters offered. Catalog description should be exactly as it is to appear in the catalog.

HIST 116 - History of Science, Medicine, and Technology (3 credits) This course introduces students to the history of science, medicine, and technology and the ways in which these areas overlapped in the past. The objective of this course is to apply methods of inquiry that investigate social behavior. Topics examined may include the foundations of scientific knowledge; spaces and practices through which authoritative knowledge and “truth” are made; the interactions of machines, humans, nature, and technological systems; social and scientific constructs of race, class, and gender, and public engagement with medicine, science, and technology. F, S, Su.

Course Restrictions.

None

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Attached Proposed Syllabus:

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Proposed Instructor/title

Alternate Instructor/title

Are there other departments/schools with expertise in the areas covered by this course?

Yes

No

which departments/schools? Are any of these departments/schools to be directly involved in teaching this new course?

While other departments and schools have expertise in the sciences, the Department of History's social science approach to this course is specific to the historian's lens, making it a decidedly unique course, both in its scope - which spans regions, topics, cultures, and chronologies - and its methodological approaches, such as combining textual and material analyses to evaluate shifts in scientific understanding and shared traditions among social groups. As such, it will be taught through a decidedly social science lens.

Estimated enrollment

Prior enrollment in course (if applicable)

Method of Delivery:

Classroom

Lab

Distance Learning

Hybrid

Other

Explain

Proposal for a New Course

Is this course to be considered for the CORE?

Yes

No

Core Goal Assignment

Justification For Request

What research has led to this request?

The history of science, medicine, and technology is a recognized and respected field of historical study around the globe. Top-ranking universities across the nation have entire departments dedicated to the history of science, medicine, and technology, such as Johns Hopkins. As a result, adding such an offering to our Core curriculum would give our students the opportunity to study a highly regarded area of historical inquiry, enriching their understanding of human and group behaviors and an important field of historical inquiry. Additionally, the course will provide students of all majors (especially those who are interested in science but not willing to commit to the hard sciences) an additional offering of interest in the Core.

What impact will this request have on existing academic programs?

This course will be an excellent Core course for students of all majors and especially in the sciences, as it will provide them with a broad background in the historical development of scientific thought and key historical moments in the advancement of science, medicine, and technology. Also, it will expand students' knowledge of social science methodologies and the application of these methodologies for understanding the shared traditions of science, medicine, and technology that have developed across diverse cultures, regions, and chronologies. Ultimately, students will learn how to engage with a wide range of primary source material and be expected to demonstrate that the discipline of history is a continuous discourse between sources and scholarship, which will make them better prepared to differentiate between biased assertions and to make informed interpretations grounded in evidence within their chosen majors. This course will surely appeal to a large number of science majors, which is the case at universities across the nation. In fact, all science majors, with the exception of only three, have hours available in their Core offerings to take this course. In sum, there should be no impact on existing academic programs while providing another valuable choice to the Core Curriculum.

What financial costs are associated with this request?

No additional financial costs will be associated with this course.

If NO change in cost is anticipated, how is this possible?

Faculty in the Department of History are prepared to offer this Core course as part of their regular survey-level course offerings.

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Any additional information