Lecture Session 1 (8 Oct 2024)
Introduces the interdisciplinary field of study called the History and Philosophy of Science; addresses the vexed question of what science is, and on why, the discipline should matter at all to the scientist, while recalling Richard Feynman’s words, Scientists need philosophers and historians of science like birds need ornithologists.
Lecture Session 2 (11 Oct)
Constructivism/Science as Social Practice, an introduction; we will sample the classic paper (1986. 1998) by Michel Callon, “Domestication of Scallops and the Fishermen of St. Brieuc Bay”
Lecture Session 3 (15 Oct)
Sites of Doing Science; Boundary work; Experiments; Scientific Objects/Object Lessons
Lecture Session 4 (22 Oct)
Tacit Knowledge and Scientific Networks, Tinkering and Crafting, to produce scientific knowledge
Lecture Session 5 (29 Oct)
On Objectivity in Science
Lecture Session 6 (5 Nov)
Science and Empire/the colonial encounter, an introduction, with specific reference to colonial India and its modern scientific legacy; the need to think beyond the diffusionist paradigm of passive reception.
Lecture Session 7* (12 Nov)
Colonial Botany: Plant compendia, and what they tell us about our past
Lecture Session 8 (19 Nov)
Why a Global History of Science? Its relevance in understanding the development of science in society, and especially of the so-called Anthropocene.
*This session will be preceded by a plant walk through the NCBS campus, led by Prof. Shivaprasad.
Also, an internal seminar will be held (preferably before Christmas), wherein students present a 1000-word write-up (followed by a discussion), on a scientific paper, experiment, or object of their choice, highlighting an idea or two drawn from the lecture sessions. Credits will be based on these seminar presentations; active participation during sessions will also be considered for this purpose.
Classes on Tuesdays - 2:00 to 3:30pm with effect from 8th October 2024 and one class on Friday 11th October 2024Venue: SAFEDA
Instructor: Savithri Preetha Nair
- Teacher: Savithri Preetha Nair