Ateneo - UPO

A) The history of science as a discipline; B) Outlines of history of the medical and natural sciences from the Renaissance to the present.

F. Andrietti – D. Generali, Storia e storiografia della scienza. Il caso della sistematica, Milan, Franco Angeli, 2009. Additional literarure (selected sources and studies) will be made available on the e-learning platform (DIR) during the course.

1) Knowledge and understanding of the history of science, especially with respect to the readings and topics addressed in class; 2) Development (and refinement) of communication skills; 3) Knowledge of specific terms and concepts; 4) Development of critical, independent thinking with respect to the readings and topics addressed in the course.

No background knowledge is required.

Classes; reading and discussion groups (selected texts will be provided).

The course program is the same for attending and non-attending students. All PowerPoint presentations from classes, together with the additional literature, will be made available on the e-learning platform DIR. For further clarifications, contact me at francesco.luzzini@uniupo.it. --- In case of disabilities, specific learning disabilities (SLD), or special educational needs (SEN) it is possible to request specific services and resources, as explained on the website (https://uniupo.it/it/servizi/servizi-studenti-disabili-e-dsa). Students can then contact me to discuss teaching and exam methods.

Oral exam (20-30 minutes). Students will be evaluated on the following criteria: 1) Knowledge and understanding of the main topics of the course (18/30, minimum passing grade); 2) Critical and independent thinking (6/30); 3) Clarity of exposition and terminological knowledge (6/30).

The course provides an introduction to the history of science as a discipline. It also gives an overview of the development of the medical and natural sciences from the Renaissance to the present day, exploring the connections between these disciplines and other forms of knowledge (philosophical, technical-practical, alchemical, religious, artistic, artisanal, etc.) over the centuries. The following themes will be addressed in particular: 1) History of science as a discipline and as a tool for critical thinking: methods and models; 2) On method. Philology, scholarship and history: the role of interdisciplinarity; 3) Collecting and reading data: the concepts of “observation” and “experimental verification” and their evolution through the centuries; 4) Between medicine and natural philosophy: cross-disciplinary interactions and analogies in the study of nature; 5) Systematics: from the origin to the development of a shared method; 6) The concept of species: models, definition, debates; evolutionism; 7) The Earth sciences: the debate on the origin of fossils, geochronology, and theories of the Earth; 8) The role of science in present-day debates: its relationship with society and politics; medical, environmental and ethical issues.

BASIC LEVEL: 1) Satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the history of science with respect to the readings and topics addressed in class; 2) Satisfactory communication skills; 3) Satisfactory knowledge of specific terms and concepts. ADVANCED LEVEL: 1) Good or excellent knowledge of the readings and topics addressed during the course; 2) Good or excellent communication and argumentative skills; 3) Good or excellent knowledge of specific terms and concepts; 4) Display of critical and independent thinking with respect to the readings and topics addressed in the course.