Department of

Graduate Courses (Click on a title for course materials)

2498 Department Pro Seminar
03-2 33252
1. Faculty from the Department of HPS ( University of Pittsburgh ) and Departments of Philosophy ( Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh ) combine to provide coordinated, introductory developments of their current research in order to introduce graduate students to a wider range of research opportunities.
•  Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
•  Recitations: None.
•  Expected class size: 15.
•  This course is not offered on a regular basis.

2503 History of Science 2
03-2 00155 Griffiths
1. This course is the second part of the two-part series. It will provide an overview of major developments in the sciences from the second half of the seventeenth century to the first half of the twentieth century, considering the physical, chemical, biological, psychological and social sciences. It will deal with the work of individuals, of general movements and their institutional and national settings.
2. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in HPS.
3. Recitations: None.
4. Estimated Class Size: 7.
5. This course is offered each Spring Term and fulfills the Core requirement in HPS. SPECIAL PERMISSION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS COURSE. It is intended for HPS Graduate Students only.

2522 Special Topics in the History of Science: History of the Study of Human Evolution
03-2 40100 Schwartz
Cross-listed with ANTH 2601
1. In this course we will read primary literature that is relevant to the study of human evolution, both neo-and paleobiological. After
a brief overview of the separate histories, and thus foci, of paleontology in general and human paleontology specifically, we will begin formal reading with Blumenbach's two major works, some Buffon, Linnaeus, and Lankester (and probably a few others), Huxley's essays of 1863, Darwin's Descent-these basically on the topic of "man's place in nature"-and then delve into specific articles and monographs on the discovery, naming, and acceptance of human fossils. These readings will cover (but not necessarily be limited to) the debate between Schaaffhausen and Fuhlrott, the naming by William King of the first new hominid species (Homo neanderthalensis), the works of Eugene Dubois (Homo erectus) and Raymond Dart (Australopitecus) and reactions to them, the Leakeys' discoveries at Olduvai George, and some of the more recent finds. We will also discuss Ramapitecus and its relevance to the still-not-satisfactorily answered question, "what is a hominid"? The thrust of the course will be to tease apart fact from assumption as they were cobbled together in promoting one's favorite scenario on human evolution. Students will be expected to hand in annotated bibliographies based on the readings, and to take turns in leading discussion. Each student will also produce a term paper that will expand on a topic relevant to the course.
2. Prerequisite: None.
3. Recitations: None.
4. Expected class size: 15.
5. This course is offered irregularly.

2528 Galileo
03-2 40016 Palmieri
Cross-listed with CLST 2528
1. The seminar will focus on Galileo's mechanics, especially the developments from the early theories of De Motu (ca. 1590) to Two New Sciences (1638). In addition, we will look at Galileo's matter theory in relation to his atomistic natural philosophy. Finally, we will consider the case of Galileo's Copernicanism and the church. We will place Galileo in the context of the late Renaissance and read both primary sources and recent essays which have appeared on these topics.
2. Prerequisite: Graduate Status
3. Recitations: None
4. Estimated class size: 15
5. This course is not offered on a regular basis.

2537 Historiography of Science
03-2 40027 McGuire
Cross-listed with CLST 2537
1. What is history? Does history confer special ways of understanding the human condition? What is it to practice writing history? What are the relationships between historical practice and historiography? What is the relationship between the history of science and general histories of society and culture? Is there such a thing as a philosophy of history? These and other core questions will be considered in detail. We will read some of the important literature on the nature and practice of history. Among the writers to be considered are: Marx, the French Annales School , Foucault, Bourdieu, Ringer and a host of writers in the history of science such as Koyre, Merton, Gillespie, Crombie, Kuhn, Dijksterhuis, Webster, Shapin and Schaffer. One of the chief issues for the seminar will be the relationship between intellectual and social history.
2. Prerequisite: Graduate Status
3. Recitations: None.
4. Estimated class size: 15.
5. This course is not offered on a regular basis.

2632 Philosophy of Neuroscience
03-2 40033 Machamer
Cross-listed with PHIL 2632
1. The seminar will discuss issues concerning the nature of
mechanisms, models of mechanisms, and the concepts of reduction and information in neuroscience (and occasionally in molecular biology). Cases will be drawn from recent (well cited) work in cognitive neuroscience and neuro-biology on memory (especially studies on working memory, procedural memory and implicit memory) and perception.
2. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.
3. Recitations: None.
4. Expected class size: 15.
5. This course is not offered on a regular basis.

2654 19th Century of Science
03-2 40022 Lennox/Mitchell
1. During the 19th century there was a constant and fertile interaction between philosophers with special interests in the nature of science (Herschel, Whewell, Mill Spencer, Compte, Bernard) and leading practitioners of the sciences of geology and biology (Lyell, Darwin). In this seminar we will examine the interactions in the 19th century between philosophical investigations of science (the nature of laws, causality, induction, evidence, theory, chance, design) and the practice of science, especially geology and biology. Of central interest will be the extent to which the rise of the historical sciences shaped philosophies of science, and how the historical sciences were influenced by the philosophical norms of that period.
2. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.
3. Recitations: None.
4. Expected class size: 15.
5. This course is not offered on a regular basis.

2660 Causality
03-2 40011 Earman/Norton
Cross-listed with PHIL 2662
1. Part I of this seminar will analyze the doctrine of determinism and examine the fortunes of this doctrine in various theories of modern science. Part II will be devoted to an examination of various accounts of causation, including David Lewis' analysis of causation as counterfactual dependence, the Salmon/Dowe account of causation in terms the exchange of conserved quantities, and Judea Pearle's probabilistic analysis.
2. Prerequisite: None
3. Recitations: None.
4. Expected class size: 15.
5. This course is not offered on a regular basis.

2673 Studies in Aristotle
03-2 36626 Falcon
Cross-listed with PHIL 2041 & CLASS 2314
1. Aristotle seems to think of the natural world as a department of reality with sufficient unity to be the object of a single science: the science of nature. We shall investigate Aristotle's attempt to establish what nature is and how it is to be studied. The topics addressed with include: 1. Nature; 2. Matter and Form; 3. The Doctrine of the Four Causes. Special attention will be given to Aristotle's conception of the natural world in the attempt to show how it dictates to Aristotle the conceptual starting points as well as the problems to be solved.
2. Prerequisite: None.
3. Recitations: None.
4. Expected class size: 15.
5. This course is offered on an irregular basis.
6. For permission to enter this class when it is closed, you must see the instructor.

2701 Philosophy of Psychoanalysis
03-2 40040 Grünbaum
Cross-listed with PHIL 2650 & CLST 2650
1. This course offers a systematic scrutiny of Freud's theory of the unconscious dynamics of the human mind, and of the evidence for it: The theory of the neuroses, the interpretation of dreams and "slips," and Freud's triadic psychological account of theism as a mass delusion. Attention will also be devoted to rival conceptions of the psychoanalytic enterprise as a natural science, a pseudo-science, or a "hermeneutic" endeavor yielding "narrative truth". The appraisal of these contending views will include issues in the theory of psychological explanation, such as the "reasons versus causes" debate.
2. Prerequisite: Students from a number of fields are welcome as follows: Philosophy; History and Philosophy of Science; one of the behavioral or social sciences; Culture Studies; one of the Humanities; Psychiatry (residents); the other mental health fields. If in doubt, consult Professor Grünbaum. No prior training in psychoanalytic theory is needed. Professional auditors are welcome, but are asked to get the consent of the professor.
3. Recitations: None.
4. Expected class size: 15.
5. This course is not offered regularly.
6. For permission to enter this class when it is closed, you must see the instructor.

Undergraduate Courses (Click on a title for course materials)

0427 Myth and Science
03-2 33279
Cross-listed with CLASS 0330
1. How can we understand our world? In western culture, science dominates all our answers to this question. But there are other ways. They can be found in the mythologies of ancient and modern peoples. This course will compare the scientific and mythological ways of seeing the world and their more subtle connections. In particular, we will turn to the remarkable events in Ancient Greece of 800-400 BC and discover how the scientific approach actually grew slowly out of mythological thought itself.
2. Prerequisite: None.
3. Recitations: None.
4. Expected class size: 30.
5. This course is offered on a regular basis.

0515 Magic, Medicine and Science
03-2 31294 McGuire
Cross-listed with HIST 0089
03-2 43279 Beaver
Cross-listed with HIST 0089
03-2 43394 Saturday College
Cross-listed with HIST 0089
1. This course is a survey of some important patterns in Western intellectual history. Beginning with ancient Greek speculations in cosmology, philosophy, and medicine, we will look at some significant later developments in these areas stressing the ways in which they were influenced by Greek tradition. These include, (among other topics), the magical tradition which flourished during the Renaissance. The latter half of the course will focus on those profound intellectual transformations in the 17th century which constitute what is often called "The Scientific Revolution". The great scientific achievement of figures such as Descartes, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton will be treated extensively as well as its indebtedness to "non-scientific" elements of 17th century culture. This course is meant to provide a broad picture of many important facets of the Western intellectual tradition within the context of their historical development.
2. Prerequisite: None.
3. Recitations: One hour per week for section 31294 only.
4. Expected class size: 160 for section 31294 other sections 40.
•  This course is offered on a regular basis.

0610 Causal Reasoning
03-2 40038 Longworth
03-2 40074 Longworth
1. Do school vouchers really help inner city students become better educated? Do gun control laws really make society safer? This course examines how scientists reason about causal claims like these. It considers use of scientific statistical data that informs our public policy debates. The course uses an interactive, web-based text and exams. In addition, there is an on-line virtual "Causality Lab" in which students will set up, run, and then analyze simulated experiments. They will construct causal theories, use the lab to derive predictions from these theories, and then test the predictions against the simulated data. While course materials are delivered on-line, students will still attend two sessions per week; one for addressing questions about the material and the second for case study analysis.
2. Prerequisite: None.
3. Recitations: One hour a week.
4. Estimated Class Size: 30.
5. This course is not offered on a regular basis.

0611 Principles of Scientific Reasoning
03-2 00171 Brigandt
1. The course will provide students with elementary logic skills and an understanding of scientific arguments. Ours is an increasingly scientific and technical society. In both our personal life decisions and in our work we are daily confronted by a scientific result which influences what we do and how we do it. Basic skills in analyzing the structure of arguments in terms of truth and evidence are required to make this type of information accessible and useful. We hear, for example, that drinking alcoholic beverages reduces the chances of heart disease. We might well ask what sorts of tests were done to reach this conclusion and do the tests really justify the claim? We read that certain geographical configurations in South America "prove" that this planet was visited by aliens from outer space. Does this argument differ from other, accepted scientific arguments? This course is designed to aid the student in making sense of a variety of elementary logic skills in conjunction with the application of those skills to actual cases.
2. Prerequisite: None.
3. Recitations: None.
4. Expected class size: 30.
5. This course is offered on a regular basis.

0612 Mind and Medicine
03-2 23109 Griffiths
1. This course is designed to introduce the student to important issues, both philosophical and historical, that arise from reflecting on the historical development of our understanding of the mind and body in their scientific and clinical contexts. Topics covered include the search, from the seventeenth to the twentieth century, for a satisfactory scientific account of fundamental biological processes such as growth and reproduction and the continuing search for a scientific understanding of human consciousness.
2. Prerequisite: There are no formal prerequisites for this course. This course is part of a core sequence leading to certification in the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine Program, and is a companion course to HPS 0613 (Morality and Medicine) but may be taken independently. This course is of particular interest to pre-medical and pre-health care students.
3. Recitations: One hour a week.
4. Estimated Class Size: 160.
5. This course is offered on a regular basis.

0613 Morality and Medicine
03-2 20661
1. Ethical dilemmas in the practice of health care continue to proliferate and receive increasing attention from members of the health care profession, ethicists, policy makers, and the general public as health care consumers. In this course, we will examine a number of ethical issues that arise in the context of contemporary medical practice and research by analyzing articles and decision scenarios. Topics to be covered typically include the physician-patient relationship; informed consent; medical experimentation; termination of treatment; genetics; reproductive technologies; euthanasia; resource allocation; and health care reform. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to identify and analyze different philosophical approaches to selected issues in medical ethics; will have gained insight into how to read and critically interpret philosophical arguments; and will have developed skills that will enable them to think clearly about ethical questions as future or current health care providers, policy makers, and consumers.
2. Prerequisite: There are no formal prerequisites for this course. This course is part of a core sequence leading to certification in the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine Program, and is a companion course to HPS 0612 (Mind and Medicine) but may be taken independently. This course is of particular interest to pre-medical and pre-health care students.
3. Recitations: None.
4. Estimated Class Size: 30.
•  This course is offered on a regular basis.

0621 Problem Solving: How Science Works
03-2 18298 Day Class
1. A scientist announces that the sun contains a new, so-far unknown chemical element, even though there is no hope of getting a sample. Another is sure that a famous predecessor has faked his data, even though he has seen nothing but the perfect, published results. Astonishingly, both claims prove to be sober and sound. We will explore the approaches and methods that make such miracles part of the routine of everyday science. This course is intended for students with little or no background in science.
2. Prerequisite: None.
3. Recitations: None.
4. Estimated Class Size: 40.
•  This course is offered on a regular basis.

0626 Development of Modern Biology
03-2 40001 Tabery
1. Modern biology has evolved at an incredibly rapid rate in the last 150 years. This course will trace this journey from the publication of Darwin 's On the Origins of Species to our modern understanding of where biology is and where it is going. We will examine, to name just a few, such topics as pre-Darwinian theories of evolution, the rise of eugenics in America , and the discovery and elucidation of the gene as the unit of inheritance. We will read primary sources such as a chapter of Darwin 's On the Origins of Species and the famous article by James Watson and Francis Crick proposing the structure of DNA, and secondary sources by historians and philosophers of science, who look back and interpret these events. The course is specifically organized around one important concept...perhaps the most important and misunderstood concept in modern biology: the gene. We will seek to evaluate how this concept has evolved over time, which theories have contributed most to its development, who shaped our modern understanding of it, and when it was used for social and political ends.
2. Prerequisite: None, but some basic biological knowledge will be very useful. This course fulfills the second Natural Sciences requirement if you have already taken Natural Sciences 2, BIOSC 0851.
3. Recitations: None.
4. Estimated Class Size: 30.
5. This course is not offered on a regular basis.

0628 Paradox
03-2 40079 Earman
1. HAL, the robot, repairs exactly those robots in the space station that do not repair themselves. Who repairs HAL? If you care about who repairs HAL, then take this course to find out how paradoxes sometimes just provide us with a little intellectual burlesque show. Or sometimes they can transport us directly to the deepest insights in logic, philosophy, infinity, space and time.
2. Prerequisite: None; but it is recommended that students have completed an introductory logic course.
3. Recitations: One hour per week.
4. Expected class size: 80.
5. This course is offered on a fairly regular basis.

1600 Philosophy and the Rise of Modern Science
03-2 40006 Palmieri
Cross-listed with PHIL 1600
1. It is generally agreed that what happened in the 16th and 17th centuries changed the human landscape irrevocably. The unity of the medieval Christian world disappeared under the impact of religious movements of the Reformation. Divinely ordained kingship was decisively uprooted. Early modern science replaced the Renaissance cosmos dominated by Aristotle's natural philosophy, and at the core of early modern science was a new atomistic worldview. This course will examine the atomistic philosophies of major figures such as Galileo, Bacon, Descartes, Boyle, and Newton . We will be concerned not only with atomism and the rise of modern science, but also with broader cultural and religious implications.
•  Prerequisite: None.
•  Recitations: None.
•  Expected class size: 30.
•  This course is not offered regularly.

1605 Aesthetics and Science
03-2 39997 UHC, SPEN Machamer
1. Interpretation is a cognitive process that affects perceiving, thinking, and producing in all areas of human endeavor. Interpretation involves, among other activities, discriminating, conceptualizing, inferring, and actively making. These are the processes by which people come to understand objects, and constitute the knowledge they use in producing and thinking about objects in various disciplines. Values of different kinds are involved in all aspects of these processes. This course will examine the acts involved in interpretation, the various types of outputs from the interpretative process, and differences among the goals and objects of interpretation as they occur in different areas of study and disciplines.
The course will start with reading about the nature of interpretation from philosophical, critical, and cognitive theories. (Weeks 1-3) We will then look at one or two examples each week of "paradigmatic work", contemporary and historical, in science. (Weeks 4-5), social science (Weeks 6-7), history (Week 8), literary and film theory and criticism (Weeks 9-11), and art theory and criticism (Weeks 12-14). These examples will discuss the role of interpretation from the point of view of the practitioner and of the critic (in some cases these two are the same). In some cases, the critical theoretical readings will be supplemented by the showing of films, reading a novel or play, displaying art works, etc. This will ensure a common ground of objects among the students.
A manuscript that is in preparation for use in advanced undergraduate classes will be made available to students, so they may use it to supplement the primary readings.
2. Prerequisite: None.
3. Recitations: None.
4. Estimated Class Size: 15.
5. This course is not offered on a regular basis.
6. Students must go to the UHC office, 743 William Pitt Union , to obtain a special permission form before processing their registration.

1702 Jr/Sr Seminar for HPS Majors
03-2 31349 SPEN Mitchell
1. Profound changes in intellectual attitudes occurred in the 19th century that helped usher in the acceptance of Darwinian explanations of life on the planet. In this seminar we will examine the philosophical views about the nature of science that were current at the time of Darwin . We will read from the works of Herschel, Whewell, Mill and others, as well as from works of Lyell and Darwin. The aim will be to understand the interactions between the philosophy and the science of the day. This course will be conducted in seminar style; students will be expected to give two oral presentations and write three short papers.
2. Prerequisite: Must be and HPS major in junior or senior year.
3. Recitations: None.
4. Expected class size: 10.
5. This course is offered on a regular basis, as needed.
6. This course is for HPS Majors only. It needs special permission.

1703 Writing Workshop for HPS Majors
03-2 31352 WRIT,SPEN Mitchell
1. This writing workshop is designed to introduce HPS majors to the methods and standards of good scholarly writing in History and Philosophy of Science. It will be offered to HPS majors only in conjunction with HPS 1702, Jr/Sr Seminar. Evaluation will be based on two short papers that will be rewritten on the basis of the instructor's comments.
•  Prerequisite: Must be an HPS major in junior or senior year.
•  Recitations: None.
•  Expected class size: 10.
•  This course is offered on a regular basis, as needed.
•  This course is for HPS Majors only. It needs special permission.

top