Department of History
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9410
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Dear visitors and prospective applicants:
Welcome to the UCSB Program in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine homepage. Presented below are: 1) general information on history of science at UCSB; 2) a brief introduction to course offerings and Program requirements; 3) research interests and contact information for core faculty and associates.
Science and technology are major influential forces in the world today. Yet we know so little about these things we often take for granted. How did we get the Internet? Is science the same in Mexico and China as it is in the United States? Who invented cell phones? Did doctors or priests invent the hospital? What is bioinformatics and is it related to nanotechnology? What are the proper relationships between animals and humans? How could calendar reform be a political act? Do women do science differently than men? If these questions interest you, and you want to learn more, we invite you to read on and to learn more about graduate study at UCSB in the history of science, technology, and medicine [let us call it STM for short].
1) History and History of STM at UCSB
The Program is housed in the Department of History, and your degree will be granted in history provided that you complete all departmental and programmatic requirements. To apply to our Program you must also apply to the department of history. Information may be found at: http://www.history.ucsb.edu/grads/index-txt.htm#applying
If you are having trouble with the form or would like additional information on general application procedures please contact:
Ms. Carolyn Isono-Grapard
Department of History
UCSB
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9410
805-893-2224
email: isono@history.ucsb.edu
The majority of historians of science, technology, and medicine work in universities and colleges. Most of these teach in history departments, rather than in history of science departments, or departments of the history of medicine. Thus having your degree in history rather than in history of science, we feel, is a distinct advantage in the job market. History of STM students graduate with experience as teaching assistants in undergraduate survey courses such as Latin American History, World History, European History, and American History. These tend to be what we call “bread and butter” courses for many departments and recent advertisements for jobs in the history of science, technology, and medicine often cite demonstrated competence in one of these areas as a requirement for the position.
Prospective applicants are urged to discuss their interests in the Program
prior to application with the current Program Director, Professor Anita Guerrini
(guerrini@history.ucsb.edu).
2) Course offerings and requirements in the history of STM
Due to a recent expansion of the Program, we have revamped our course offerings. Please note that course numbering and catalog descriptions are slated for revision in academic year 2005-2006. Basic Program courses required to sit for the M.A. examinations include: Historiography (HIST 201HS); Ancient Science (HIST 106A/200HS); a two quarter graduate research seminar in history of STM (HIST 277AB, or HIST 278AB); Scientific Revolution (HIST 106B/200HS); one class in modern science (HIST 107C/200HS; HIST 106C/200HS). Program faculty also offer a variety of courses in the history of STM. For example, the history of health and race in Latin America (HIST 201LA). Consult the UCSB catalog for current offerings.
Entering graduate students are not required to have undergraduate or graduate
degrees in scientific or technological subjects. They should, however, be willing
to learn enough about the subjects of STM so they can understand and interpret
their histories. Thus if you want to do research on the Internet, or mid-wives,
or anatomy, or telescopes, or biotechnology, you need to learn something about
these subjects before you can understand their cultural, social, and political
importance. Program faculty know how exciting this can be as many of us have
studied science or engineering at the graduate level. We want to help you to
understand and share the wonderful excitement of studying the history of science,
technology, and medicine (STM again).
3) Research interests and contact information
Core Faculty
Gerardo Aldana (gvaldana@chicst.ucsb.edu)
Joint appointment with Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies
Research interests: Intellectual communities of Mesoamerica; ancient astronomy;
indigenous science; science and religion; science in colonial Latin America
Anita Guerrini (guerrini@history.ucsb.edu)
Joint appointment with Environmental Studies Program
Research interests: Enlightenment science, Scientific Revolution, anatomy, human
and animal relationships, history of European medicine
W. Patrick McCray (pmccray@history.ucsb.edu)
Research interests: Modern physical sciences, astronomy, American science policy,
science and the Cold War, nanotechnology
Michael A. Osborne (osborne@history.ucsb.edu)
Joint appointment with Environmental Studies Program
Research interests: Tropical medicine, French science, biology, science and
imperialism, science and philanthropy
Gabriela Soto Laveaga (gsotolaveaga@history.ucsb.edu)
Research interests: Modern Mexico, bio-prospecting, history of race and health,
science in Latin America
Associated faculty and researchers:
Lawrence Badash (badash@history.ucsb.edu)
Emeritus Professor of the History of Science. No longer taking graduate students.
Research interests: Science policy, nuclear winter, science in the Cold War
Greg Graves (graves@history.ucsb.edu)
Research interests: American environmental history, hydrological engineering
Peter Neushul (pneushul@cox.net)
Research interests: Military industrial complex, history of American technology,
mariculture
Peter Westwick (westwick@history.ucsb.edu)
Research interests: Cold War science, American science and technology, modern
physical sciences
For additional information about HSTM as a profession visit these websites:
American Association for the History of Medicine: http://www.histmed.org/
British Society for the History of Science: http://www.bshs.org.uk/index.php
History of Science Society: http://www.hssonline.org/
Society for the History of Technology: http://shot.press.jhu.edu/
To receive occasional news of the UCSB Program in HSTM via email please visit
the following link: https://secure.lsit.ucsb.edu/mailman/listinfo/histsci
The Badash Prize in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine celebrates
the
career of Lawrence Badash, founder of the Program in HSTM at UCSB. It was created
and
endowed by his many former students and colleagues. Professor Badash served
the
university, community and historical profession in several capacities for many
years. An
inveterate worker for peace and weapons control, he remains the very model of
a socially
engaged intellectual. This prize, administered by the UCSB History Associates,
is awarded
annually for the best graduate student essay in the preceding three years on
the history
of science, technology or medicine in any era or geographical arena, or on weapons
control.
Badash Prize laureates:
2004, Jason Kelly, “Archaeology and Enlightenment Natural Philosophy”
(Mentor: Guerrini)
2005, Donald R. Burnette, "Failed Boundary Objects: The Case of Frederic
E. Clements and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden"
(Mentor: Osborne)
Current Graduate Students
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