School of History and Philosophy of Science

Placing science in its historical and social context

At the crossroads of arts and science, we examine past and current developments in all areas of science, technology and medicine from a range of humanistic perspectives.

History and philosophy of science (HPS) is an ideal way to critically engage with science and its social and cultural significance. Any student with a genuine interest in science will derive benefit from the study of this discipline.

Teaching at the School of History and Philosophy of Science

Teaching staff in the School of History and Philosophy of Science have published widely in their fields of expertise and have gained international recognition for their research. This makes them fantastic educators, sharing their knowledge and experiences in the classroom so students can be at the forefront of innovations in the field.

The University of Sydney is ranked first in Australia and fourth in the world for graduate employability.* This stems from our immersive, research-led teaching which prepares students for the real-world and a successful career.

*2018 QS Graduate Employability Rankings

Study area_

Study with us

Study science in its historical, philosophical and social contexts and examine how science differs from other forms of knowledge

Research_

Our research

Our research is broad reaching and encourages students to pursue research in areas that may include medicine and society, early modern science or history and technology to name a few.

News bites

Professor Hans Pols - ARC success

Professor Johannes Pols;with Professor Catharine Coleborne; Associate Professor Paul Rhodes; and Professor Anthony Harris

The development of Australian community psychiatry. This project aims to analyse recent developments in Australian psychiatry by considering their broader social, cultural, and political contexts. In the 1970s, Australian psychiatry, primarily based in mental hospital care, came under sustained critique by psychologists, psychiatrists interested in developing alternative treatment methods, and broader social movements. This project will investigate how psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals aimed to change mental hospital care and develop community psychiatry to provide alternatives. The project will examine the initiatives of the pioneers in Australian community psychiatry and its relationship to the broader deinstitutionalisation movement. The project will also analyse the resulting changes in research and practice.

Evelleen Richards: Winner of the Suzanne J. Levinson Prize

Congratulations to our own Honorary Professor Evelleen Richards on being awarded the Suzanne J. Levinson Prize for her book Darwin and the Making of Sexual Selection.

The prize is awarded every years to the best book in the area of history of life sciences and natural history by the History of Science Society. Read more about the prize win here.

HPS Research Seminar Series 2019

25 March: Dr Emily Kern

Dr Emily Kern
Monday 25 March
Level 5 Function Room,
Administration Building (F23)

The Speaking Ape: Language and the Logic of Origins in the Nineteenth Century.”

Until the early 1950s, international scientific consensus placed the cradle of humankind in central Asia. This paper traces the origins of the ‘out of Asia’ hypothesis in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, arguing that the philological tradition played a major, unrecognized role in the development of evolutionary theory.