HPSC0035
Exploring the importance of imperialism for the growth of modern science in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries and the ways science provided resources for imperial expansion in the same period.
Science and Empire
We consider the history of European empires and global exploration and commerce; the ways colonial knowledge challenged traditional pictures of the natural world in Europe; questions of cartography, navigation and the longitude problem; and the entanglement of science in questions of race and slavery.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this module:
- Demonstrate knowledge of key themes in the history of science and empire
- Provide a critical analysis of key themes in the historiography of science and empire
- Relate issues in the history of science and empire to key approaches in contemporary science and technology studies
- Demonstrate professional-level research skills that integrate archives, museum collections, and digital resources
Course Syllabus: