BBS options

Why do people believe what physicians, engineers or scientists say? Is science universally true, or has it developed in different ways in different cultures? How can we manage the ethical problems raised by scientific discovery, medical enterprise and technological change?

History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine enables students to ask critical questions about science, medicine and technology and their place in society.

Students taking NST Part II Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) can choose History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine (HPSM) is their Major Subject. Alternatively, BBS students can choose one of three HPSM papers as their Minor Subject.

Major Subject

Students choosing the HPSM Major Subject take all four of the following papers:

Course organiser: Dániel Margócsy

Minor Subjects

Students choosing their Major Subject from another area of BBS can take one of the following papers as their Minor Subject (but there are some restrictions on the combinations of subjects that are permitted):

Syllabus

Each paper comprises 24 lectures. Full details of the lectures are given on the timetable.

Supervisions

We recommend that you seek 4–6 supervisions per paper. Names of recommended supervisors will be given out by the lecturers.

Most students taking these courses will not have written discursive, humanities-style essays for some time. Do not be nervous – the supervisors will help you master this skill – but do seek the recommended number of supervisions.

Recommended readings

Reading lists for specific elements of each course will be made available on Moodle. Lecture handouts and slides will also be put on Moodle, as will scans of some book chapters and journal articles. All students registered to take one of these courses will become members of the relevant Moodle site.

Introductory readings for each course are listed on the timetable.

Libraries

The Whipple Library – the HPS departmental library – has an excellent collection of literature in both medical ethics and the history of medicine. You will need to use it regularly. College libraries should have some of the introductory texts. Please recommend that they acquire the others and as many of the other key readings as they can afford.

For students taking Philosophy and Ethics of Medicine there are also good collections of medical ethics materials at the Squire Law Library and the Casimir Lewy Library (Philosophy).

Dissertation

Students taking either the HPSM Major Subject or one of the Minor Subjects may choose to write their BBS dissertation in an HPSM option. Because of limited availability of supervisors, we will restrict the number of Minor Subject students who can write a dissertation to six per course. If you think you might want to write a dissertation, you should discuss this with the appropriate course organiser at the earliest opportunity – right at the beginning of Michaelmas Term.

Plagiarism

The University, and this department, take plagiarism very seriously. Please read our advice about what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.

Assessment

Each course will be assessed by a 3-hour closed-book, invigilated examination with a word limit. There will be additional time for students with disabilities who have made the necessary application via College (following the standard practice for examination arrangements).

Major Subject

Each Major Subject paper will have 12 questions. The paper is not divided into sections. Students are required to answer three questions.

Minor Subjects

Philosophy and Ethics of Medicine: This paper will have 12 questions divided into two sections, with six questions in each section. Section A is Ethics of Medicine, Section B is Philosophy of Medicine. Students are required to answer four questions in total and must answer at least one question from each section.

Early Medicine and Modern Medicine and Biomedical Sciences: This paper will have 12 questions. The paper is not divided into sections. Students are required to answer three questions.

The HPS Department

Students taking these options should feel at home in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science. Feel free to use the Department's coffee room. You are welcome to attend any HPS Part IB or Part II lectures that are of interest to you, not just the lectures that are part of your course. You may also attend the Part II primary source seminars even though you will not be submitting a primary source essay.

Feedback

There are four main routes for students to give feedback on their course:

  • A student representative will be appointed, who will sit on the HPS Department's monitoring committee.
  • Questionnaires will be distributed in Lent Term.
  • You can use the online instant feedback form at any time.
  • You can discuss any specific issues with the course organiser.

Further information

For general information about the course, including assessment and course structure, contact the appropriate course organiser.

Students will be added to an email list to receive email notices specific to their course. You may also want to join HPS Discussion to receive more general information and notices about the Department.