Steven J. Livesey, Chair
Stephen P. Weldon, Graduate Liaison
625 Physical Sciences Center
Norman, OK 73019-0315
Phone: (405) 325-2213
FAX: (405) 325-2363
Internet: http://www.ou.edu/cas/hsci/
E-mail: slivesey@ou.edu
Professors Barker, Livesey, Ogilvie; Associate Professor Pandora; Assistant Professors K. Crowther, H. Heyck, Weldon; Adjunct Associate Professor Tracy; Adjunct Assistant Professors Hamerla, Magruder.
Study in the history of science at the University of Oklahoma inquires into the development of scientific thought from its origins in the cultural and intellectual efforts of the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome, through the Islamic and Christian civilizations of the Middle Ages, to the modern period. The courses place strong emphasis upon both the internal growth of scientific ideas and their development within the wider political, social, economic, religious and cultural context of Western history.
The University Libraries’ 91,000-volume special collection in the history of science provides a superb resource for research and teaching. Containing scientific works from the beginning of printing to the 20th century, this unique collection includes first editions of such notable scientists as Euclid, Archimedes, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Boyle, Newton, Linnaeus, Darwin, Pasteur, Curie and Einstein.
The History of Science Department offers an extensive range of undergraduate and graduate courses concerned with the origins and growth of the natural sciences in Western civilization, including the tradition of Islam. Although the department does not offer an undergraduate major, a number of undergraduate courses are available, and students may matriculate in an undergraduate minor or specially planned programs. Courses numbered 1000–2000 are intended especially for freshmen and sophomores, respectively. Courses numbered 3000–4000 are open to juniors, seniors and graduate students. Students who are interested in planned programs with an emphasis in the history of science or who plan to apply for admission to the graduate program in the history of science should consult with a faculty member of the department regarding relevant courses.
For information on scholarships and graduate assistantships, students should contact the chair of the department.
The history of science has been designated an area of future emphasis within the College of Arts and Sciences, in the University’s Strategy for Excellence. The foundations of the University’s commitment to emphasis in this field are the superb History of Science Collections, and a department of nine historians of science dedicated to a comprehensive program of teaching and research.
Through a generous endowment made by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the History of Science program provides travel fellowships for visitors to make use of its resources for research in the history of science. In addition to working in the collections, visiting fellows interact with students and faculty in the program and frequently present the results of their research to the university community.
Students may elect a minor in history of science. The minor requires 15 hours of history of science courses, of which at least nine hours must be at the 3000-level or above.
Chronological areas of study include ancient and medieval science, early modern science, and modern science. Thematic areas of specialization include, but are not limited to, the medieval Judaeo-Christian and Islamic scientific traditions, natural history and field sciences, modern social and biological sciences, and the history of science in America.
The programs of study leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees will entail the student’s enrollment in history of science courses, history, other approved courses outside the department, and extensive use of the materials contained in the History of Science Collections.
Requirements for admission and prerequisites for full graduate standing include those set forth in the general requirements of the Graduate College, together with departmental requirements tailored to fit individual student backgrounds and scholastic needs. In addition, the department requires each applicant to submit a Graduate Record Examination (General Test) score.
Programs of graduate study leading to the Master of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree have been offered in history of science since 1954 to students possessing a variety of undergraduate backgrounds. Each student’s program is accordingly formulated on an individual basis in conference with a committee of the faculty of the department.
Requirements for the master’s degree normally include reading proficiency in an appropriate foreign language and satisfactory completion of a master’s thesis. With departmental approval, a student not intending to pursue the Ph.D. degree may follow a nonthesis option, which includes a comprehensive final examination.
The History of Science Department and the School of Library and Information Studies offer a dual degree program for their two fields. Students apply to and are accepted by each department. Dual-degree students work with a joint advising committee made up of members of both units. They take the comprehensive master’s degree examination in each department and meet the requirements for the master’s degree in each department. The total course load requirement is 18 courses or 54 credit hours, including a minimum of 27 credit hours in each department. Students may choose to write a thesis in the History of Science.
Students matriculating for the doctoral degree must demonstrate reading proficiency in at least two appropriate foreign languages (usually chosen from French, German, and Latin) before being admitted to candidacy.
September 2007