Undergraduate Course: Medicine, Science and Politics at the Courts of Early Modern Europe (HIST10280)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course investigates the political uses of science in Early Modern Europe. It focuses on the personal and political applications of medical and scientific knowledge at court, looking at the different ways in which scientific knowledge informs, or is informed by, courtly and international politics. The course will also explore the ways in which Early Modern science and technology affected social and political change. The course will address, in turn, some of the following topics: medicine and the body politic; the etiology of court diseases; medicine as spectacle; medicine between university and the court; scientific patronage; science as propaganda; reformed medicine and science; technology, power and display; technology and war; alchemy, astrology and magic at court. Central to this subject will be the development of an understanding of the range of methodological approaches to historical inquiry. Hence discussion of these themes will be informed by sophisticated theoretical analyses from the fields of history and philosophy of science, sociology of science, and anthropology of court society. It is expected that by the end of the course students will have gained an informed understanding of the political, military and social role of science in the Early Modern period. |
| Course description |
Not entered
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | A pass or passes in 40 credits of first level historical courses or equivalent and a pass or passes in 40 credits of second level historical courses or equivalent.
Before enrolling students on this course, Personal Tutors are asked to contact the History Honours Admission Secretary to ensure that a place is available (Tel: 503783). |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 History courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course **
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Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course students will be required to demonstrate in their course work, written examination and oral presentations the following attributes:
the capacity for analytical and critical thinking;
the ability to assess critically primary and secondary sources, understanding the challenges faced by historians when investigating the past;
the ability to assess the merit of different methodological approaches to the sources;
the capacity to work independently on a research topic and demonstrate the ability to evaluate and use effectively the relevant information;
be able to express themselves clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing;
the ability to produce well-argued, well-documented, and properly referenced coursework;
good time-management and the ability to organize the workload effectively so as to meet the established deadlines.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Medicine Science |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Monica Azzolini
Tel: (0131 6)50 9964
Email: m.azzolini@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Annabel Stobie
Tel: (0131 6)50
Email: Annabel.Stobie@ed.ac.uk |
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