Science, society and culture in European history

What it covers

Held in Prato, the unit aims to introduce you to the history of science, medicine, and technology in Europe. Far from value-free, knowledge and practice is everywhere and always embedded in a social, political, economic, and cultural context. We will probe these entwined historical experiences through an analysis of written texts, visual sources, and material artefacts. We traverse the premodern/modern divide to illuminate continuity and change across time and space in ways that re-contextualise transformative moments such the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment. With a focus on the relationship between knowledge and power, topics may include sanitation and public health; medical technology; urban planning and design; global comparisons and knowledge transfer; technology and empire. This unit will be of interest to students in Science, Medicine, Engineering, as well as Arts.

Assessment

When and where