Committee on the History and Philosophy of Science
(CHPS)
CHPS directs graduate curricula in the history and philosophy of science
and technology, and offers a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses
of interest to students who want to broaden their perspective of science
beyond that provided by standard science courses. Students prepare for
a wide variety of careers: teaching and research in history, philosophy,
and special programs in history and philosophy of science and technology,
as well as nonacademic positions with museums, archives, foundations, science
publications, professional organizations, and government agencies. Graduates
receive a Ph.D. or MA degree in either history or philosophy, with history
and philosophy of science as a specialized area of concentration.
History and philosophy of science students have the option of a comprehensive
general course of study in history and philosophy of science and technology,
or one of the more specialized tracks representing clusters of faculty
expertise and research in history of technology (Anderson, Friedel, Sicilia,
Brush), history and philosophy of biology (Cherniak, Darden, Schaffner),
history and philosophy of physics (Berkovitz, Brush, Bub, Rynasiewicz,
Stairs, Wallace), history and philosophy of psychology (Rey), and foundations
of neuroscience (Cherniak, Darden).
Colloquium
The Committee sponsors a colloquium series at which both local and outside
scholars speak on current topics. The Committee works with other campus
units to sponsor lectures and conferences of interest to historians and
philosophers of science. Information about scheduled colloquia and speakers
may be obtained at: http://carnap.umd.edu:90/chps/colloquium.html or from
the CHPS office (301-405-5691). In addition to the Committee's own colloquium
series which brings nationally known scholars to campus, many seminars
and other activities are available in the Washington and Baltimore areas.
Students and faculty actively participate in research and study programs
at the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, the American Institute
of Physics, and other local institutions.
Admissions
The Committee on the History and Philosophy of Science (CHPS) is a research
and teaching unit of the Departments of Philosophy and History. Students
apply to either the Department of History or the Department of Philosophy,
indicating their interest in specialized study of history and philosophy
of science. Students should have some background in either history or philosophy;
as warranted by the student's promise, the Committee may recommend that
the affiliated department admit qualified students with science degrees
who possess less than the normal background in history or philosophy.
Fellowships and Assistantships
Students working for advanced degrees in the history and philosophy of
science are eligible for a variety of forms of financial assistance : Graduate
School Fellowships, Graduate Tuition Scholarships, Work-Study grants, Federal
Perkins Loans and Federal Stafford Loans. Students may also apply for aid
from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Smithsonian
Institution, and other agencies.
The University of Maryland
The University is one of the largest in the United States and its College
Park campus houses more than sixty-five advanced degree programs. Research
facilities include a two million-volume library, an advanced computer center,
and extensive laboratory facilities in the sciences and engineering. The
College Park campus is a spacious setting located in the Washington, D.C.
metropolitan area. Students have available the research facilities of seven
area universities, numerous research institutes, and numerous specialized
libraries. Of particular interest to the Committee's students are the resources
of the Center for History of Physics at the American Center for Physics
in College Park; the National Archives repository in College Park; the
Library of Congress; the Smithsonian Institution; the National Library
of Medicine; and the National Agricultural Library. Most are easily accessible
by public rapid transit.
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