Grant funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) helps ¶¶ÒõÆƽâ°æ educate students through programs infusing science with the humanities.
Teaching the history of science and medicine with hands-on labs.
In August 2017, ¶¶ÒõÆƽâ°æ was among 245 recipients that received a total of $39.3 million in grants from the . With this funding, ¶¶ÒõÆƽâ°æ faculty developed two sophomore-level, general education courses in the history of science and medicine that incorporate hands-on labs: History of Science and Beyond Henrietta Lacks: Race and Medicine in 20th Century America.
An interdisciplinary team from the College, two historians and a biologist, carried out the project to infuse science with the humanities. Project Director and Professor of History, Dr. David Dennis, spearheaded the course development process alongside team members, Dr. Jessica Pisano, Project Co-Director and Associate Professor of Biology and Mathematics, as well as Dr. Rob Lawson, Professor of History.
Course development involved two semester-long reading seminars, as well as two summer symposia. To accomplish this task, the ¶¶ÒõÆƽâ°æ team worked together with the support of external faculty experts from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emmanuel College.
Piloted during the 2018-19 academic year, these courses continue to run on a regular basis. During the pilot year, the team conducted a study of how our pedagogical model impacted student learning outcomes, experiences, and attitudes toward science. Initial results suggest significant improvement, particularly in how students experience learning and in their attitudes toward science and history.
Integrating science lab with history lecture allows students to walk in the shoes of past scientists and to understand their limitations and horizons. To paraphrase James Bryant Conant, the Postwar pioneer in science history education, learning science through history gives students a “feel” for the “tactics and strategy of science.” That hands-on experience in the classroom, along with off-campus outings to Boston-area museums have proved to be beneficial for our students..
*Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this message do not necessarily reflect those of the NEH.
Click on the below drop down list to learn more about the project, including initial findings, personnel involved and selected course materials.