HIS 151Keywords in the History of Science and Medicine

This five-week intensive course explores how scientific and medical terminology has evolved over three millennia, examining how ordinary-seeming words like ''technology,'' ''drug,'' and ''robot'' emerged from complex social and intellectual histories. Students investigate how terms traveled across languages and cultures, from ancient Greek techne to medieval Arabic alchemy to modern genetics, revealing the global nature of scientific knowledge. Through hands-on activities, primary source analysis, and engagement with current scientific discourse, students develop skills in tracing how the language we use shapes what we know—and what we think we know—about science and medicine. The course is particularly relevant for students interested in history, science and technology studies, and global and community health. (Formerly History of Science, Medicine, and Technology from Antiquity to the Enlightenment.)

• From the Instructor: This class is aimed at students from a broad range of majors, and counts toward Global and Community Health major requirements.

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