Department of the History of Science, Harvard University | Department of the History of Science

Undergraduate Program

James Watt, English inventor and industrialist, experimenting with a teakettle as he attempts to improve the Newcomen steam engine. His aunt looks over his shoulder, upset at his tinkering. From the Lives of Great People of the Occident (Taisei ijin den), Woodblock print c. 1870.

Graduate Program

Clipart of two students sitting on a giant book

Faculty Directory

Evelynn Hammonds as discussant.

Upcoming Events

Bios Talk: Hans-Jörg Rheinberger - My Itinerary Toward a Historical Epistemology of the Life Sciences

November 13, 2026

|

1:30PM - 3:00PM EST

|

Virtual

Virtual

Hans-Jörg Rheinberger is Director emeritus at the Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. He studied philosophy, linguistics, and biology in Tübingen and Berlin. His academic stations include Berlin, Stanford, Lübeck, and Salzburg. From...

Hans-Jörg Rheinberger in front of bookcase full of books

S&T in Asia: Joan Judge - Embryology, Cosmology, and Epistemic Ecology: Thinking with, and Beyond, Chinese Daily-Use Handbooks

November 17, 2026

|

10:30AM - 11:45AM EST

Virtual

When we enter the pages of a wanbao quanshu 萬寶全書 (Comprehensive compendia of myriad treasures), we encounter a freeze frame in the transit of vernacular knowledge. Historians of the book, of knowledge, and of medicine have tended to disregard the non...

Joan Judge smiling

S&T in Asia: Hiromi Yokoyama - AI Boosts Nuclear Power: Challenges of Watt-Bit Collaboration

November 24, 2026

|

10:30AM - 11:45AM EST

Virtual

Hiromi Yokoyama smiling

See All Upcoming Events

Spring 2027 Courses

Open to graduate enrollment.

See all courses offered

Healing the World

How have people understood and managed human health in the past?

Tuesday and Thursday - 10:30-11:45 AM with Professors David Jones and Hannah Marcus

juxtaposition of ancient and modern doctor and patient

Digital Democracy

In the age of AI, what has happened to the dream of democracy, the faith that we can collectively govern ourselves?

Monday and Wednesday - 12:00-1:15 PM with Professor Marc Aidinoff

Anti AI protest with signs and megaphone

Solving Genuinely Hard Problems in Science

What can we do, as a society, to help make progress on solving the hardest problems in science?

Tuesday and Thursday - 10:30-11:45 AM with Professors Peter L. Galison, Jeff W. Lichtman, and Logan McCarty

Making the World: An Introduction to the History of Technology

Mondays and Wednesdays - 1:30-2:45 PM with Professors Victor Seow and Eric Gurevitch

James Watt, English inventor and industrialist, experimenting with his aunt looking over his shoulder, upset at his tinkering.

News

Sarah Richardson Featured in the FAS Current Scrutinizing Menstrual Tracking Apps

October 07, 2026

Sarah Richardson smiling with arms crossed and with her office in the background

Recent HoS Alum Simar Bajaj '24 Selected as 2026 Knight-Hennessy Scholar

August 12, 2026

Simar in suit and tie in front of a modern building made of metal and glass.

HoS Alum Jonathan Galka Awarded Dissertation Prize by the World History Association

July 20, 2026

News Archive

Faculty Bookshelf

Research

Recent Faculty Publications

Book covers

Opportunities for History and Science Concentrators

Undergraduate Program

See what opportunities are available!

Opportunities for History of Science Concentrators

Teaching Innovation

Graduate Program

Exploring contemporary research & learning techniques

Knowledge Production and the University in the Age of AI

Faculty Seminar

How should we at Harvard make knowledge in the future?

Announcing the 2026-2027 Speakers!