Course syllabus

Welcome to the website for the combined Master’s and PhD course ”History and Sociology of the Social Sciences and the Humanities: Boundaries, Persona and Knowledge Circulation” (7.5 Credits)!

The course starts with a Course Introduction on Wednesday 12 November 2025, 13:15–15:00, in the Rausing room (room 6-3025) in the Department of History of Science and Ideas.

Below you will find general information about the course: its aim and scope, its structure, the examination, and the expected learning outcomes. Additional information can be found by using the menu bar to the left (accessible for registered participants only). Under “Modules” you will find more detailed instructions (incl. required readings etc.) to the course introduction, the lectures, the seminars and the final seminar.

 

Aim and scope

The course provides an overview and advanced introduction to recent research on the history and sociology of the social sciences and humanities (SSH), in Sweden and internationally, from the early 20th century to the present day. Particular conceptual focus is placed on the circulation and boundaries of knowledge as well as the shifting scholarly personae within the field of SSH. 

By examining the historical developments of the social sciences and the humanities in social context, and by introducing a set of conceptual tools, the aim of the course is to encourage a contextual and reflexive understanding of the varying roles and uses of social scientific and humanities knowledge and what it means to be a researcher in these disciplines today.

 

Structure of the course

The course is structured around three thematic modules, each of which combines an overview lecture with an in-depth seminar based on a number of selected key texts and case studies.

  • Course introduction (week 46)
  • Theme I: History of Social Science and Boundaries of Knowledge (week 47)
  • Theme II: History of the Humanities and Shifting Scholarly Personae (weeks 48–49)
  • Theme III: Social Sciences and Humanities as a Social Field (week 50)
  • Optional Tutorial Workshop (week 51)
  • Final Seminar (week 3)

An overview schedule can be found here. For access to the TimeEdit schedule, please click "Schedule" in the menu bar to the left. 

A compiled reading list can be found here. 

 

Examination

The examination consists of two parts. The course introduction and all seminars are compulsory and all participants are expected to contribute actively to the discussions. In case you will be unable to attend any of the compulsory sessions, please make sure to inform the responsible teacher in beforehand, preferably as soon as possible. 

The second part of the examination consists of a written individual essay to be orally presented and discussed at the final whole day seminar. The requirements of the final essays will be adjusted to whether the course is taken as a Master’s or PhD course. In order to be awarded a Pass grade for the course as a whole, you need to pass both parts of the examination.

 

Learning outcomes

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

  • demonstrate a broad understanding of the history of the social sciences and the humanities and their developments in social contexts in the 20th century
  • describe and discuss the main features of recent studies on the history of the humanities and social sciences
  • demonstrate an ability to analyze and compare a selection of examples from the humanities and social sciences by using the concepts of boundaries, persona and knowledge circulation
  • critically reflect upon the roles and uses of social scientific and humanities knowledge and what it means to be a researcher in these disciplines today.

 

Questions?
For questions regarding registration as a Master's student and administrative matters, please contact our course administrator Anna-Lotta Jadinge: info@idehist.uu.se.
For questions regarding registration as a PhD student, general questions regarding the course or Theme I, please contact the course coordinator Per Wisselgren: per.wisselgren@idehist.uu.se
For questions regarding Theme II, please contact Hampus Östh Gustafsson: hampus.osthgustafsson@idehist.uu.se

For questions regarding Theme III, please contact Tobias Dalberg: tobias.dalberg@edu.uu.se

 

Once again, warmly welcome to the course ”History and Sociology of the Social Sciences and the Humanities”!

Per, Hampus and Tobias