As of the 2007/08 winter semester the universities in Paris (Paris I, Paris IV, Paris VII and Ecole Normale Supérieure) will be cooperating with the Bielefeld University in offering an interdisciplinary Master’s study in Philosophy, History and Sociology of Science.

The structure of the Master of History, Philosophy and Sociology of Science (HPSS) in Bielefeld is based on the existing curriculum provided by the partner French and German Universities, who in addition offer their own programs in LoPHISS (Logic, philosophy, history and sociology of sciences). This is a two year program, and comprises 60 ECTS-units a year. Completion of the program will offer an academic degree from both Bielefeld University and Ecole Normale Supérieure.

The HPSS Master’s program approaches the study of science from epistemic, institutional and societal perspectives. Organization of scientific studies/institutions and the social nature of scientific practice are an object of study. The program’s instruction primarily consists of perspectives from the following disciplines:

• The Sociology of Science understands science as a social institution constituted by specific social rules.

• The Philosophy of Science centers the epistemic aspects of reason and rationality while paying special regard to the ethical aspects of scientific discourse.

• The History of Science pursues the historical context of the development of science by analyzing the role of science within other parts of societal discourse, like economy and politics.

These three disciplinary approaches complement one another and contribute to an improved and truly interdisciplinary understanding of scientific inquiry.

A broad reflection of science needs the interaction of these three disciplinary approaches. Sociology, history and philosophy combine complementary aspects in the analysis of the “system science” to offer both a broad reflection as well as reflect the interactive nature of each discipline’s area of explanation respectively. The interdisciplinary profile of the HPSS-Master is expressed by this integration and interaction of these science-reflecting disciplines.

The HPSS-Master joins an established international trend by featuring an interdisciplinary integration of several sub-disciplines. The combination of sociological, philosophical and historical approaches is an academic-wide and world-wide phenomenon; indeed through an integration of disciplinary perspectives as seen at the Institut für Wissenschafts- und Technikforschung (IWT), the HPSS program in Bielefeld is already successfully integrating into this evolving movement within research. This also means that new Master’s program is strongly founded on the established research profile of the Bielefeld University.