University of California Berkeley Fall, 1985
History 103B, Section 6. Instructor: David Robinson. 4 units.

History and the emergence of the human sciences: 1880-1930


History 103 is a course of directed readings for undergraduates, typically majors in the department. This particular section is devoted to a topic in European intellectual history, especially the emergence of psychology and sociology in the decades around 1900. The historical study of the human (or behavioral) sciences might obviously include anthropology, a field of much interest recently among historians. In fact the heyday of anthropology comes right at that end of our period, so we will restrict ourselves to the disciplines which developed somewhat earlier. We might well have restricted ourselves to only one of these, but the instructor believes that some of the crucial concerns of the two areas of study--in their earlier days and perhaps even today--are shared. We will, for example, be very much interested in the model of the natural sciences for psychology and sociology: how consistently it was applied; the problems and the major critiques of a scientific approach; alternative methods proposed for gaining knowledge in these fields. By examining the backgrounds, biographies, and working environment of some major thinkers in these fields, we will approach a working sociology of epistemology.

Participation: The readings will probably be most interesting to you if you have some background in European history, especially intellectual history and history of science. However, even those who have concentrated their studies on American history and have an interest in, say, Freud and/or Weber (both of them quite relevant to American thought) have good cause to take this course. Do not be afraid to ask the instructor about reference works, if you have trouble with any of the readings. A few of them will be fairly difficult and will require that we all consult other sources for basic background. A good starting place might be the Encyclopedia of the social sciences or the Dictionary of scientific biography. More ideas for useful reference are forthcoming.

Since we are a seminar, active participation and, needless to say, dutiful preparation of assigned readings are essential. Repeated absences will damage your performance and your grade, so be sure to keep in contact with the instructor, should you have to miss a class at any point. It is possible for the terribly shy person to compensate for lack of verbal participation by writing brilliant essays, but for most people the willingness to engage in give-and-take discussions is a major part of the learning process in a seminar. This course will hopefully be one of your best opportunities at Berkeley to speak up and have a major influence on the direction the course takes.


History 103B, Robinson, p.2

Nearly every week one person (occasionally two people) will prepare a part of the reading for oral presentation. You are encouraged to consult the instructor (during office hours) while preparing such an assignment. It will be a part of your grade. (We will discuss actually percentages, etc., at a later time.)

There will be three rather short writing assignments--essays which will allow you to present in your own well-considered words the materials we have attempted to digest together in class. Let us plan for three eight-pagers. Writing assignments are not too heavy, but the readings and discussions will be fairly intense.


Readings:

There are three books for this section available for purchase at Ed Hunolt's Berkeley Book Store. Right away, you should purchase Owen Chadwick, The secularization of the European mind, and H. Stuart Hughes, Consciousness and society. We will read From Max Weber toward the end of the semester.

The instructor is preparing a packet of readings (probably to be bound in readers by Cleo's Copy Center). They should be ready about September 10. The sources for most of these readings are on reserve in Moffitt Library. Here is a tentative, general overview of the course, with definite assignments for the first three meetings.

Sept. 4: Chadwick, pp.1-188.

11: Hughes, pp. 1-182.

18: Hughes, pp.183-end.

25: Universities and institutional history.

Oct. 2: Physiology, Claude Bernard's philosophy of science.

9: Wilhelm Wundt's experimental psychology, Wilhelm
Dilthey's criticism of the new psychology. (PAPER:
Science and the humanities)

16: More Dilthey on cultural and intellectual history.

23: Sigmund Freud's major ideas.

30: Critiques of Freud.

Nov. 6: Emile Durkheim, sociological method. (PAPER:
Psychology)

13: Durkheim, some applications.
History 103B, Robinson, p.3


Nov. 20: Max Weber, intellectual biography of the man.

27: Weber's thought

Dec. 4: Wrap-up. (PAPER: Sociology)














































Reading Assignments HISTORY 103B Fall 1985

History and the emergence of the human sciences: 1880-1930

Instructor: D. Robinson


Sept. 4: Owen Chadwick, The secularization of the European mind, pp. 1-188 (paperback).

11: H. Stuart Hughes, Consciousness and society, pp. 1-182
(paperback).

18: Hughes, pp. 183-end.

25: Universities and institutional history: Fritz Ringer,
The decline of the German mandarins, pp. 1-127; Joseph Ben-David, "Scientific productivity and academic
organization in nineteenth century medicine," American
sociological review, 25 (1960), pp. 828-843; Theodore
Zeldin, "Higher education in France, 1848-1940,"
Journal of contemporary history, 2 (1967), pp. 53-80.

Oct. 2: Physiology, philosophy of science: David Galaty, "The
philosophical basis of mid-nineteenth century German
reductionism," Journal of the history of medicine and
allied sciences, 29 (1974), pp. 295-316; "Positivism"
from Franklin Le Van Baumer, ed., Main currents of
Western thought, pp. 524-539; P. Q. Hirst, Durkheim,
Bernard and epistemology, pp. 1-77; Claude Bernard, An introduction to the study of experimental medicine,
pp. 1-57.

9: Experimental psychology: Joseph Ben-David and Randall
Collins, "Social factors in the origins of a new
science: The case of psychology," American
sociological review, 31 (1966), pp. 451-465; Raymond
E. Fancher, Pioneers of psychology, pp. 126-149;
Wilhelm Wundt, Outlines of psychology (1987 ed.), pp.
1-27, 248-267; Wilhelm Dilthey, Descriptive psychology and historical understanding, pp. 21-72. (PAPER DUE:
Science and the humanities)

16: Dilthey, Descriptive psychology, pp. 72-120; Dilthey,
Selected writings, pp. 1-77 ("Schleiermacher").

23: Freud's interpretation of dreams: Freud, Leonardo da
Vinci (paperback); Carl E. Schorske, "Politics and
patricide in Freud's Interpretation of Dreams," from
Fin-de-siecle Vienna, pp. 181-207.

30: Critical perspectives on Freud: Freud, Autobiography
(paperback); Frank Sulloway, Freud, biologist of the
mind, pp. 445-495.
History 103B Readings, Page 2

Nov. 6: Durkheim's sociology: Emile Durkheim, On morality and
society, pp. vii-lv, 63-146 (Robert Bellah's
"Introduction" and excerpts from Division of labor in
society) (PAPER DUE: Psychology)

13: Durkheim, The rules of sociological method.

20: Weber on methodology: Max Weber, Roscher and Knies,
pp. 93-129; Weber, "'Objectivity' in social science
and science policy," from The methodology of the social sciences, pp. 49-112; "The Protestant sects and the
spirit of capitalism," and "Religious rejections of the
world and their directions," in From Max Weber
(paperback), pp. 302-359.

27: Psychoanalyzing Weber: From Max Weber, pp. 1-156
(includes "Politics as a vocation" and "Science as a
vocation"); Arthur Mitzman, The iron cage, pp. 3-74;
Bruce Mazlish, "Review essay of The iron cage," History and Theory, 10 (1971), 90-107.

Dec. 4: Wrapping up. (PAPER DUE: Sociology)






























Table of Contents


I. Institutional History


Fritz K. Ringer, The decline of the German mandarins. The German
academic community, 1890-1933 (Cambridge, Mass:
Harvard University Press, 1969), pp. 1-127, 476-491.

Joseph Ben-David, "Scientific productivity and academic
organization in nineteenth century medicine," American sociological review, 25 (1960), pp. 828-843.

Theodore Zeldin, "Higher education in France, 1848-1940,"
Journal of contemporary history, 2 (1967), pp. 53-80.



II. Physiology, Philosophy of Science


David H. Galaty, "The philosophical basis of mid-nineteenth
century German reductionism," Journal of the history of medicine and allied sciences, 29 (1974), pp. 295-316.

P. Q. Hirst, Durkheim, Bernard and epistemology (London:
Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1975), pp. 1-77, 178-190.

Claude Bernard, An introduction to the study of experimental
medicine (1865) (NY: Dover, 1957), pp. 1-57.

Franklin Le Van Baumer, ed., "Positivism," from Main currents of
Western thought (New Haven: Yale University Press,
1978), pp. 524-539.



III. Experimental Psychology


Joseph Ben-David and Randall Collins, "Social factors in the
origins of a new science: The case of psychology,"
American sociological review, 31 (1966), pp. 451-456.

Raymond E. Fancher, Pioneers of psychology (NY: W. W. Norton,
1979), pp. 126-149, 374-377.

Wilhelm Wundt, Outlines of psychology (Leipzig: Engelmann,
1897), pp. 1-27, 248-267.




IV. Dilthey


Wilhelm Dilthey, "Ideas concerning a descriptive and analytic
psychology" from Descriptive psychology and historical
understanding (The Hague: Martius Nijhoff, 1977),
pp. 21-120.

Wilhelm Dilthey, Selected writings (Cambridge University Press,
1976), pp. 1-77. (H. P. Rickman's "Introduction" and
Dilthey's "Schleiermacher")



V. Freud, Durkheim, Weber


Carl E. Schorske, "Politics and patricide in Freud's
Interpretation of Dreams" from Fin-de-siecle Vienna,
politics and culture (NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980),
pp. 181-207.

Frank Sulloway, Freud, biologist of the mind. Beyond the
psychoanalytic legend (NY: Basic Books, 1979),
pp. 445-495.

Emile Durkheim, On morality and society (University of Chicago
Press, 1973), pp. vii-lv, 63-146, 225-230. (Robert N.
Bellah's "Introduction" and excerpts from Division of
Labor in Society)

Emile Durkheim, The rules of sociological method (NY: The Free
Press, 1938).

Max Weber, Roscher and Knies: The logical problem of historical
economics (NY: The Free Press, 1975), pp. 93-129,
236-241.

Max Weber, "'Objectivity' in social science and social policy,"
in The methodology of the social sciences (NY: The
Free Press, 1949), 49-112.

Arthur Mitzman, The iron cage, an historical interpretation of
Max Weber (NY: Universal Library, 1969), pp. 3-74.

Bruce Mazlish, "Review essay of The iron cage...," History and
theory, 10 (1971), 90-107.