2 METHODOLOGICAL STRATEGIES FOR A HISTORY OF SCIENCE COURSE

This paper presents the methodology used in the History of Chemistry c ourse taught, for several rears now,in the Department of Chemistry of the School of Science at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, (UCV)ex tendable to other types of courses not only of General History of Scie nce but also to other histories of aspecific science. The objective of such methodology consists in dedicating, at the onset of the course, from 20-25% of the available time to cover certain aspects and practic es of the historic method, in order that the students understand the e lements present in the manipulation, the interpretation and the compre hension of the historic occurrence. To accomplish this, as a complemen t to the reading of some materials on the historiography of classical authors' two methodological strategies in particular are developed. On e of them pursues the familiarization with the internalism and externa lism of the: historic occurrence; for this the elements of integral an d external history ape analized via a case accesible to the students. The second is designed with the goal that the students understand the necessity for placing oneself in the historic moment of the occurrence being studied, in order to comprehend to its lull extent the differen ce between the anachronic and diachronic vision of history; chat is, t o learn to be an observer within the past and not simply an observer o f the past. The attitude we observe in the students, along the course, permits us to believe that these activities constitute a positive ele ment in accomplishing the proposed objectives of the course.