Science and Technology in the Making: Entering the World of the Laboratory
Full course description
Science is the system of knowledge production through which truths are constructed and therefore is a powerful institution that requires critical examination. To understand the power science enacts in its production of “facts”, this course looks to the social, cultural, historical, political, and economic contexts through which science is practiced and scientific knowledge is circulated through society. In doing so we will take a closer look at the production and dissemination of technoscience outputs and study science in action in its immediate environment as well as in its role and position in society. To take this idea seriously, we need to critically analyse notions of objectivity, credibility, standardisation, expertise, scientific norms and integrity, and Big Data. Taking a closer look at the issues will help us to understand how science operates in today’s complex world. To gain insight into science we zoom in on the organisation of knowledge production and its collaborative character and study processes in which credible facts are established and published. Furthermore, besides the immediate context in which scientific facts are established (i.e., the lab), the course also considers the wider socio-economic context in which science operates. This involves for example the commercialisation of knowledge, post-truth and fake facts. It is along these lines that we enter the world of scientists. In addition, we will also pay attention to the way the cultural-historical contexts affect the interpretation of not only facts, but also of what science is, and the conditions for its knowledge production. In this way, we unpack the Western identity of today’s dominant conceptualisation of science.
Course objectives
The primary aim of this course is to help students to understand the complexities involved in producing and disseminating of scientific knowledge. In essence, this course is an introduction to science studies at three levels: a micro-analytical perspective on the complexities involved in the processes of building up scientific facts; a meso-analytical perspective on changes on the institutional level; and a macro-analytical perspective on the role of industry, the state and societies at large.
Students are expected, by the end of this course, to understand how science is functioning, including its internal organisation and how it fulfils various functions in modern societies. Students also have insights into the way science relates to industry, to the state, and the socio-cultural embeddedness of science.
On completing this course, students will be able to:
- explain and analyse the contemporary challenges, dynamics, and norms of knowledge production in the sciences on macro-, meso- and micro-level.
- explicate the influences of the wider social-historical and cultural context in which scientific knowledge is produced, including the role of industry and government.
- conduct an expert interview, act as constructive team-members, and communicate your academic findings to a lay audience.
Prerequisites
None
Recommended reading
- Kleinman, D.L. (2003). Impure Cultures: university biology and the world of commerce. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.
- Sismondo, Sergio (2010). An Introduction in Science andTechnology Studies. 2nd revised ed. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.