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for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.
| Unit name |
Inside Science |
| Unit code |
SOCIM0024 |
| Credit points |
20 |
| Level of study |
M/7
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
|
| Unit director |
Dr. Downer |
| Open unit status |
Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
Students will be unable to take this Unit if they have already taken the equivalent H level unit SOCI300096
|
| Co-requisites |
None
|
| School/department |
School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Description including Unit Aims
This unit will explore the sociological insights into the construction and maintenance of scientific knowledge and technical expertise. Using insights and examples from the field of science and technology studies (STS), History and Philosophy of Science (HPS), and Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK) literatures, this unit will offer a critical exploration of the nature of expert authority, as well as of science’s relations with the state, democracy; authority; technological disaster, and security. Particular attention will be paid to STS theoretical insights into the social production of scientific knowledge and the social shaping of technology, the significance of which will be examined in light of historical and contemporary examples.
Unit aims:
- To extend students’ appreciation for the limits of expertise and the breadth of social influence;
- To provide both a theoretical and empirically based understanding of the role of science, technology and expertise in democratic decision-making
- To develop the ability to apply theoretical concepts to past and current controversies involving scientific or technical knowledge-claims.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On the completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate intricate knowledge and detailed understanding of key concepts and approaches associated with Science and Technology Studies;
- Provide a critical analysis of key thinkers and themes in the field of STS and their respective approaches and methods;
- Demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the central debates in STS and their relation to and relevance for contemporary socio-political debates; and
- Evaluate the validity and applicability of key theoretical concepts for analyses of specific technologies, past or present.
Teaching Information
1-hour lecture, 2-hour seminar
Assessment Information
750 word Research proposal (0%)
3000 word Research Paper (100%)
Both assessments assess all Learning Outcomes
Reading and References
- Collins, Harry & Pinch, Trevor (1993) The Golem: What Everyone Should Know About Science. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge
- Collins Harry. & Pinch, Trevor (1998). The Golem at Large: What You Should Know About Technology. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge
- Latour, Bruno (1987) Science in action: how to follow scientists and engineers through society. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, (Mass.)
- MacKenzie, Donald (1996) Knowing Machines: essays on technical change. MIT press, Cambridge (Mass.)
- MacKenzie, Donald, & Wajcman, Judy (eds) (2nd edition) (1999) The Social Shaping of Technology Open University Press, Buckingham.
