UE HFC553 | Catalogue 2018-2019

Descriptif

HFC553:

Topics in Science, Technology and Society

Instructor: Luis Felipe R. Murillo
Term: Période 1, 2018
Room: PC-09

Science and Technology Studies (STS) is an emergent field of inquiry on the production of technical and scientific knowledge. Such task, as one would imagine, is far from simple and straight-foward: it involves a wide array of scientific cultures, research instruments, research trajectories, and institutional arrangements at local, national, regional, and global scales. For the study of complex technoscientific formations, STS has developed a transdisciplinary approach drawing from various theoretical and methodological traditions: from specialized areas of research in history, philosophy, anthropology and sociology of science to applied fields of science and technology policy and innovation. One shared interest, however, brings all of these efforts together under the same rubric: their focus on “technoscience” as a field of social and historical practices where science and technology are produced, reproduced, regulated and disputed. In this course, we will explore this diversity of perspectives by studying key topics, concepts, and case studies from the STS literature.

Objectifs pédagogiques

Assignments

This course is organized in weekly modules. Each module is organized around one overarching theme, with one or more concepts, and a set of readings to be discussed in class. To complete the course, you must prepare at least 8 response papers based on the assigned readings. One-page responses must include pros, cons, and questions related to the weekly readings of your choice. You must return your written assignments to the instructor at the end of each class, after our discussion of the assigned texts for the week.

The final grade will be determined based on:

1) In-class presentation (30%);

2) Completion of 8 short responses (20%);

3) Participation in class debates (20%);

3) One final paper (30%) to be prepared at home based on the topics we discussed in class (suggested format: 8-10 pages, double-spaced, non-justified, serif font, size 12). Topics for the final paper can be elaborated according to your academic interests, but they must relate to the literature we examined in class.

The instructor will be available to discuss paper proposal in person, but you are responsible for communicating regularly concerning your progress. It is also a good idea to use your weekly précis as the basis for the analysis you will develop in your final paper.

Academic Conduct

Academic ideas can be thought of as candle flames: if we pass them on to each other, we do not extinguish but multiply them. That being said, what we call “Academic Integrity” encompasses not only our commitment to the exchange and debate of ideas but also the importance of acknowledging the work of those who came before us. Another way of thinking about “Academic Integrity” is to use the metaphor of the community well: as academics, we are constantly drawing from common sources of knowledge side-by-side with our academic peers. We do not want the well to dry out or to be poisoned as we need it for intellectual nourishment. We also do not want to create walls which prevent academics from different institutions from exchanging with us. You should feel completely free to use the well as you please, but never forget that it is a shared resource. If you take anything, you must, at some point in your academic trajectory, return something in one form or another, which means in practice that, if you were offered an argument, dataset, or any other end product of academic effort, you must, at least, attribute the work, citing your source accordingly.

Diplôme(s) concerné(s)

Parcours de rattachement

Format des notes

Numérique sur 20

Littérale/grade réduit