STSC 319 Science in Context
Offered:Previous Semesters
Lindee W 3-6
In this undergraduate seminar we will explore points at which the social and intellectual structure of technical knowledge systems—in science, engineering and medicine—can be accessed as a result of controversy, disaster, ethical quandary or political crisis. Every week we will explore a key event that permits us to see how disciplines work, how the black box of technical knowledge can be opened, how power is imbricated in knowledge, and how science, medicine and technology reflect culture. Our case studies will include global warming, the bombing of Hiroshima, the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the Human Genome Project, race and intelligence controversies, Gulf War Syndrome, Lysenkoism, and the global trade in human organs. Our questions will focus on how expert authority works in public culture, how disputes call forth the norms and conventions of technical fields, and on the varied strategies deployed by actors for the resolution of controversies. Students will read primary materials, lead discussions, and write focused papers that examine the historical and sociological processes in technical disputes and crises.
