Science, Technology and Society

Course goals

• Is familiar with central frameworks from the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS);
• Can apply these frameworks to concrete cases of scientific and technological developments;
• Can critically reflect on the role of science and technology in society;
• Can clearly articulate findings in a range of communication formats.

Content

Do you think science and technology are neutral tools in gaining economic and social prosperity? Do you think innovation is always a good thing? In this course, we will question such assumptions by studying the relation between science, technology, and society. This relationship is both complex and ambiguous. For example from a societal perspective, self-driving cars may bring profits to car companies and gains in car safety, but they also raise questions on individual autonomy and responsibility of drivers; genetically modified crops may increase yields, but may also increase the power of multinational corporations over smallholder farmers; and contraceptive pills may enable family planning but also put the responsibility for contraceptive measures with women instead of men. In short: science and technology can be highly political and innovation can have consequences whose desirability can be contested. This course aims to provide students with the tools and perspectives to explore and reflect on such politics and controversies.
 
By drawing on the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS), students will learn to critically reflect on the relation between science, technology, and society. The students will learn a range of theoretical frameworks for understanding the relation between science, technology, and society, such as ‘large technological systems’, ‘actor-network theory’, and ‘social construction of technology’. And the students will learn to apply these frameworks to different controversial innovations.