230150 SE Imagination and imaging in scientific practice (2011S)

A picture tells more than 1000 words? Sciences are full of pictures, imaginations, metaphors and symbols. These do not only act as results or mediators, but also as essential and trusted elements in research processes. Advancing digitalization and new visualization techniques are changing scientific image production and hence also the engagement with- and deployment of scientific imagery. In this seminar we will investigate distinct scientific image types and their performances. We will focus on their contexts of production and their roles and functions in research, education and popularization. By examining different visualization practices from humanities, social- and natural sciences, their different properties and impacts will be discussed. Last, but not least, we will throw a glance on the interplays between visual arts and epistemic aesthetics.
This seminar addresses students from all scientific disciplines at MA and PhD level, who are interested in reflecting image practices in science and their potentials.
The 7 seminar units are structured in 3 blocks. After an introduction by the course leader we will explore different concepts of scientific imagery. The second block is devoted to the analysis of specific visualization practices in selected scientific fields. Students will convene in groups and investigate image production and usage. An excursion to a medical imaging facility is planned. The third and last block is devoted to the reflection of our experiences in the seminar.
Students are requested to read the mandatory course literature and to actively participate in collective discussions. Furthermore students should compile sets of problem-oriented questions throughout the seminar. These questions will guide the reading, but also the investigation of specific image practices and will lead to the elaboration of a short presentation for the seminar conference at the end of the semester. Students will have to prepare short homeworks, related to either the reading list or the study of specific visualization practices. The reading list and the detailed schedule will be announced in the preparatory meeting at the beginning of the semester.