230155 SE Research in the Making: Ethnographic and Ethnomethodological Approaches in STS (2012W)

This seminar offers a critical introduction to ethnographic and ethnomethodological approaches in science and technology studies (STS). The seminar focuses on how and why to investigate ‘research in the making’. It does so by examining distinctive sites (ethnography) and practical methods (ethnomethodology) of knowledge production. A range of examples from current laboratory science, medical practice, particle physics, cognitive neuroscience, computer programming and other (a priori more accessible) knowledge domains, depending on student interest, shall be described, discussed and reflected upon. The seminar is of special interest to any student who wishes to hone her (or his) skills in the qualitative analysis of research practices and its accurate presentation in the contemporary field of STS.
To begin with, the seminar re-examines exemplary ethnographies and ethnomethodological studies of scientific work in methodological terms: how were they presented? How were they conducted? What findings did they come up with? The outlined re-examination aims at facilitating the understanding, assessment and comparison of existing ‘laboratory studies’ and ethnomethodological investigations in and for STS. Most importantly, however, the seminar provides students with ‘hands on’ training in the basic moves and key techniques of ethnography and ethnomethodology, including participant observation and conversation analysis, technical self-instruction and video analysis. Specially designed training sessions, conducted either in the seminar room or during observation exercises in other venues, allow attending students to gain ethnographic acumen, analytic skills and (ethno-)methodological experience.