Universität Wien

233060 UE Science in Society Laboratories (2019W)

10.00 ECTS (3.00 SWS), SPL 23 - Soziologie
Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung

An/Abmeldung

Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").

Details

max. 15 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch

Lehrende

Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert

Tutorials:
25.10.19 14:00-18:00
15.11.19 14:00-15:10 OR 15:20-16:30 OR 16:40-17:50
29.11.19 14:00-15:00 OR 15:00-16:00 OR 16:00-17:00
09.01.20 13:00-14:00 OR 17:00-18:00 OR 18:00-19:00

  • Freitag 11.10. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien (Vorbesprechung)
  • Freitag 18.10. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Freitag 25.10. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Freitag 08.11. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Freitag 15.11. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Freitag 22.11. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Freitag 29.11. 14:00 - 17:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Freitag 06.12. 14:00 - 18:00 STS Bibliothek, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Freitag 13.12. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Freitag 10.01. 14:00 - 18:00 STS Bibliothek, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Freitag 17.01. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Freitag 24.01. 14:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien

Information

Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung

Scientific knowledge and new technologies are changing our society. On the one hand they open up new possibilities to solve societal problems. On the other hand they also raise questions that have to be discussed, decided and regulated on a societal level. Scientists from all disciplines should be able to participate competently in these discussions. In addition to that, there is hardly any societal debate or political decision-making process happening without the involvement of scientific expertise. Scientific knowledge is expected to provide orientation and to lead to better solutions. Particularly when it comes to controversial topics it is often contested what counts as relevant and reliable knowledge, which societal values should be taken into account and in what ways all of this should be included in political decisions. The capability to identify positions in controversial societal debates, to systematically analyze their relationship to scientific expertise and to give recommendations on that basis is a highly valued qualification in many areas of work (e.g. political consulting, science communication, etc. ). Students will learn to systematically map a current debate at the intersection of science, technology and society in small interdisciplinary groups. The assumed goal is to make use of this analytical process to support policy makers in better understanding the relationship between value positions and scientific expertise in a debate. Step-by-step and in close interaction with the lecturers, the students will learn approaches and tools to analyze debates, apply them to a specific debate and receive feedback. They will search for documents, identify positions and conduct expert interviews. They will learn to prepare the results of their analyses in various formats, to present and discuss them. In this seminar we will work on the debates on anti-microbial resistance, on mobile phone and w-lan radiation, and on the potential health effects of aluminium.

What will students learn in this course?
- Concepts and tools to analyze the interplay of science, technology and society.
- The application of the newly gained skills in working on specific debates at the intersection of science, technology and society.
- The techniques of research as well as of assessment and preparation of information.
- Thinking and collaborating in interdisciplinary contexts.
- Developing the ability to reflect on one’s own disciplinary perspective.
- Developing the ability to understand and judge the entanglement of societal values and scientific expertise in the debates as well as the implications for questions of responsibility.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel

Course Assessment
To pass the seminar, students are expected to complete the following tasks:
Preparation of the readings and active participation in class
Mapping and documentation of a debate along specific work assignments (group work)
Writing of a contribution for a larger public audience
Keeping a research diary

Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab

Grading Scheme
The grading of the course is based on the separate assessment of different tasks on a scale of 1-5.

Preparation of the readings and active participation in class: 20 percent, assessed individually, Feedback on demand;

Mapping and documentation of a debate along specific work assignments (group work), regular presentation of work progress in class: 45 percent, assessed as group work, Feedback by lecturer;

Writing of a contribution for a larger public audience: 20 percent,
assessed individually, Feedback on demand;

Keeping a research diary: 15 percent, assessed individually, Feedback on demand;

Minimum requirements
To successfully complete the course, a weighted average of at least 4,5 is required. Failure to meet the
attendance regulations, to deliver course assignments on time or to adhere to standards of academic
work may also be considered in the course assessment.

Important Grading Information
If not explicitly noted otherwise, all requirements mentioned in the grading scheme and the attendance regulations must be met. If a required task is not fulfilled, e.g. a required assignment is not handed in or if the student does not meet the attendance requirements, this will be considered as a discontinuation of the course. In that case, the course will be graded as ‘fail’ (5), unless there is a major and unpredictable reason for not being able to fulfill the task on the student's side (e.g. a longer illness). In such a case, the student may be de-registered from the course without grading. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate this in a timely manner, and to provide relevant evidence to their claims if necessary. Whether this exception applies is decided by the lecturer.
If any requirement of the course has been fulfilled by fraudulent means, be it for example by cheating at an exam, plagiarizing parts of a written assignment or by faking signatures on an attendance sheet, the student's participation in the course will be discontinued, the entire course will be graded as ‘not assessed’ and will be entered into the electronic exam record as ‘fraudulently obtained’. Self-plagiarism, particularly re-using own work handed in for other courses, will be treated likewise.

Attendance
Presence and participation is compulsory; this applies to the course sessions as well as to the tutorials given in the handout. In addition to this, students also have the possibility to participate in open tutorials to the extent of seven hours. Absences of six hours at maximum are tolerated, provided that the lecturer is informed about the absence. Absences of up to ten hours in total may be compensated by either a deduction of grading points or/and extra work agreed with the lecturer. Whether compensation is possible is decided by the lecturer.

Absences of more than eight hours in total cannot be compensated. In this case, or if the lecturer does not allow a student to compensate absences of more than six hours, the course cannot be completed and is graded as a ‘fail’ (5), unless there is a major and unpredictable reason for not being able to fulfil the attendance requirements on the student’s side (e.g. a longer illness). In such a case, the student may be de-registered from the course without grading. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate this in a timely manner, and to provide relevant evidence to their claims if necessary. Whether this exception applies is decided by the lecturer.

Prüfungsstoff

Literatur


Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis

Letzte Änderung: Mo 07.09.2020 15:21