230182 SE Visiting the laboratories of the social and natural sciences (2010W)

Scientific news about recently discovered genetic diseases or alarming demographic facts rarely inform about the specific circumstances of producing these results. Science and Technology Studies have a long tradition of exploring the specific production processes of scientific knowledge that often is presented as detached from the socio, cultural or economic contexts. STS-scholars have studied scientists like anthropologists who followed the representatives of "exotic" cultures into their every day lives and visited laboratories in order to study the material cultures and local embeddedness of scientific practices. By pointing out the specific conditions of the manufacturing of scientific "facts" they challenged the authority of science and its claim for objectivity.
In this seminar we will visit researchers from both the social and natural sciences in their working environment and thus have the opportunity to observe and discuss how scientific knowledge is shaped by practices, by locations and by technologies - and last but not least by the humans who are making use of them, who interact with each other, share some premises on their work and decide which kinds of research questions are considered as worthwhile to pursue.