230214 SE Science, Technology and 'the Law' (2018S)
Studying Expert Instiutions at the Intersections of Science and Democracy
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Mo 05.02.2018 08:00 to Th 22.02.2018 23:59
- Registration is open from Mo 26.02.2018 14:00 to We 25.04.2018 23:59
- Deregistration possible until We 06.06.2018 23:59
Details
max. 25 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
- Monday 30.04. 12:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien (Kickoff Class)
- Monday 04.06. 11:45 - 14:45 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Wednesday 06.06. 11:30 - 14:30 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Monday 11.06. 11:45 - 14:45 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Wednesday 13.06. 11:30 - 14:30 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Thursday 14.06. 13:45 - 15:45 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Tuesday 19.06. 12:00 - 15:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Wednesday 20.06. 13:00 - 16:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Throughout the course we will examine: different ideas about what makes science and law distinctive social institutions; how the two are used to regulate everyday life and settle disputes; the practice of forensics in history and in popular fiction as a special field of legal science; and the ways law and science co-produce facts about responsibility and fault (in accidents), construct value and ownership (in intellectual property), and determine whose voices count in a democracy. Along the way we will consider: what is 'the law', what is 'expert truth', what are they for, and what do they do?
Assessment and permitted materials
To pass the seminar, students are expected to complete the following tasks:
Participation: Your active engagement is required. Mere attendance is not enough.
Reading responses: For each session, every student has to hand in a reading response (maximum 400 words) that engages with at least one of the required reading(s). These contributions should critically reflect upon the reading and offer the student’s own position towards the author’s main arguments. The responses are to help me facilitate discussion during the class. Reading responses are to be handed in via e-mail (frohlich@auburn.edu) and uploaded on Moodle (http://moodle.univie.ac.at) no later than 5pm the evening before each session. (This is not required for the first session on June 4th 2018.)
Presentation of class readings: Each class, 3 students will be required to start class discussion by briefly (less than 5 minutes each) summarizing the main arguments of the 3 required readings for that class. Each student will be responsible for one reading. In lieu of the reading response for that class, the student will prepare a 1-page handout for the class on that reading, which should provide a 1-2 sentence summary of the article’s main argument, explains the main legal case(s) discussed in the article as well as its/their legal reasoning and social significance, identifies important theoretical or analytical concepts deployed by the author(s) in the article, and lists 1-2 questions to start class discussion.
Personal essay: Submit a brief (1-2 page) personal essay describing your research interests, background, and interest in topics relating to this course. Full points are awarded for completion. These are to be handed in via e-mail (frohlich@auburn.edu) and uploaded on Moodle (http://moodle.univie.ac.at) by Friday, June 8th, 2018.
Final project: Choose only one of the two following options:
Submit an approx. 2000-word essay, which does not have to be original research, that addresses a specific question raised in one of the session topics involving the intersection of science, technology and law. Discuss the particular legal and scientific issues, incorporating analyses from required and optional readings from that session. Illustrate your arguments with concrete, relevant examples from the text or from outside class.
Write two approx. 800-word blog entries that link some salient, public legal controversy to topics and readings discussed in the course. It is important to find relevant visuals to illustrate each entry topic. Please confirm blog topics with the course professor in advance.
Final projects are to be completed and handed in via email (frohlich@auburn.edu) and Moodle by Monday, July 23rd, 2018.
Participation: Your active engagement is required. Mere attendance is not enough.
Reading responses: For each session, every student has to hand in a reading response (maximum 400 words) that engages with at least one of the required reading(s). These contributions should critically reflect upon the reading and offer the student’s own position towards the author’s main arguments. The responses are to help me facilitate discussion during the class. Reading responses are to be handed in via e-mail (frohlich@auburn.edu) and uploaded on Moodle (http://moodle.univie.ac.at) no later than 5pm the evening before each session. (This is not required for the first session on June 4th 2018.)
Presentation of class readings: Each class, 3 students will be required to start class discussion by briefly (less than 5 minutes each) summarizing the main arguments of the 3 required readings for that class. Each student will be responsible for one reading. In lieu of the reading response for that class, the student will prepare a 1-page handout for the class on that reading, which should provide a 1-2 sentence summary of the article’s main argument, explains the main legal case(s) discussed in the article as well as its/their legal reasoning and social significance, identifies important theoretical or analytical concepts deployed by the author(s) in the article, and lists 1-2 questions to start class discussion.
Personal essay: Submit a brief (1-2 page) personal essay describing your research interests, background, and interest in topics relating to this course. Full points are awarded for completion. These are to be handed in via e-mail (frohlich@auburn.edu) and uploaded on Moodle (http://moodle.univie.ac.at) by Friday, June 8th, 2018.
Final project: Choose only one of the two following options:
Submit an approx. 2000-word essay, which does not have to be original research, that addresses a specific question raised in one of the session topics involving the intersection of science, technology and law. Discuss the particular legal and scientific issues, incorporating analyses from required and optional readings from that session. Illustrate your arguments with concrete, relevant examples from the text or from outside class.
Write two approx. 800-word blog entries that link some salient, public legal controversy to topics and readings discussed in the course. It is important to find relevant visuals to illustrate each entry topic. Please confirm blog topics with the course professor in advance.
Final projects are to be completed and handed in via email (frohlich@auburn.edu) and Moodle by Monday, July 23rd, 2018.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
The grading scheme is based on a total of 100 points. These points will be awarded in relation to students’ performance in meeting the course learning aims in the different obligatory tasks.
The maximum number of points to be acquired for each task is:Active Participation in Class: 10 points, assessed individually, no feedback
Reading Responses: 30 points, assessed individually, feedback on request
Presentation: 20 points, assessed individually, feedback on request
Personal Essay: 10 points, assessed individually, no feedback
Final Project: 30 points, assessed individually, feedback from lecturerMinimum requirements
A minimum of 50 points is necessary to successfully complete the course. Failure to meet the attendance regulations, to deliver course assignments on time or to adhere to standards of academic work may result in a deduction of points.Grades
100-87 points Excellent (1)
86-75 points Good (2)
74-63 points Satisfactory (3)
62-50 points Sufficient (4)
49-0 points Unsatisfactory (5) (fail)Attendance
Presence and participation is compulsory. Absences of four hours at maximum are tolerated, provided that the lecturer is informed about the absence. Absences of up to eight 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 four 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.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.
The maximum number of points to be acquired for each task is:Active Participation in Class: 10 points, assessed individually, no feedback
Reading Responses: 30 points, assessed individually, feedback on request
Presentation: 20 points, assessed individually, feedback on request
Personal Essay: 10 points, assessed individually, no feedback
Final Project: 30 points, assessed individually, feedback from lecturerMinimum requirements
A minimum of 50 points is necessary to successfully complete the course. Failure to meet the attendance regulations, to deliver course assignments on time or to adhere to standards of academic work may result in a deduction of points.Grades
100-87 points Excellent (1)
86-75 points Good (2)
74-63 points Satisfactory (3)
62-50 points Sufficient (4)
49-0 points Unsatisfactory (5) (fail)Attendance
Presence and participation is compulsory. Absences of four hours at maximum are tolerated, provided that the lecturer is informed about the absence. Absences of up to eight 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 four 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.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.
Examination topics
Reading list
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:39