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233032 VO Techno-Science and Society: Communicating and Interacting (2020S)
Central Issues, Questions and Concepts
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).
Details
max. 25 participants
Language: English
Examination dates
- Tuesday 23.06.2020
- Wednesday 30.09.2020 10:00 - 12:00 Digital
- Tuesday 17.11.2020 16:00 - 18:00 Digital
- Tuesday 19.01.2021 16:00 - 18:00 Digital
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
- Thursday 05.03. 09:15 - 11:15 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien (Kickoff Class)
- Tuesday 17.03. 16:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Tuesday 24.03. 16:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Tuesday 31.03. 16:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Tuesday 21.04. 16:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Thursday 23.04. 09:15 - 11:15 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Tuesday 05.05. 16:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Thursday 07.05. 09:15 - 11:15 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Thursday 04.06. 09:15 - 11:15 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Tuesday 09.06. 16:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
The aim of this lecture course is to give students an in-depth understanding of the diversity of interaction and engagement processes between techno-science and society, and of challenges relating to these interactions. We will address the multiplicity of settings in which this takes place, investigating the actors involved as well as the processes through which technoscience-society interactions take place. This is a rather broad area of investigation in STS with a long history. Therefore, we will have to select specific areas to cover in more depth.We start by mapping the central issues at stake and the actors typically involved in technoscience-society interactions. We will then engage with questions of different forms of societal participation in governing technoscientific developments as well as in knowledge making. Next, we will scrutinize the role of values, affect and responsibility when techno-sciences and society engage with each other. This leads us to reflect on the politics of scientific communication and engagement, with a specific focus on governance and future making. It also means looking into issues of who holds expertise and thus power in the public arena when it comes to deciding on techno-scientific orientations, investigating the role science and technologies play in making (national) identities, and studying what responsibilities are involved in science communication and diverse forms of engagement with society. Our journey will then take us to two specific ‘situations’: where science and law come to interact and where data ‘speak for’ society. Finally, we will look at risk and disaster situations and trace how communication and interaction work out there.Throughout the lecture, students will be introduced to important approaches and concepts that have been developed to address those questions. The lecture course is accompanied by a discussion class (KO 233033).
Assessment and permitted materials
The grade will be based on the student’s performance at the written exam at the end of the term. Registration for the exam via u:space is obligatory. Questions will be based on the lecture and slides. Students are expected to develop a thorough understanding of the concepts introduced, and a qualified overview of the fields of research surveyed in the lecture. To perform well in the exam, students are advised to also consult the key literature for each unit (clearly identified on the slides). In this, it is not necessary to read every book and paper. Rather, students should selectively use the literature to deepen their understanding of key concepts introduced in the lecture. Further exam dates will be offered in the middle of the winter term, and the end of the winter term. These dates will be announced in September.
The exam will consist of answering 3 questions in a short way (approx. 200-300 words) and one question in form of a longer essay (approx. 900-1000 words). You will not be allowed to use the material from the classes (slides), but you can bring a paper dictionary. No list of potential questions will be available.
The exam will consist of answering 3 questions in a short way (approx. 200-300 words) and one question in form of a longer essay (approx. 900-1000 words). You will not be allowed to use the material from the classes (slides), but you can bring a paper dictionary. No list of potential questions will be available.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
The examination for the lecture will be graded on a basis of 100 points in total.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)
86-75 points Good (2)
74-63 points Satisfactory (3)
62-50 points Sufficient (4)
49-0 points Unsatisfactory (5) (fail)
Examination topics
Learning materials for the exam are the oral lectures given and the pdfs of the slides available on the e-learning platform. The exam will consist of four questions, of which three are to be answered in a longer paragraph (200 words) and one in the form of a short essay (800-1000 words). The questions for the written exam will be based on what we have discussed in class.
No list of potential questions will be available.
No list of potential questions will be available.
Reading list
Association in the course directory
MA HPS: M 1.1, M 1.2, M 1.3
Last modified: Fr 12.05.2023 00:20