233043 SE Technoscience, Power, and Justice (2025W)
Exploring contemporary science and technology in/as neocolonial capitalism
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 01.09.2025 09:00 to Su 21.09.2025 23:59
- Deregistration possible until We 22.10.2025 23:59
Details
max. 25 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
- Tuesday 21.10. 11:30 - 14:45 Seminarraum 17, Kolingasse 14-16, OG02 (Kickoff Class)
- Tuesday 04.11. 11:30 - 14:45 Seminarraum 17, Kolingasse 14-16, OG02
- Tuesday 18.11. 11:30 - 16:30 Seminarraum 17, Kolingasse 14-16, OG02
- N Tuesday 16.12. 11:30 - 14:45 Seminarraum 17, Kolingasse 14-16, OG02
- Tuesday 13.01. 11:30 - 14:45 Seminarraum 17, Kolingasse 14-16, OG02
- Tuesday 27.01. 09:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum STS, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Science and technology (collectively, 'technoscience') are hugely powerful forces in contemporary societies. They are intertwined with government, policy, welfare, industry, popular culture, and domestic and intimate life. This course considers this power, in particular by examining how technoscience is, in many contexts, increasingly co-constituted with capitalism, and specifically with its neocolonial instantiations. We will therefore engage with recent scholarship that has critically explored dynamics of extractivism, colonisation, financialisation, unsustainable growth, and military and other forms of violence relating to science and technology. While digital technologies and related 'tech oligarchies' will be a central case, we will go beyond these to examine the varieties of capitalism that now permeate technoscientific research (including epistemic capitalism), as well as attending to sites of resistance or change.The course is exploratory and places a high value on students’ own analyses and critical reflections on different technoscientific spaces and practices. While we will move through a number of key literatures relating to contemporary technoscience and capitalism, the emphasis is on student group work and personal study. Participants will be asked to carry out a number of small research exercises that mobilise the concepts we discuss in class, which will be presented and discussed in longer workshop sessions throughout the semester. Students should therefore be prepared for a high degree of active participation, self-motivated study of real world sites and cases, and the development of their research capabilities.
Assessment and permitted materials
Students are expected to:
- Actively participate in classes and in group work;
- Develop two assignments as part of a group, and present and discuss these in class;
- Develop one assignment individually, present this in class, and submit an essay (approximately 2000 words) analysing this in more depth.
- Actively participate in classes and in group work;
- Develop two assignments as part of a group, and present and discuss these in class;
- Develop one assignment individually, present this in class, and submit an essay (approximately 2000 words) analysing this in more depth.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
The grading of the course is based on the separate assessment of different tasks on a scale of 1-5. To successfully complete the course, a weighted average of at least 4,5 is required.Active participation: 10%
Group work: 50%
Individual assignment: 40%If not explicitly noted otherwise, all requirements mentioned in the grading scheme and the attendance regulations must be met. For more important information on grading, please see the handout.Attendance
Please note: If you miss the first session of the course unexcused, you will be automatically de-registered. Presence and participation is compulsory - for details, see course regulation in the handout.Guidelines for the use of AI tools
If you use AI (e.g. Chat GPT or similar software) as a supporting tool in your assignments, this should be acknowledged openly and clearly, so that the instructor is aware of where and to what extent the AI tool was used. For details, see regulation in the handout.
Group work: 50%
Individual assignment: 40%If not explicitly noted otherwise, all requirements mentioned in the grading scheme and the attendance regulations must be met. For more important information on grading, please see the handout.Attendance
Please note: If you miss the first session of the course unexcused, you will be automatically de-registered. Presence and participation is compulsory - for details, see course regulation in the handout.Guidelines for the use of AI tools
If you use AI (e.g. Chat GPT or similar software) as a supporting tool in your assignments, this should be acknowledged openly and clearly, so that the instructor is aware of where and to what extent the AI tool was used. For details, see regulation in the handout.
Examination topics
Reading list
Readings and films
-theoretical literature from STS
-methodological literature from Visual Anthropology, including the handbook "Filmmaking for Fieldwork" by Andy Lawrence (2020), as well as technical equipment manuals and research ethics guidelines.
-films, some of which to be viewed at home independently before the classEquipment and Vienna Visual Anthropology Lab (LAB A0421)
Besides studying literature and films, students will be trained to work with equipment that is available in the equipment library of the Vienna Visual Anthropology Lab (www.vval.univie.ac.at): camera sets, specialised sound recording devices, and tripods/shoulder rigs. Students are expected to use the Lab’s equipment to make their films, thus to gain experience with different techniques and materials besides the ones they are already familiar with. Materials can be borrowed free of charge, but need to be reserved in advance with the Lab’s coordinator, Paul Katterl. Paul is also available for technical support during the opening hours (see https://vval.univie.ac.at) or on email (video.ksa@univie.ac.at). All groups are encouraged to meet with Paul already in November-December to discuss the planning of the film project and the equipment that can best be borrowed. It is possible to schedule additional meetings with specific questions later on, for example to start or refine the montage.Equipment planning
•Students of this course can borrow the camera equipment of the Vienna Visual Anthropology Lab in December, January and February. Plan filming days with your group, the research interlocutors and the VVAL well in advance, so that you can ensure camera availability on your desired days.
• The VVAL editing sets are reserved for the students of this course in January-February, until the submission date end of February.Hard Drives
Note that working with visuals takes up a lot of storage space. If you work in a team, you will probably need an external Hard Drive that is suitable for multiple computer systems (e.g. for exchange between Mac/Windows, format on Exfat). Test your storage methods at the start of your group work to ensure compatibility.
-theoretical literature from STS
-methodological literature from Visual Anthropology, including the handbook "Filmmaking for Fieldwork" by Andy Lawrence (2020), as well as technical equipment manuals and research ethics guidelines.
-films, some of which to be viewed at home independently before the classEquipment and Vienna Visual Anthropology Lab (LAB A0421)
Besides studying literature and films, students will be trained to work with equipment that is available in the equipment library of the Vienna Visual Anthropology Lab (www.vval.univie.ac.at): camera sets, specialised sound recording devices, and tripods/shoulder rigs. Students are expected to use the Lab’s equipment to make their films, thus to gain experience with different techniques and materials besides the ones they are already familiar with. Materials can be borrowed free of charge, but need to be reserved in advance with the Lab’s coordinator, Paul Katterl. Paul is also available for technical support during the opening hours (see https://vval.univie.ac.at) or on email (video.ksa@univie.ac.at). All groups are encouraged to meet with Paul already in November-December to discuss the planning of the film project and the equipment that can best be borrowed. It is possible to schedule additional meetings with specific questions later on, for example to start or refine the montage.Equipment planning
•Students of this course can borrow the camera equipment of the Vienna Visual Anthropology Lab in December, January and February. Plan filming days with your group, the research interlocutors and the VVAL well in advance, so that you can ensure camera availability on your desired days.
• The VVAL editing sets are reserved for the students of this course in January-February, until the submission date end of February.Hard Drives
Note that working with visuals takes up a lot of storage space. If you work in a team, you will probably need an external Hard Drive that is suitable for multiple computer systems (e.g. for exchange between Mac/Windows, format on Exfat). Test your storage methods at the start of your group work to ensure compatibility.
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Tu 23.09.2025 12:07