Postgraduate Course: The Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (PGSP11220)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgrad (School of Social and Political Studies) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course aims to introduce students to the body of work known as the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK). It considers the precursors to SSK, focusing on Merton and Kuhn, then covers a number of canonical works by David Bloor and Barry Barnes, as well as considering a variety of other approaches and topics that are important in contemporary SSK, including some other non-SSK approaches. The course is designed for those interested in sociology and science studies, as well as those interested in history of science and medicine. Emphasis is placed on the Strong Programme in SSK, developed at Edinburgh University since the 1970s. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
|
WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Central | Lecture | Room 106, Old Surgeon's Hall | 1-11 | | 10:00 - 13:00 | | | |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course students will have demonstrated through written work, oral presentations and other contributions in class, that they:
- Have substantive knowledge and critical understanding of the body of work encompassed by the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge
- Can identify and characterise the key methods, approaches and concepts
- Can apply these understandings, and deploy these approaches and concepts in written assignments and seminar presentations. |
Assessment Information
| One 3,000 - 4,000 word essay. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Week 1: Sociological analyses of science: scientific norms
Week 2: TS Kuhn and paradigms
Week 3: Scientific training: Barry Barnes & SSK
Week 4: Rules, knowledge and social institutions: David Bloor & SSK
Week 5: Science and tacit knowledge
Week 6: Experiment and negotiation
Week 7: The place of science
Week 8: Scientific images
Week 9: Scientific publications
Week 10: The boundaries of science |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Barnes, Barry. (1982) T. S. Kuhn and Social Science, Chapter Two (pp.
16-40). London: MacMillan.
Barry Barnes, David Bloor, & John Henry, Scientific Knowledge: A Sociological Analysis, London, Athlone Press, 1996 David Bloor, Knowledge and Social Imagery, 2nd ed., Chicago UP, 1991.
David Bloor, "Anti-Latour" Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science, 30, 1999, pp. 81-112 David Bloor, "Reply to Bruno Latour," Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 30, 1999, pp.131-136.
Harry Collins, "Tacit Knowledge, Trust, and the Q of Sapphire", Social Studies of Science, 31, 2001, pp. 71-85 Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch (1993), The Golem: What Everyone Should Know About Science, Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
Thomas Gieryn, "Boundary-Work and the Demarcation of Science from
Non-Science: Strains and Interests in Professional Ideologies of Scientists", American Sociological Review, 48, 1983, pp. 781-95 T. S. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 2nd ed., Chicago UP, 1970 Bruno Latour (1999) "For David Bloor$ö and Beyond"; Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science, 30, 1999, pp.113$ú129 R. K. Merton, "The Normative Structure of Science", The Sociology of
Science: Theoretical and Empirical Investigations, Chicago, 1973, pp.
254-278
Andrew Pickering (editor) Science as Practice and Culture, Chicago University Press, Chicago, 1992. |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jane Calvert
Tel: (0131 6)50 2843
Email: jane.calvert@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Madina Howard
Tel: (0131 6)51 1659
Email: Madina.Howard@ed.ac.uk |
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