Postgraduate Course: Advanced Theory in Science and Technology Studies (PGSP11371)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course gives postgraduate students the opportunity to pursue a more sophisticated understanding of key theoretical perspectives in science and technology studies (STS). Focusing on a wide range of thinkers and writings, Advanced Theory in STS challenges students to master the details of vital STS theory, and to consider ways of taking that theory in new, innovative directions.
Broadly, Advanced Theory in STS is designed for students interested in unpacking the ideas and arguments that underlie STS's understanding of science and technology. It is also of benefit to students who hope to further hone their critical thinking skills and expand their range of theoretical tools. Although focused on theoretical topics, the class attempts to demonstrate how theory and empirical research work collaboratively. Thus the class is also of relevance to those who hope to produce sophisticated, empirically-grounded research.
This course can be taken as a standalone by students outside of STIS, but it is designed to examine ideas introduced in semester one courses in greater detail. As such, attendance of 'Science, Knowledge and Expertise' and 'Understanding Technology' is recommended (but not required). |
| Course description |
1 Experience and underdetermination: Hume and Quine
2 The Strong Programme in the sociology of scientific knowledge
3 The Performative Theory of Social Institutions
4 Finitism
5 Actor-Network Theory
6 Subjectification
7 Objects and ontology
8 The Biography of Artefacts
9 Rethinking 'design'
10 Science, engineering and epistemic species
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 16 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment will be on the basis of a 4,000 word essay. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, student will:
* have a comprehensive understanding of the intellectual foundations of the Strong Programme in the sociology of scientific knowledge, as well as the Strong Programme's key work.
* understand the Performative Theory of Social Institutions, including its notions of 'bootstrapped induction' and 'finitism.'
* be competent in Foucault's performative theory of subjectivity and understand how it relates to science and technology.
* be familiar with ontological issues concerning technological artefacts, as well as the role played by scientific and technological knowledge in crafting our understanding of things.
* be familiar with current developments in the study of technology, including the Biography of Artefacts approach.
* have developed their abilities to convey complex ideas through written and oral means (particularly through essay writing and seminar presentations).
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Reading List
Quine, W.V.O. (1975). "On empirically equivalent systems of the world." Erkenntnis, 9: 313-328.
Bloor, D. (1976). Knowledge and social imagery. Chicago: Chicago UP, Chapters 1 and 2 (pp. 3-45).
Barnes, B. (1983). "Social life as bootstrapped induction." Sociology, 17(4): 524-545.
Bloor, D. (1997b). Wittgenstein, rules and institutions. London: Routledge, Chapters 2 and 3 (pp. 9-42).
Latour, B. (1992). "One more turn after the social turn..." In E. McMullin (Ed.), The social dimension of science (pp. 272-294). Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
Schyfter, P. (2009). "The bootstrapped artefact: A collectivist account of technological ontology, functions, and normativity." Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 40: 102-111.
Foucault, M. (1982). "The subject and power." Critical Inquiry, 8(4): 777-795.
Hacking, I. (1999a). "Making up people." In M. Biagioli (Ed.), The science studies reader (pp. 161-171). London: Routledge.
Latour, B. (2009). "A cautious Prometheus? A few steps toward a philosophy of design (with special attention to Peter Sloterdijk)." In F. Hackney (Ed.), Networks of design (pp. 2-10). Boca Raton, FL: Universal.
Vincenti, W. (1990). What engineers know and how they know it. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, Chapter 5 (pp. 137-169). |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Pablo Schyfter
Tel: (07880 874828)
Email: p.schyfter@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Jade Birkin
Tel: (0131 6)51 1659
Email: Jade.Birkin@ed.ac.uk |
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