BEXP 22A01 - Sciences and societies

Innovations in science and technology have become prominent in the organisation and functioning of modern society. Consequently, they raise a number of questions which cannot be answered by scientists only. Beyond the sole importance of science and technology policies, other issues (i.e. climate, health, food, urbanism and security-related) call for a reassessment of relations between science and society.

The course is based on science and technology studies and introduces students to the process of knowledge production through anthropological, historical and sociological approaches. The one-week course is divided into a ten-hour lecture, scheduled every morning, and a series of afternoon seminars.

During the lecture, students will explore the diversity of scientific institutions and of reasoning processes, and will analyze the relationship between scientific issues and technological or political stakes, for instance in terms of public expertise. Divided into classes of 18 to 20 participants, students will simultaneously take an eight-hour seminar, allowing them to get a more practical understanding of social stakes in science through the study of past or contemporary controversies. Seminars are structured around a limited number of thematic corpora.

This is a device free course. For the lectures and seminars, you just need to bring a paper notebook. You will use it to take personal notes when you prepare for the lectures (listening to audio pieces from CBC and reading a few pieces) and for the seminar case (reading carefully the documents compiled to introduce you to your controversy).

At the end of the course, the student is expected to :

1°) Be more alert when hearing and reading about science and technology

2°) Be aware of the role of science and technology in the current socio political controversies

3°) Be better equipped at understanding the arguments mobilized by experts and non experts in socio technical disputes

To validate the course, students are expected to take the following assignments:

1°) Students will be asked to be active both during the lectures and the seminars. I will ask students to summarize/comment/criticize documents they will have to read and audio pieces they will have to listen to in preparation for the lectures (see the syllabus below). The class participation will account for 40 % of the final grade.

2°) Students will sit for an individual final test on Friday afternoon (January 21). They will be provided a dossier documenting a sociotechnical controversy and they will have to describe it using the notions and concepts introduced during the 5 lectures and during the seminars. We need not emphasize the need to attend morning lectures and afternoon seminars to be ready to perform well during that final exam. It will account for 60% of the final grade.