The seminar aims to inspire a nuanced understanding of the dynamics of expertise in society. Cross-fertilizing literature from science and technology studies (STS) and from activists’ movements, it focuses on contemporary controversies around emerging technologies and climate policy, where trust in science is said to be undermined (e.g. climate skepticism or anti-vaccine movements).
Learning objective
1) Introduce to the role and functions of expertise in democratic societies. 2) Familiarize with assumptions about science and society embedded in contemporary controversies. 3) Inspire critical perspectives on (dis)trust in science through activists’ movements on contested environmental and technological issues. 4) Develop a creative position on the relations between science, trust and politics.
Content
Engineers and scientists often pursue their studies and research in the hope that their knowledge can contribute to make a better world, inform democratic deliberation and help public understanding of complex issues. Yet this special status of science and technology is being increasingly contested by marginalized publics, lobbies, exposed populations, and by members of the scientific communities themselves. Climate skepticism or vaccine hesitancy are some of the most vivid examples of this confusing situation. In this seminar, students will learn to reflect on expertise as a form of scientific engagement in the messiness of democratic deliberation and public life, beyond the noble but outdated ideal of “speaking truth to power”. The exercise of expertise is stumbling upon several conundrums. Which knowledge is relevant in which situation? How to make sure that some crucial perspectives are not left in the shadows? How to identify representative experts and make sure that they speak on behalf of a structured community? Whose voices are being silenced? On the other side of the spectrum, the public is often said to lack proper understanding of science and thus in need of being educated or disciplined. Or it is suspected of being manipulated by lobbies or foreign hostile powers, or of being too attached to its own privileges and unwilling to act in favor of the common good. Whose agency is being acknowledged in sociotechnical controversies and whose agency is being denied and why? The seminar will provide a deep understanding of these perspectives, by putting them in a broader historical and epistemological context. Students will thus learn to critically assess their strengths as well as their blind spots. Whereas opposing technological developments (anti 5G or anti-vaccine activists) or pushing to act accordingly to science (pro climate movements such as Extinction Rebellion or Scientist Rebellion), activists’ movements make up for a rich field of investigation on the dynamics of expertise and of how various publics can make sense of scientific knowledge. Cross-fertilizing activist’s texts and experiences with literature in science and technology studies and anthropology, this class will be organized as a structured conversation and a collective mapping of actors and key concepts of sociotechnical controversies. Over the course of the semester, students will learn not only to navigate some of the most heated contemporary debates, but also to articulate their own position on an issue of their choice.
Competencies
Subject-specific Competencies
Concepts and Theories
assessed
Method-specific Competencies
Analytical Competencies
assessed
Social Competencies
Communication
fostered
Cooperation and Teamwork
fostered
Sensitivity to Diversity
fostered
Negotiation
fostered
Personal Competencies
Adaptability and Flexibility
fostered
Creative Thinking
fostered
Critical Thinking
assessed
Self-awareness and Self-reflection
assessed
Performance assessment
Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again)
Performance assessment as a semester course