Advanced Topic: KnowledgeCultures & Institutions

What it is about

You engage with advanced questions in Science and Technology Studies (STS) and examine how scientific knowledge is produced through social and political processes. In the end you can critically reflect on how science governance, institutional changes, and evaluation practices influence research trajectories and knowledge production, and develop your own small research question on the topic.

What you will be able to do

• critically discuss scientific knowledge as a social process in STS
• analyze the relationships between science governance and scientific practice
• place the historical, social and institutional contexts of knowledge production
• analyze the impact of practices, values and principles on laboratory and higher education practice
• evaluate the role of category assignments (e.g. class, gender, ethnicity) in scientific careers
• reflect on the effects of evaluation practices on research content and practice
• formulate a relevant research question and apply it in a small study

What the module consists of

• Seminar/Advanced TopicEngagement with advanced literature and discussions; work on case studies and development of a research paper
• Gruppenarbeit/PräsentationPresentation of research findings and defense of one's position in the plenary

Teaching method

• intensive Lektüre fortgeschrittener Literaturfor a well-founded engagement with theoretical and conceptual approaches in STS
• Fallstudienarbeitto apply theory to concrete examples (e.g., projectification, evaluation structures) and gain empirical insights
• kleine Forschungsprojekteto test insights and develop one's own research questions
• Gruppendiskussionenfor reflection, structuring knowledge and preparation for the research paper
• Präsentationento practice the communication and defense of scientific arguments