The course provides an introduction to major theoretical and analytical perspectives and approaches in and related to STS (which stands for Science & Technology Studies, or Science, Technology, Society, depending on who you ask).

Week 1: Introduction to STS
Topic: What is STS, and how can it help us understand the interplay between science, technology, and society?
Keywords: interdisciplinarity, co-production, critique of neutrality

Week 2: Science & Technology
Topic: How are science and technology related, and who participates in shaping them?
Keywords: Scientific paradigms and paradigm shifts, citizen science, technological determinism, social construction of technology.

Week 3: Affordances
Topic: How do technologies invite, enable or constrain actions without fully determining them?
Kewyords: affordances, mediation, user practices

Week 4: Politics & Algorithms (Master Days: open to all interested students)
Topic: Why and how should we study digital technologies, even when we are not primarily interested in the digital?
Keywords: platforms, nudging, algocracy, regulation.

Week 5: Technology Assessment & Science Advocacy
Topic: How can we raise political awareness about technological risks and potentials?
Keywords: Science consultancy, constructive technology assessment, parliamentary work

Week 6: Representation & (In)Visibility
Topic: How do data and statistics represent people, and what becomes (in)visible when technologies rely on these representations?
Keywords: categorization, binaries, missing data, data-driven technologies

Week 7: Power & Decision-Making
Topic: Who defines problems, metrics, and „solutions“ in data-driven systems, who controls data and technologies, and how can technology consolidate or challenge existing power structures?
Keywords: data-infrastructures, autonomy

Week 8: Self-directed project advancement

Week 9: Classic STS Concepts
Topic: An overview of classic STS concepts that describe how scientific facts and technologies are produced, stabilized, and challenged.
Keywords: Actor-network theory (ANT), laboratory studies, black boxing, boundary objects, boundary work, technological scripts

Week 10: Artificial Intelligence & Controversies
Topic: What are controversy studies, how can they help us analyze debates around AI, and where do they fall short?
Keywords: AI controversies, issue mapping, political situation

Week 11: Assessing the Future
Topic: How can we assess the future of technological development when the future itself is inaccessible, uncertain, and contested?
Keywords: hermeneutics of the future, risk and insecurity, scenario building, path dependencies

Week 12: Weaponizing the Future
Topic: How can particular visions of the future be turned into requirements for the present, and with what consequences?
Keywords: concepts and history, anticipation and assessment, hype literacy, case study AGI

Week 13 & Week 14: Presentations & Discussions
Students present their individual projects, building on theories, concepts and/or methodologies to analyze specific cases or issues.

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Important note: The planning above is for information purposes only and may be subject to change. Please refer to the Moodle for the most recent version of the syllabus and for specific assignment details and due dates.

The course aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of foundational theories and methods for studying science, technology, and society, focusing on their interdisciplinary nature, historical evolution, and key theoretical frameworks. Students will develop scientific literacy and proficiency in understanding the interplay between science, technology, and society. They will learn to identify and apply suitable concepts and approaches for examining specific contemporary socio-technical phenomena.

Grading: Participation (20%), Mid-term assignment (30%), Final paper and presentation (50%)

The reference list for this class is made available on Moodle