Science and Technology in Politics and Society

University of Oslo, Norway

Course Content

This course is a specialisation in science and technology studies (STS), focusing on three main topics: The Climate Society – knowledge, politics and practices of transformation; The Good Economy – values and controversies in the politics of the environment, care and the life sciences; and Social Media, Digital STS, Market Research and the Public.

Learning Outcomes

Students learn to study how science and politics influence controversies between experts, to situate controversies historically, culturally and politically, and to remain sensitive to the analyst’s own role when studying controversies about nature. Skills developed include tracing the roles of different actors (experts and lay people) and the processes of marginalisation and exclusion involved, and examining the relations between science, regulatory politics, markets, environmental movements and public involvement through case studies.