Structure of the Curriculum

Science Technology Society (S)

Course PDF
Science Technology Society (S)
COURSE OUTLINE
GENERAL
SCHOOLSchool of Economics and Political Science
DEPARTMENTSociology
Level of StudyUndergraduate
COURSE CODE431021
COURSE TITLEScience Technology Society (S)
Independent Teaching Activities Weekly Teaching Hours CREDIT UNITS
Lectures - Exercises 3 6
TOTAL 3 6
Course TypeGeneral Background
Prerequisite CoursesNo
Teaching and Examination LanguageGreek
THE COURSE IS OFFERED TO ERASMUS STUDENTSNo
Course Webpage (URL)https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/SOC150/
(2) LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:

  • They understand science and technology as social practices.
  • They recognize the ways in which specific social and political choices are inscribed into the structure of scientific knowledge and technological products.
  • They identify the processes by which scientific knowledge and artifacts emerge from human labor.
  • They understand the ways in which scientific and technological decisions contribute to the entrenchment of social hierarchies and power relations.
  • They use different theoretical approaches of Science and Technology Studies in order to study specific cases of interaction between technoscience and other social phenomena.
  • They employ the different theoretical approaches of Science and Technology Studies in order to study the role of experts in social and political life.
  • They develop a critical discourse regarding the way techno-scientific problems of the present are handled by experts and the state.

General Capabilities

  • Search, analysis and synthesis of data and information
  • Decision making
  • Teamwork
  • Working in an international environment
  • Working in an interdisciplinary environment
  • Generation of new research ideas
  • Demonstration of social, professional, and ethical responsibility in issues concerning the making and implementation of techno-scientific decisions
  • Demonstration of social, professional, and ethical responsibility and sensitivity to gender issues
  • Exercise of criticism and self-criticism
  • Promotion of free, creative, and inductive thinking
(3) COURSE CONTENT
  • Introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Science and Technology Studies
  • Historical overview of theories on the science-society relationship
  • The Historicist Turn and Its Consequences
  • The Sociology of Scientific Knowledge and the Strong Program
  • Social Constructivism and Network-Based Theory
  • Does technoscience have a gender?;
  • Technoscientific Culture
  • Societies of Risk
  • Anthropocene
  • Life Sciences, Biotechnology, and Bioethics
  • Digital Transformation and the (Re)shaping of Society
  • Commercialization of Scientific and Technological Research
  • Technoscientific Utopias and Dystopias
  • Science and Technology Policy
  • Political Economies of Knowledge and the Role of Experts
  • Citizens' Science
  • Science Communication and the Democratization of Knowledge
(4) TEACHING & LEARNING METHODS – EVALUATION
DELIVERY METHODClassroom discussion and exploration of the topics. Inviting social scientists or visiting the headquarters of institutions and organizations that specialize in the specific topics. Simulation of social research scenarios.
Information and Communication Technologies

Use of Audiovisual Media in Teaching
View related movies and streaming from online platforms
Use of students' mobile phones for on-site research and retrieval of specialized information from the World Wide Web.
Use of the e-class platform to communicate with students and to post supplementary materials.

Activity Semester Workload
Lectures 24
Social research simulations 15
Study of Required Reading 60
Study of supplementary material and preparation of assignments 21
Preparing for an Evaluation 30
Course Summary 150
Student Evaluation
Process Description Evaluation

The evaluation process is conducted in the Greek language through a written examination covering the entire syllabus and takes the form of essay-type questions.
During the examination, the use of books and notes is permitted. Collaboration among students is also encouraged for the collective processing of the questions.
The answer to the questions is considered complete when it is factually accurate, satisfactorily justified, and clearly formulated.

(5) RECOMMENDED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Suggested Bibliography

  • Feenberg, A. (2022), Between Reason and Experience, translated by Yannis Perperidis. Thessaloniki: Ropi.
  • Daston, L. (2009). Science Studies and the History of Science. Critical Inquiry, 35, 798–813.
  • Sismondo, S. (2016). An Introduction to Science and Technology Studies, translated by Varvara Spyropoulou, edited by Manolis Patiniotis. Athens: Liberal Books.
  • Patinotis, M. (ed.) (2020). Introduction to Digital Studies. Thessaloniki: Ropi.
  • Rentzezi, M. (ed.) (2011). The Gender of Technology and the Technology of Gender. Athens: Ekremes.
  • Kokkinos, C. and Patiniotis, M. (eds.) (2023), Philosophy of Technology: A Critical Overview. Thessaloniki: Ropi
  • Tympas, T., and Mergoupi-Savaidou, E. (eds.) (2013). Electric Cars, Wooden Airplanes, French Reactors, and Female Computer Scientists. Heraklion: University of Crete Press.

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Secretariat telephone numbers

secr@soc.uoa.gr

Email Secretariat

57 Solonos Street, P.C. 10679, Athens, Greece

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