95698 - Social Studies of Science and Technology (1) (Lm)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will have knowledge of the main concepts and approaches developed by science and technology studies (STS), and can analytically compare them and discuss their pros and cons; they will understand basic issues about the materiality of and governance by data infrastructures and their social implications, and will have developed basic experience in designing an empirical research on data infrastructures

Course contents

The course provides an introduction to the social studies of science and technology (STS). STS are a long-standing research field which has developed perspectives to address scientific and technological development by using epistemologies, heuristic tools and methods from ethnography, sociology, history, philosophy and semiotics. The course draws the roots of the field on R. Merton’s sociology of science and T. Kuhn’s structure of scientific revolutions, to then focus on the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK), the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) and Actor-Network Theory (ANT).

These approaches are studied with the support of hands-on exercises and empirical case studies (weeks 1-4).

In the last week we will address some sociopolitical implications of data infrastructures. All these topics are tackled by reading, presenting and commenting leading international literature and empirical case studies.

Throughout the course, some interactive moments are devoted to developing empirical research design skills, ranging from research question design to research methodologies. Such moments are finalized to support the STS research design to be submitted as part of the course assessment.

Week 1 – Merton and the Sociology of Science, Kuhn and the Structure of Scientific Revolutions

Week 2 – The Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK

Week 3 - The Social Construction of Technology (SCOT)

Week 4 – Actor-Network Theory (ANT), or the sociology of translation

Week 5 – Data infrastructures and classification; STS and communication studies

 

Readings/Bibliography

The syllabus is compulsory for both attending and non attending students, and is made of journal articles and book chapters. They are all available on Virtuale or through the UniBO digital library (AlmaRE). See Virtuale for syllabus details and copies of the material.

 

Week 1 – Introduction; Merton and the Sociology of Science; Kuhn and the Structure of Scientific Revolutions

Merton, R. (1942), Sismondo, S. (2010), Chap. 3

Kuhn, T. (1962, Sismondo, S. (2010), Chap. 2

 

Week 2 – The Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK)

Bloor, D. (1976), Pp. 3-13

Law, J. (2015)

Week 3 - The Social Construction of Technology (SCOT)

Pinch, T. J., & Bijker, W. E. (1984)

Bijker, W.E. (1987)

 

Week 4 – Actor-Network Theory (ANT), or the sociology of translation

Callon, M. (1986)

Latour, B. (1992)

Law, J. (2007)

 

Week 5 – Data infrastructures; STS and communication studies

Bowker, G.C. and Star, S.L. (1999)

Suchman, L. (1994)

Recommended:

Boczkowski, P., & Lievrouw, L. A. (2008)

Bijsterveld, K. (2014).

Dourish, P. (2017)

Gitelman (2013)

Pelizza (2016)

Teaching methods

The teaching style favours interactivity. Classes include lectures by the teacher, presentations by students (mandatory for attending studnets), class exercises and  discussions.

The aim of the class presentations is threefold: 1) to support and develop students’ understanding of the literature; 2) to support and develop students’ analytical and research skills before the formal evaluation; 3) to foster peer-learning.

To achieve these goals, the draft reports that are to be submitted for the final evaluation will be preliminary and collectively discussed in class (see assessment methods).

Assessment methods

The learning process is assessed for both attending and non-attending students against two written texts. The first (interim) consists in a comparative analysis of a given case study using SCOT and ANT. The second (at the end of the course) consists in an STS empirical research design. Drafts of both texts are preliminarily and collectively discussed in class.

Both papers must be submitted in the same exam session, as indicated below.

The grade is expressed as 30/30: 50% of the assessment is made up of the first deliverable, and 50% of the assessment is made up of the second deliverable. The maximum score achievable is therefore 30 cum laude. The exam is considered passed with a minimum score of 18/30.

 

During the 2025/2016 academic year, assignments are scheduled for delivery in the following months:

- October 2025 (both assignments, staggered deliveries) for all students

- November 2025 (both assignments, staggered deliveries) for all students

- December 2025 (both assignments, joint delivery) for students who did not pass

- April 2026 (both assignments, joint delivery) for students who did not pass

- September 2026 (both assignments, joint delivery) for students who did not pass

- November 2026 (both assignments, joint delivery) for students who did not pass

 

Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities:

it is recommended to contact the relevant University office in advance (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ). The office will be responsible for proposing any necessary adjustments to the interested students. These adjustments must, however, be submitted at least 15 days in advance for approval by the instructor, who will assess their appropriateness in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

 

Teaching tools

Classes are conducted in presence: in class, computer with video beamer and digital whiteboard.

The teaching material consists of the syllabus, the lectures prepared by the teacher and the case studies. When not protected by copyright, the teaching material is made available to students through the Virtuale teaching platform of the University of Bologna. Copyrighted texts in the syllabus are available at the FILCOM library and at other libraries of the University of Bologna.

Office hours

See the website of Annalisa Pelizza