Version of 3/28/07 SOC 282: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY at 3 units either as pass/fail or letter grade. Students desiring 4 units must take course for a letter grade and the required paper should be 20 pages minimum. See below for details and BE SURE TO FILL OUT YOUR REGISTRATION FORM PROPERLY. DESCRIPTION: Doctoral level course reviews early Marxist and functionalist theories of science; takes up Kuhns work as the temporal watershed in the development of contemporary science studies through its assertion-based on Fleck-of the significance of social factors in scientific work and in the construction/production of scientific knowledge. It then focuses intently on social constructionist, actor network, ethnomethodological, ethnographic and interactionist science studies as these diverse perspectives have attempted to open up the “black boxes“ of sciences and technologies, including laboratories, practice/skills/tools, representations and related studies. Technology studies theorizing is examined from social construction of technology (production) to user studies (the consumption junction). Focused sessions on STS theorization of “life itself;” new issues in genetics, cloning and species boundaries; and postcolonial technoscience studies. Emphasis is primarily on the life sciences and medicine; includes attention to anthropology, history, sociology and philosophy of science. Goals are 1) to map ST 2) to read and grasp the classics/canonic works and their critiques; 3) to read some of what is currently at the cutting edge of ST 4) to grasp the basics for teaching ST 5) if possible, to read a book that had a past life as a dissertation. COURSE GOALS AND REQUIREMENTS: Course may be taken on a pass/fail basis or for a letter grade (see units above for further distinctions). The different requirements are detailed below. Those students lacking serious preparation in social theory are very strongly encouraged to take the course pass/fail (2 or 3 units). All students are expected to attend class and to participate in class discussions. PASS/FAIL REQUIREMENTS: The intensive focus of the course is on the readings. To simply pass the course for 2-3 units, a “Critique Form“ for specified required readings must be turned into the instructor and be deemed satisfactory. A list of required readings for critiques will be distributed. Critique sheets will be DUE MAY 8th AND JUNE 5th (for the readings through those dates). The sheets for readings for each week should be stapled together with your name on each page. A cover page should note your name and what weeks you have handed in readings for. Critique sheets may be in outline form. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. LETTER GRADE REQUIREMENTS: In addition to handing in the critique forms noted above, for a letter grade at 3 units a short (10-15 page minimum) paper or book review is required. For 4 units (letter grade only), you need to turn in critique sheets and 1) two book reviews or 2) a paper (20+ pages). Typed proposals for papers (a brief sketch of what you intend to do and a preliminary bibliography) are DUE APRIL 24th. FINAL PAPERS ARE DUE JUNE 12th (earlier is better). POSSIBLE PAPER FORMATS: The paper may be any of the following: 1)a research paper on a topic of your own choosing related to the course. You can use any theme or topic of the course as a starting point. Alternatively, you might wish to pursue science/technology aspects of a problem you are already involved with studying and researching. 2)a literature review, fairly ambitious and well focused . Possibly you might select to do an in-depth analysis of one of the perspectives we will be studying, or go into more depth on a particular problem. 3)a book review, about 5-10 typed pages or in outline format. 4)an alternative you develop and I approve. While I will obviously be concerned with the actual content of your papers, I also want you to answer the questions: What kind of sociological work is this? How does it fit within its theoretical tradition? What were the authors goals and intentions? Where do I stand in relation to it? NOTE: Phantom sessions on other topics (which will not actually occur) may be found at the end of the electronic version of the syllabus. TEXTS AND OTHER READINGS: Required Readings: There will be a xeroxed set of papers you may copy that “live” in the student cubicle in LH455. If you need a copy card for use at Laurel Heights, please see Cynthia Mercado-Scott in Suite 455. Required texts available in Millberry Bookstore. Biagioli, Mario (Ed.) 1999. The Science Studies Reader. NY: Routledge. Fleck, Ludwik. 1935 1979. Genesis and Development of a Scientific Fact. U. of Chicago Press. Kuhn, Thomas. 1962 1996. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. 3rd ed. U. of Chicago Press. RECOMMENDED BOOKS: (not ordered from bookstore) ABOUT STS: These are aimed largely at undergraduates, with the exception of the Handbook. The most sophisticated is Hess, but also now a decade old