Science Policy and Expertise UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics Undergrad: Soc Gen 188 Sem 2 or Pub Pol 191A Sem 1 Graduate: Pub Pol 290 Dis 4 Fall Quarter 2013 Tuesdays and Thursdays 11AM to 12:15PM Class location: Rolfe 3121 Instructor Aaron Panofsky Assistant Professor Public Policy and Center for Society and Genetics Office: 1317 Rolfe Hall or 6355 Public Affairs Building Phone: 310-­‐206-­‐9362 (69362 on campus) Email: apanofsky@ucla.edu Office hours: Wednesdays 2-­‐4pm, 1317 Rolfe Hall Course description Any glance at the headlines will show that science, scientists, and other experts are increasingly wrapped up in today’s social problems. Experts are called upon to deliver decisive answers and cut through controversy. But just as often they’re at the root of these controversies, generating objects or ideas that spur social disagreements. This course is an advanced introduction to the critical social analysis of science and expertise. It aims to give students tools for understanding what happens when science and expertise intersect complex social problems. Using a theoretically informed perspective we’ll examine cases of controversial issues in both traditional policy settings and other contexts addressing issues such as: • How patient movements can affect biomedical research • Why biomedical researchers must take race and gender seriously • How government policies affect scientific research • The use of science in environmental regulation • The relationship between controversy and scientific structure in climate research • How scientists and policy makers misunderstand the public • Why technical systems are difficult to control 1 Through these topics we’ll address some major thematic questions: • How can we reconcile the need for expertise, which is controlled by a small elite, with public participation and the democratic governance of science? • Why does the addition of scientific expertise multiply and intensify public controversies when it is usually intended to generate consensus and resolution? • How should we square the competing images of science as, on the one hand, an “ivory tower” devoted to truth and, on the other, as an interest group like any other with compromising ties to government and corporate power? Students completing this course will gain tools for thinking critically about the role of science in contemporary social problems where knowledge and expertise are at stake. Policy students, in particular, will gain a more reflexive self-­‐understanding of the difficulties in applying their own expertise in the decision making process. Reading materials The following required books have been ordered at Ackerman Bookstore. Sheila Jasanoff. 1994. The Fifth Branch. Harvard U Press Steven Epstein. 2008. Inclusion. U Chicago Press. Many of the readings for this class will be book chapters or articles. These will be posted on the course website which is accessible through your my.ucla.edu account. Copies of the books will also be on reserve at the College Library. Course expectations, attendance, participation, and grading This course is a limited enrollment seminar, which means that its success is dependent on the active participation of all class members. This means that students must 1) attend all classes on time, 2) do all required readings, 3) participate in class discussions, and 4) complete all assignments. Three factors will determine your grade: Attendance and participation 20% Two of three Exams (2 x 20%) 40% Final paper 40% 2 Graduate student requirements Graduate students taking this course will be held to a higher grading standard, reflecting their greater academic experience. Their final project should fit their broader policy interests. No extension policy All assignments must be completed on the date specified in the syllabus. These dates are intended to give you plenty of notice so you can plan your work-­‐schedule in advance. Therefore work required from another class or a last minute illness are not a valid excuse for failing to turn in an assignment. Late assignments will not be accepted without an official excuse from the Dean of Students—a doctor’s note alone won’t cut it. Assignments Students in this class will be expected to complete three different assignments: Two of three Exams On Weeks 3, 6, and 9 of class, a short take-­‐home exam will be handed out. Each exam will feature essay questions that will ask you to think creatively and synthesize arguments from the readings probing their policy relevance. Students must take two of the three mini-­‐exams. You may choose which one to skip. Each exam is due the week after it was handed out on the day of class. Students will give me a hard copy of the paper in class and prior to class use the TurnItIn.com online system—details will be forthcoming on this. No late exams will be accepted. You may not take an extra exam for extra credit or to improve a low grade. Final paper Each student will complete a paper project on a topic of her or his devising relevant to the themes of this class. Papers should represent a serious engagement with the topic chosen and should be about 10-­‐12 pages for undergraduates and 12-­‐15 pages for graduate students. The paper will be due on December 12th at Noon, and no late papers will be accepted. Papers should be turned in electronically using the Turnitin.com online system and dropped off in hard copy at 1317 Rolfe Hall. In order to have sufficient time to develop your ideas and conduct research, I am requiring that you hand in a 1-­‐2 page project proposal in class on October 29th (Week 5). The proposal should explain the topic you’re interested in, the question you intend to answer, and the materials you’ll use to answer the question. In other words you need to explain what you want to do and how you propose to do it. We will discuss possible research topics on the first day of class, but remember that narrower is better. Even if you’re interested in the “big questions,” you can get at these best by examining a very specific question or case. The early deadline for this proposal will enable me to give you feedback so you can hone your ideas without cutting into your research time. 3 Class schedule Week 0—Introduction Thursday September 27 Gawande, “The Checklist” Week 1 Tuesday, October 1—Two Views of the Structure and Practice of Science I Merton, “The Normative Structure of Science” Popper, “Science: Conjectures and Refutations” Thursday, October 3—Two Views of the Structure and Practice of Science II Kuhn, Structure of Scientific Revolutions (selections Polanyi, The Republic of Science Week 2 Tuesday, October 8—Science and Political Order Carson, “The Science of Merit and the Merit of Science” Porter, “The Management of Society by Numbers” Thursday, October 10 ***No Class*** Week 3 Tuesday, October 15—Policy for Science in the US I Bush, “Science: The Endless Frontier”. Read: Summary and Introduction. Skim the rest. Brooks, “The Evolution of U.S. Science Policy” 4 Thursday, October 17—Policy for Science in the US II Mowery, “The Bush Report after 50 Years—Blueprint or Relic?” Nelson, “Why the Bush Report Has Hindered an Effective Civilian Technology Policy” Sarewitz, “Social Change and Science Policy” Exam 1 handed out Week 4 Tuesday, October 22—Dilemmas of Regulatory Science I Jasanoff, The Fifth Branch, Read Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 Thursday, October 24—Dilemmas of Regulatory Science II Jasanoff, The Fifth Branch, Read Chapters 7, 8, and 11 Exam 1 due in class Week 5 Tuesday, October 29—Technology Troubles Winner, “Do Artifacts Have Politics?” Perrow, “Normal Accident at Three Mile Island” Morozov, “The Perils of Perfection” Paper proposals due Thursday, October 31—Public Participation and Patient Advocacy World’s Lamest Field Trip: Botany 325 Epstein, “Democracy, Expertise, and AIDS Treatment Activism” Other TBA Week 6 Tuesday, November 5—Public Participation and Trust Wynne, “Misunderstood Misunderstandings” Kaplan, “Public Participation in Nuclear Facility Decisions” 5 Thursday, November 7—Public Participation and New Expertise Eyal, “For a Sociology of Expertise: The Social Origins of the Autism Epidemic”. Read entire, but skim 869-­‐877. Schneider, “Is the ‘Citizen Scientist’ an Oxymoron?” Exam 2 handed out Week 7 Tuesday, November 12—The Politics of Difference in Medical Research I Epstein, Inclusion, Intro (read); Ch 2 (skim); Chs 3, 4, 5 (read) Thursday, November 14—The Politics of Difference in Medical Research II Epstein, Inclusion, Ch 6, 8, 9 (read); Ch 10, 11, (skim); Conclusion (read) Exam 2 due Week 8 Tuesday, November 19—Choosing Experts Wisely Collins and Evans, “The Third Wave of Science Studies” focus on pages 225-­‐272 Thursday, November 21—Think Tanks and Policy Expertise Medvetz, “Murky Power” Medvetz, “Public Policy is Like Having a Vaudeville Act” Friday, November 22—Thomas Medvetz talk Time, location, and title TBA Week 9 Tuesday, November 26—Climate Change 1 Edwards and Schneider, “Self-­‐Governance and Peer Review in Science for Policy” Exam 3 handed out Thursday, November 28—No Class Thanksgiving Break 6 Week 10 Tuesday, December 3—Climate Change 2 Miller, “Climate Science and the Making of a Global Political Order” Mini exam 3 due Thursday, December 5—Climate Change 3 and Conclusion Oreskes and Conway, “The Collapse of Western Civilization” Week 11 December 12 Final papers due Final paper due, Noon via Turnitin.com and in hard copy at 1317 Rolfe Hall 7