Science, Technology and
Society Program
CPSP 227: Section 102 (3 Credits)
Capstone Course in Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
TuTh......12:30pm- 1:45pm (CCC 1115)
Instructor: J. Rosser Matthews
Office: Chestertown Hall, Rm. 1108
Tel: (301) 405-0527 (during office hours)
E-mail: jrmatt3@umd.edu
Spring, 2010
Office Hours: Tu 11:30--12:30;
Th 1:45-2:45;
and by appointment
Description of the Course:
Prerequisite: An [SB] CORE course and admission to College Park Scholars Program. Capstone course for
College Park Scholars - Science, Technology, and Society Program. Exploration and understanding of ways
science and technology shape and are shaped by society.
Goals and Measurable Objectives of the Course:
In earlier courses in the STS program, you were provided with numerous concrete examples of how science,
technology, and society interpenetrate. In this capstone course, there are two primary pedagogical objectives:
1) Drawing on contemporary scholarship, this course will introduce you to some of the overarching themes in
the vast and interdisciplinary field of STS. Specifically, you will develop the “intellectual tools” (i.e.,
concepts, analytic frameworks, research programs etc.) needed to analyze how science & technology affect
society and vice-versa. The focus will be on the science-technology interface in the context of
contemporary Western society. This objective will be the primary focus in the first half of the semester and
will be measured through the reaction papers and especially the term essay test on April 20th.
2) This course will provide you with the experiences needed to develop your critical thinking skills—
especially the ability to express your thoughts orally (in class discussions), visually (as Power Point
presentations and a Poster) and in written form (through a research-oriented scholarly term paper).
Although you will be honing these skills in the context of a STS research project, they are actually highly
valued in contemporary society. As the authors of one of our textbooks observe, “in business and
government, in law and medicine, in politics and international diplomacy, no skill is valued more highly
than the ability to recognize a problem, then to articulate it in a way that convinces others both to care about
it and to believe it can be solved.” This objective will be the primary focus in the second half of the
semester and measured through the various products of your academic research. Because of the strong
emphasis on writing and research, this course qualifies as a CORE SB course.
Books to be Purchased:
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
Sergio Sismondo, An Introduction to Science and Technology Studies
Paul N. Edwards, The Closed World
Matthew B. Crawford, Shop Class as Soulcraft
Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams, The Craft of Research, 3rd edition
Additional readings noted below are located online in Blackboard.
Appropriate Academic Conduct and Accommodation:
In this class, we are an academic community and, as such, we are all governed by the ethical norms of the
academic environment. In particular, this means that practices such as cheating and plagiarism on assignments
will never be tolerated. Borrowing someone else's words, or closely paraphrasing someone else's words,
without crediting the original source as the origin is plagiarism. In this course, instruction will be provided on
how to avoid plagiarism. In class, appropriate academic conduct means that students must engage actively,
helpfully, and respectfully with each other and with the instructor. For more general guidance on appropriate
student conduct, you can consult (http://studentconduct.umd.edu/).
If students have specific disabilities that need special accommodation, they should present their Disability
Support Services (DSS) form two me within the first two weeks of class. Also, if students anticipate future
absence--particularly because of a conflict with religious observance--they should also contact me within the
first two weeks of class so that appropriate accommodations can be arranged.
Weekly Course Expectations:
In general, students are expected to complete the following tasks on a weekly basis:
1) Reading two to three essays and/or case studies on an STS topic and material about the craft of research and
writing as assigned below; in particular, be prepared to discuss the material assigned on classes categorized
as "discussion" rather than "lecture" days;
2) Writing short 3-4 page reaction papers biweekly based on STS theme under discussion;
3) Making timely progress on term research project through completing intermediary writing assignments as
described below;
4) Participating actively in class discussions.
In particular, students are expected to complete the following assignments according to this schedule:
Theme #1: Science, Technology, and the Ethics of Research
1/26: Course Introduction—course mechanics; the Background to STS as a field of scholarship
Sismondo, chapters 1 & 2 (review after class as needed); begin reading Frankenstein
1/28: See film "The Day After Trinity" in class
2/2:
The Ethics of Clinical Trials (lecture)
Submit list of three broad topics for the term paper to instructor(1)
2/4:
Discussion of ethics of scientific and technological research
Craft, chapters 3 & 4
1st reaction paper is due: Using all three examples (A bomb, clinical trials, and Frankenstein),
discuss where you think ethics enters into scientific and technological research.
Theme #2: Professional Knowledge in the Public Arena: Expert v. Lay Opinion
2/9: Focused Topic Area for Term Paper is Finalized(2); individual meeting with instructor to distill an initial
research question out of focused topic area.
2/11: Professionalization, Popper v. Kuhn, and the Law (lecture)
Craft, chapters 5; Sismondo, chapter 16
Karl Popper, “Normal Science and its Dangers” and Thomas Kuhn, "Logic of Discovery or Psychology
of Research" (see esp. section IV on pp. 19-22);
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals--read legal opinion, Chief Justice Renquist's opinion, and
scholarly article about the legal case
2/16: Plan for mock trial of Daubert case.
Initial Bibliography of Term Paper(3)
Craft, chapter 6
2/18: Mock Trial of the Daubert Case
2nd Reaction paper is due: Based on the sources that you consulted, which view of science (Popper or
Kuhn) do you think the judges should adopt in deciding whether to admit evidence from scientific
studies in legal proceedings?
Theme #3: Social Construction v. Technological Determinism
2/23: The History of the Science-Technology Interface (lecture)
Briefly Annotated Bibliography of Term Paper. Provide a one paragraph statement of "where you
go from here."(4)
Sismondo, chapter 8 (pp. 75-79);
Edwin T. Layton, “Mirror-image Twins: The Communities of Science and Technology in 19thCentury America”;
Peter Galison, “The Trading Zone: Coordinating Action and Belief”;
2/25:
Social Construction of Science & Technology; Do Machines Make History? (lecture)
Sismondo, chapter 6, chapter 8 (pp.79-85), chapter 10;
Robert L. Heilbroner, "Do Machines Make History?";
Casper and Clarke, “Making the Pap Smear into the ‘Right Tool’ for the Job: Cervical Cancer
Screening in the USA, circa 1940-95”;
Trevor J. Pinch and Wiebe E. Bijker, "The Social Construction of Facts and Artifacts"
3/2:
See film "The World that Moses Built" in class; Topical Outline of Term Paper(5)
3/4:
Discussion of the Career of Robert Moses and Books in the Age of Google
Craft, part III;
"Google's Goal: Digitize Every Book Ever Printed" (PBS Newshour, 12/30/09);
Anthony Grafton, "Apocalypse in the stacks? The research library in the age of Google" Daedalus
(Winter 2009): 87-98;
Robert Darnton, "Google & the Future of Books" The New York Review of Books
56(2)(February 12, 2009)
3rd Reaction Paper: Do you see the career of Robert Moses and Google's effort to digitize university
libraries more as instances of social construction or technological determinism (you do not have to
give the same answer for each example)?
Theme #4: Tacit Knowledge v. Standardized Objectivity
3/9:
Sismondo, chapters 9 & 11; (lecture)
Point-Based Outline of Term Paper(6)
Harry Collins, “The TEA Set: Tacit Knowledge and Scientific Networks”;
Theodore M. Porter, “U.S. Army Engineers and the Rise of Cost-Benefit Analysis”;
3/11: Discussion of Crawford's Shopclass as Soulcraft
4th Reaction Paper: In your future careers as engineers and scientists, do you anticipate relying
more on tacit knowledge or on standardized objectivity? What do you think of Crawford's various
arguments that "some jobs are inherently situated, and cannot be reduced to rule following"(p. 165)?
Theme #5: Presenting Evidence Visually: Power Point Presentations and
Designing Posters for the Academic Showcase
3/23:
Presenting Evidence Visually and Designing Power Point Presentations and Posters
Craft, chapter 15
Guest Speaker: Dr. Betsy Mendelsohn, Director, STS Program, University of Maryland
3/25:
Power Point Presentations of Research Projects (c. 4 presentations)(7)
3/30:
Power Point Presentations of Research Projects (c. 4 presentations)(7)
4/1:
Power Point Presentations (c. 4 presentations)(7)
4/6:
Power Point Presentations (c. 4 presentations)(7)
4/7:
Gregg Mitman, Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison will give the annual STS Guest Lecture
from 5-6:30pm, in Physics Rm. 1412.
4/8:
Review of Poster Drafts with Dr. Mendelsohn
4/12:
Submit Final Poster Files to Dr. Mendelsohn for Approval(8)
College Park Scholars subsidizes the printing of posters for the Academic Showcase.
Commercial rates begin as high as $65.00. This year, the cost for printing posters through
College Park Scholars is $40.00. Students will be asked to remit payment through their student
account. Each poster takes 10-15 minutes to print. Consequently, deadlines must be adhered
to given the compressed time schedule for printing over 300 posters. Students not meeting
deadlines will be required to get their posters printed commercially in order to meet the
Showcase deadline (and receive credit for this assignment). The deadline, as determined by
College Park Scholars, for posters from the STS program is April 14.
Theme #6: The Cold War, Computers, and Culture
4/13: Military Planning and the Creation of the Computer
Edwards, chapters 1-4; Student Group Power Point Presentations on Edwards(9)
4/15: Computers, the Creation of Scientific Disciplines, and Popular Culture
Edwards, chapters 6-8, 10 & epilogue; Student Group Power Point Presentations on Edwards(9)
4/20: Essay Examination on STS concepts and The Closed World
Theme #7: Preparing Final Written Papers
4/22: Drafting, Revising, and Framing an Academic Research Paper (lecture)
Craft, chapters 12-14, 16.
4/27: "Mini" Drafts of Written Term Paper Reviewed (c. 4 per class)(10)
4/29: "Mini" Drafts of Written Term Paper Reviewed (c. 4 per class)(10)
4/30: Academic Showcase--Attendance is Mandatory.
For additional information, see http://www.scholars.umd.edu/events/showcase/
5/4:
"Mini" Drafts of Written Term Paper Reviewed (c. 4 per class)(10)
5/6:
"Mini" Drafts of Written Term Paper Reviewed (c. 4 per class)(10)
5/11:
Individual conferences with instructor as needed.
Final Written Version of Term Research Paper: Due at the Time that the Final Examination is scheduled, which
is Tuesday, May 19th at 3:30 pm. Papers should be e-mailed to the course instructor.
Grading:
4 Reaction Papers and one peer commentary on a mini-draft (4 points each)
10 intermediary assignments on term paper (bold and in parentheses above)
In-class essay examination on April 20th
Poster of Research Project (Displayed at Academic Showcase)
Final Written Term Paper
20 points
10 points
30 points
10 points
30 points
You will receive a numerical score for each of the above categories and your final course grade will be the sum
of these scores (out of a possible 100 points total). Your final course letter grade will then be determined based
on the traditional 10 point scale (i.e., 90-100 is an "A" etc.). N.B.: There will be no "extra credit" assignments
that can be completed after the final term paper grade is entered on Blackboard at the end of the semester.