Academic Year 2015-2016 ● Fall Term ● ISSP and Department of Geography
ISP 5101 / GEG 5105
Decision-making at the
Interface of Science and Policy
ISSP COLLABORATIVE MASTERS CORE COURSE &
SELECTED TOPICS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY (3 credits)
Class Time and Room:
Wednesday, 14:30 -17:30 at Hagen 305
Instructor:
Marc Saner
Former Director, Institute for Science, Society and Policy &
Associate Professor, Department of Geography
Simard 032
msaner@uOttawa.ca - please state “ISP 5101” or “GEG 5105” in the Subject Line of your email.
Office:
E-mail:
Readings:
Please purchase this book (available as a Kindle edition): Pielke, Roger A. Jr. (2007) The Honest Broker –
Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge U.P., 188 pp. Current news and
academic papers and grey literature will be posted to DropBox
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0hl532c6bsga2jh/AAA0YmGeQzP0IKbcScVJ0nC8a?dl=0
DESCRIPTION: In this interactive seminar we will discuss the integration of evidence and judgment, facts and values, and science and
policy in decision-making. We will look at the broad spectrum of related topics: How scientific are risk assessments? Are evidencebased policy decisions really based on policy? Are we not rather sometimes dealing with “policy-based evidence making”? How is
ethics integrated in decision-making? How are issues that have an important science component communicated to the public? How
is public and citizen science included in decision-making? How do scientists and policymakers work together? We will also address
the policies that guide the scientific and engineering enterprises in Canada. Here are two reasons for why you should care:
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Chad Gaffield, former President of SSHRC, stated that the integration of “all types of knowledge” in decision-making is the
number one intellectual challenge for this century. The games that are played at the interface between facts and values are
pervasive and important (climate change is a good example).
The real world works in multi-disciplinary teams. Your next boss may be a historian, a lawyer, a biochemist, an engineer …
how well you can manage laterally and horizontally will define your success at work.
Each student will engage in three activities: (1) Active class participation, (2) A formal presentation of a book chapter – this provides
practice in communication and will help to keep the course more engaging, and (3) An essay on that case study: the history of the
case, the issues and an analysis.
At the end of this course, you will have been through a boot camp on both “science for policy” and “policy for science”. This will
help you situate academic activities in the real world. You will also have seen a roster of interesting guest speakers, improved your
network, and carried out a full project (project formulation, presentation, and completion).
REQUIREMENTS: You need an interest in the big picture and the issues that matter once you are fully immersed in the workforce
(including university jobs). How do people from different disciplines work together? How are decisions made? Who is accountable
for decisions? What will your likely role be, once you join a professional team at the university, in government, in the nongovernment or private sectors? You do not need specific prior knowledge in science or policy – but you have to show up so that you
don’t miss the boat. There is not a lot of reading material but you may have to spend time thinking about the issue and look up
background. I also would like you to be a very active participant.
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ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
I am an Associate Professor at the Department of Geography and the former Inaugural Director of the Institute for Science, Society
and Policy at the University of Ottawa (2010-2015). During my career, I have been a researcher, public servant, consultant, and
manager. I held adjunct appointments in Biology, Philosophy and Public Policy Departments. Some former jobs: Executive VicePresident and Director of Assessments as the Council of Canadian Academies; Director at the Institute On Governance; Executive
Director, Regulatory Governance Initiative (Carleton University); Managing Director of the Ethics and Policy Issues Centre (Carleton
University). For the last decade, my primary interest has been the multi-disciplinary work at the intersection of science, ethics and
governance. I hold a Ph.D. in applied ecology from the University of Basel, Switzerland (1991) as well as an M.A. in applied ethics
from Carleton University (1999).
Recent Refereed Contributions:
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Saner M. and Marchant, G.E. (2015) Proactive International Regulatory Cooperation for Governance of Emerging
Technologies. Jurimetrics, 55: 147-178.
Saner, M. (2013). “The Role of Adaptation in the Governance of Emerging Technologies” in: Innovative
Governance Models For Emerging Technologies, Gary E. Marchant, Kenneth W. Abbott & Braden Allenby (eds.),
Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, pp. 92-107.
Saner, Marc, Eve Heafey & Diana M. Bowman (2013). Mapping the regulatory environment for nanomaterials in
Canada. Nanotechnology Law and Business 9(4): 343-368.
Saner M. and A. Stoklosa (2013). "Commercial, Societal and Administrative Benefits from the Analysis and
Clarification of Definitions: The Case of Nanomaterials", Creativity and Innovation Management, 22(1), 26 – 36.
Saner M. & Geelen J. (2012) “Identity in a Technological Society: Governance Implications,” in Handbook of
Research on Technoself: Identity in a Technological Society (R. Luppicini, Ed.)
Fast S., Brklacich M. & Saner M. (2011). A Geography-Based Critique of New US Biofuels Regulations. Global
Change Biology: Bioenergy 4 (3): 243-252.
Aubin I., Garbe C.M., Colombo S., Drever C.R., McKenney D.W., Messier C., Pedlar J., Saner M., Venier L.,
Wellstead A.M., Winder R., Witten E., & Ste-Marie C. (2011). Why We Disagree About Assisted Migration: Ethical
Implications of a Key Debate Regarding the Future of Canada’s Forests. Forestry Chronicle, 87(6): 1-11.
Saner M. and Daar A., (2011). “Towards Streamlined Regulation of Converging Technologies”, Optimum Online
41(3) online
Selected Recent Talks:
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June 2015, Boston, USA, "Punctuated versus Gradual Designs of Science/Policy Interfaces", Science and
Democracy Network 14th Annual Meeting, Harvard Kennedy School of Government STS Program.
May 2015, Scottsdale Arizona, May 2015, "Proactive Governance of Emerging Technologies: International
Regulatory Cooperation", 3nd Annual Conference on Governance of Emerging Technologies Conference: Law,
Policy and Ethics, Arizona State University.
Dec. 2014, New Haven, USA. Presented the talk “Of Humanized Robots and Robotized Humans” at the Yale
Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics.
Nov. 2014, Mexico City, Mexico. Keynote at the Workshop “Convergencia de conocimiento para beneficio de la
sociedad” organized by CONACYT (the National Council on S&T).
Oct. 2014, Quebec City, Canada. Presented the talk “Convergent Technologies Combination Products &
Sustainability” at the “Eighth Extraordinary Session of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific
Knowledge and Technology (COMEST)”
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