Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Appreciate the role trust plays in how society responds to socio-scientific issues; and evaluate factors that influence the trustworthiness of science and scientists.
- Reflect on their own mindset (i.e. attitudes, believes, values, etc.) toward science.
- Effectively communicate their views on ideas formed during the module (e.g. on how science works, its place in our society, what affects the trustworthiness of scientists, etc.)
- Draw upon, and integrate, relevant ideas from science, philosophy of science, history of science, policy, education and communications studies.
Indicative Module Content:
Over the module, students will explore questions such as:
1. What is science? How does it work and what differentiates it from other ways of knowing/generating-knowledge? Is scientific knowledge superior to other forms of knowledge? Is science something humans invented or would it exist regardless?
2. What is the relationship between science and society? Will science alone solve our great societal challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss or inequality?
3. Who does science? Where is it done, who pays for it, and who benefits? Is ‘tech’ science? Where did STEM come from?
4. Do we trust science and what might make a scientific expert trustworthy or not? How have scientific scandals and controversies affected our public trust in science? We will explore:
I. how scientists were hired by tobacco companies to seed doubt around links to cancer and how many of the same scientists were subsequently hired to seed doubt on climate change.
II. how state-level homophobia delayed research into AIDS/HIV care and how activism from the affected community was needed to get the science started.
III. how mask wearing during covid became a political wedge issue.
IV. how mRNA covid vaccines were kept in western countries.
V. The #FreeBritneySpears movement and the light it shines on how our societies care for people with mental health difficulties. We talk about the role of science in removing peoples’ liberty.
VI. the importance of indigenous knowledge in understanding the impact of climate change.
5. How do conspiracy theories, ‘alt facts’, fake news and cancel-culture affect science?
6. How should science be taught in schools and university? How might public engagement with science be more effective? What role should scientific experts play in policy and decision making (e.g. were governments right to devolve power to scientists during COVID?)