VIKMA08 Science and Technology Studies

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2009
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Michal Lorenz, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. PaedDr. Zdeněk Konopásek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. PhDr. Ivana Holzbachová, CSc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Ing. Zdeněk Kadlec, Dr.
Division of Information and Library Studies – Department of Czech Literature – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Iva Dušová
Timetable
Fri 11:40–13:15 zruseno C21
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Subject deals with science as a problem and as such it needs to be systematically treated by scientific methods. The course introduces definition of science and presents relations with its methodology, historical origin of science, its philosophical roots, crossovers and actual problems. It deals as well with political facets including gender facets and draw the attention to social embedding of science. At the end students will get acquainted with chosen tools and sources which are used in scientometry and with new methods and practices which allow them to analyse and evaluate scientific performance.
Syllabus
  • 1. Definition of Science, origin of science, non-representational iconography, celestial models and infancy of scientific thinking, development of scientific technology, emergence of scientific journals and laboratories, communication in science, beginning of measurement of science.
  • 2. Emergence of philosophy of science, definition of science, conception of science in antiquity and medieval, early-modern conception of science.
  • 3. Positivistic conception of science, irrationalism, crisis of confidence in science and neopositivistic reactions to the crisis, K. R. Popper, historical school of the development of science.
  • 4. Historical forming of sociological studies of science and technology, basic attitudes of today science sociologist and its related misunderstanding, constructivism.
  • 5. Argumentation framework of feministic critique – roles of women in science, domination of men over research themes determination, methods a production of knowledge, barrier of enforcement and involvement of women in science, current critique of science and proposals of its solutions in feministic theories – challenge of science nub, basic principles, rationality, objectivity and value neutrality, processes of knowledge production.
  • 6. Fundamental problems of scientometry, course of current development in scientometry, new methods and indicators, tools of scientometry – Scopus, web of Science, portals and databases of bibliometrics, scientometrics and further analysis findings, reference managers.
  • 7. Information explosion, grow of science, intelligence and science, invisible colleague, little x big science, changes in structure of science.
Literature
  • Harding, Sandra. Women as Creators of Knowledge: „New Environments“. American Behavioral Scientist, 1989, Vol. 32: No. 6, p. 700-707.
  • Harding, Sandra. After the Neutrality Ideal: Science, Politics, and „Strong Objectivity“. Social Research, 1992, Vol. 59, No. 3, p. 567-587.
  •  PRICE, Derek de Solla. Little science, big science. 2nd ed. New York : Columbia University Press, 1963. 118 p.
  • Latour, Bruno. Když věci vracejí úder: Co mohou sociálním vědám přinést "vědní studia". Biograf, 2002, č. 29, str. 3-20.
  •  KOYRÉ, Alexandre. Od uzavřeného světa k nekonečnému vesmíru. 1. vyd. Praha : Vyšehrad, 2004. 261 s. ISBN: 80-7021-586-0.
  • LATOUR, Bruno. Poznání a vizualizace aneb jak myslet očima a rukama. Teorie vědy, 2008, roč. 30, č. 2, str. 33-90. ISSN 1210-0250
  • Haraway, Donna. Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Priviledge of Partial Perspective. Feminist Studies, 1988, Vol. 14, No. 3, p. 575-599.
  • Rossiter, W. Margaret. The Matthew Matilda Effect in Science. Social Studies of Science, 1993, Vol. 23, No. 2, p. 325-341.
  • ŠMAJS, Josef. K funkci obyčejného a vědeckého poznání (On the function of common and scientific knowledge). In Studia Philosophica. B54. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2007, p. 91-102. ISBN 978-80-210-4384-8. info
  • BURKE, Peter. Společnost a vědění. Translated by Martin Pokorný. 1. české vyd. Praha: Univerzita Karlova v Praze, nakladatelství Karolinum, 2007, 304 s. ISBN 9788024613192. info
  • FAJKUS, Břetislav. Filosofie a metodologie vědy : vývoj, současnost a perspektivy. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2005, 339 s. ISBN 8020013040. info
  • LATOUR, Bruno. Nikdy sme neboli moderní :esej o symetrickej antropológii. 1. vyd. Bratislava: Kalligram, 2003, 197 s. ISBN 80-7149-595-6. info
  • FEYERABEND, Paul. Rozprava proti metodě. Praha: Aurora, 2001, 431 pp. ISBN 80-7299-047-0. info
  • HOLZBACHOVÁ, Ivana. Filozofické a metodologické problémy vědy (Philosophical and Methodological Problems of Science). Vydání 2. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2000, 135 pp. ISBN 80-210-2394-5. info
  • LATOUR, Bruno. Pandora's hope : essays on the reality of science studies. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1999, x, 324 s. ISBN 0-674-65336-X. info
  • Struktura vědeckých revolucí. Edited by Thomas S. Kuhn. 1. vyd. Praha: OIKOYMENH, 1997, 206 s. ISBN 80-86005-54-2. info
  • PRICE, Derek de Solla. Science since Babylon. 1st enlarged ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1978, xi, 215 s. ISBN 0-300-01798-7. info
Assessment methods
Educational methods:
- Lectures
- Discussions
- Tutorials
- Videorecordings
- Reading


Requests to undergo:
- Written examination evaluated according reached score
- Examination demonstrates degree of insight into the concepts and familiarity with literature
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2005, Spring 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2009, recent)
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