Whether seen as boosting productivity and health, hazarding the destruction of social relations, or quietly constituting the most mundane contours of our lives; science and technology exert inordinate force in shaping the social and material worlds we inhabit and our intimate senses of ourselves. This course interrogates this state of affairs by tracking not only the social impacts of technoscientific interventions but the by demonstrating the social relations, imaginaries, and practices that constitute technoscience itself. Students will be introduced to anthropological and related approaches for studying the ways in which scientific knowledge is created, disseminated, and evaluated. How are unruly aspects of the world moulded in experimental practice? How do findings in laboratories become stable foundations for scientific truths? How might we approach these questions in our so-called post-truth present? We take up these general concerns through the investigation of different sites of technoscientific intervention such as bodies, environments, species, natures, technical artifacts among others. Across these we will develop frameworks for understanding how technoscience creates knowledge about, intervenes in and transforms our contemporary world.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- understand and articulate different approaches to the social construction of scientific knowledge;
- critically engage with scholarly texts and diverse arguments within the field of anthropology of science and technology;
- evaluate and discuss the rhetoric, value, and assumptions of scientific representations in constructive and collaborative ways;
- work productively in groups and across disciplinary lines; and
- communicate complex social scientific concepts in multiple mediums (eg. presentation, written report).
Indicative Assessment
- Response Essays: Three 500 word response essays (1,500 words total) identifying difficult or interesting passages in the weekly readings (25) [LO 1,2,3]
- Case Study Presentation: In your workshop groups you will present a 10 minute case study linking the concepts in the class readings to a different phenomena (25) [LO 1,2,4,5]
- Experimentation Project: Present with your group on your term-long project (20 minute presentation) and 1,500-word final report (additional 500 words per co-author) (50) [LO 1,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 contact hours over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lecture, 12 hours of tutorial, and
b) 94 hours of student research, reading, and writing
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
This course will rely on articles and book chapters which will be made accessible through the ANU library.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $4320 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $5580 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3869 | 17 Feb 2025 | 24 Feb 2025 | 31 Mar 2025 | 23 May 2025 | In Person | View |