SOCG 309 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND PUBLIC POLICY

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1 Instructor: Hiro Saito Office: SOSS Office Hours: COURSE DESCRIPTION SOCG 309 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND PUBLIC POLICY Advances in science and technology pose critical problems to the mechanisms of policymaking through which we collectively govern our lives. How do we integrate available scientific knowledge and technological innovations with moral values, economic interests, and political calculations held by different stakeholders? What roles do scientific experts play in policy debates vis-à-vis politicians, bureaucrats, and citizens? Can we reconcile esoteric scientific expertise with broad citizen participation to create more robust governance? To explore these questions, we will examine major sociological theories and concepts pertaining to the relationship among science, technology, and public policy. We will then explore real-life implications of these theories and concepts in light of ongoing policy debates on energy, environment, and urban planning, among other topics. COURSE OBJECTIVES By the end of this course, you will be able to critically analyze processes of policymaking in highly technical domains pertaining to science and technology. To this end, you will learn major theories in science and technology studies (STS), conduct independent research on a policy issue that you are interested in, and write up a research paper. ASSESSMENT METHODS Attendance & Participation 10% Critical Response Paper 20% Group/Individual Presentation 20% Term Paper 30% Final Examination 20% Attendance & Participation By attending every class session, you will automatically earn attendance and participation points. I have adopted this arrangement because we will have a small-group discussion in every class session. Nonetheless, at the end of the term, I will give extra points to outstanding students who regularly contributed thoughtful comments and questions to class discussion. 1

2 To contribute to class discussion, come to every class with at least one question or comment on the assigned readings. If you still have questions after class or want to share your thoughts with your fellow students, post them on the elearn discussion page. With proper documentation (e.g., regarding your medical conditions, family situations), an arrangement will be made for you to make up your absence. Critical Response Paper (6 pages, doubled spaced, Times New Roman 12, and 2.54 cm margin) Pick three readings from the syllabus. Then, write a critique on each of the three readings by including the following two elements: (1) Problem: you state what is problematic about the theorist s argument; for example, a logical contradiction, conceptual inadequacy, or empirical implausibility can be a defined as a problem. Articulate the problematic as precisely as possible by using direct quotes; (2) Solution: you propose and elaborate a solution to the stated problem. What would be the most effective way to solve the stated problem? How does your solution improve or extend the theorist s argument? Be as specific as possible. I will give you more detailed instructions (e.g., assessment criteria) as the deadlines approach. Group/Individual Presentation If the class size is relatively small, each student will present his/her ongoing research for the term paper (see below). If the class size is big, students will be grouped according to their research topics and give group presentations. Term Paper (10 pages, doubled spaced, Times New Roman 12, and 2.54 cm margin) You will pick one policy domain (e.g., public health, housing, transportation) and conduct research on existing mechanisms for citizen participation in the domain in the context of Singapore. Analyze the mechanisms by using some of the theories covered in the course and recommend how to improve the mechanisms. Final Examination (3 hours, 3 pages, doubled spaced, Times New Roman 12, and 2.54 cm margin) This will be an open-book essay examination. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY See Codes of Academic Integrity ( available at the web site of SMU Student Council of Discipline ( The web site also explains disciplinary procedures for violations of academic integrity. ACCOMMODATIONS 2

3 If you need academic adjustments or accommodations because of a documented disability, please speak with me as soon as possible, so that we can make necessary arrangements to assist your learning. INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS My instructional style is interactive. While I give a short lecture on assigned readings at the beginning of each class, I expect students to inject their questions and share their reactions publicly. When we have a small-group discussion to develop our own thinking based on assigned readings, I expect students to actively and respectfully engage with one another. In short, your learning is facilitated by two intersecting sets of interactions (1) between you (student) and me (instructor) and (2) amongst yourselves. READINGS Required: Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams The Craft of Research, 3 rd edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. All the other assigned readings are available at the course web site. COURSE SCHEDULE Week 1: Introduction Jürgen Habermas The Scientization of Politics and Public Opinion. Pp in Toward a Rational Society: Student Protest, Science, and Politics. Ho Khai Leong Citizen Participation and Policy-Making. Pp in Shared Responsibilities, Unshared Power: The Politics of Policy-Making in Singapore Week 2: Science and Politics I Sheila Jasanoff et al Science and Decisionmaking. Pp in Human Choice and Climate Change: An International Assessment, edited by Steve Rayner and Elizabeth L. Malone. Week 3: Science and Politics II Michel Callon, Pierre Lascoumes, and Yannick Barthe In Search of a Common World. Pp in Acting in an Uncertain World: An Essay on Technical Democracy. Matthijs Hisschemöller. Participation as Knowledge Production and the Limits of Democracy. 3

4 Pp in Democratization of Expertise? Exploring Novel Forms of Scientific Advice in Political Decision-Making, edited by Sabine Massen and Peter Weingart. Week 4: Experts and Citizens I E. Summerson Carr Enactments of Expertise. Annual Review of Anthropology 39: Stephen Turner The Last Inequality. Pp in Liberal Democracy 3.0: Civil Society in an Age of Experts. Sheila Jasanoff (No?) Accounting for Expertise. Science and Public Policy 30(3): Week 5: Experts and Citizens II Brian Wynne Creating Public Alienation: Expert Cultures of Risk and Ethics on GMOs. Science as Culture 10(4): Steven Epstein The Construction of Lay Expertise: AIDS Activism and the Forging of Credibility in the Reform of Clinical Trials. Science, Technology, and Human Values 20(4): Shobita Parthasarathy Breaking the Expertise Barrier: Understanding Activist Strategies in Science and Technology Policy Domains. Science and Public Policy 37(5): Week 6: Democratization of Expertise? Daniel Lee Kleinman Democratization of Science and Technology. Pp in Science, Technology, and Democracy, edited by Daniel Lee Kleinman. David J. Hess To Tell the Truth: On Scientific Counterpublics. Public Understanding of Science 20(5): Sheila Jasanoff Technologies of Humility: Citizen Participation in Governing Science. Minerva 41: Week 7: How to Write a Research Paper [Presentation by a Librarian] Selected chapters from Wayne Booth et al. The Craft of Research. Week 8: Recess [No Class] Week 9: Energy and Environment Policy [Screening of The 4 th Revolution: Energy Autonomy (83 minutes)] 4

5 Greenpeace Decentralising Power: An Energy Revolution for the 21 st Century: Week 10: Urban Planning Emily Soh and Belinda Yuen Government-aided Participation in Planning Singapore. Cities 23(1): Urban Redevelopment Authority A High Quality Living Environment for All Singaporeans: Land Use Plan to Support Singapore s Future Population: Week 11: The Role of Social Science in Policymaking Harry Collins and Robert Evans Science, the Citizen, and the Role of Social Science. Pp in Rethinking Expertise. Bruno Latour When Things Strike Back: A Possible Contribution of Science Studies to the Social Sciences. British Journal of Sociology 51(1): Michael Burawoy For Public Sociology. American Sociological Review 70(1): Week 12: Group/Individual Presentation Week 13: Group/Individual Presentation Week 14: Revision [No Class] Week 15: Final Examination 5