Summer 2016 - SA 365 D100
Selected Regional Areas (A) (4)
Class Number: 3690
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
May 9 – Jun 20, 2016: Mon, Wed, 9:30 a.m.–1:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Michael Hathaway
mjh6@sfu.ca
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Prerequisites:
SA 101 or 150 or 201W.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
An examination of selected aspects of the social structure, culture and the processes of social change in varying regional areas. The focus will vary from semester to semester.
COURSE DETAILS:
Science in Asia: Transnationalism, Gender, and History
Many of us are taught that science is universal and "culture-free." We are told that it doesn't matter who creates and uses science, that its methods allow anyone in anyplace to know what is and what is not scientifically true. This course challenges those precepts, by looking at science as a cultural formation. We will examine the relationship of place, gender and history in questions of what science has been, is now, and will be in the future. Specifically, we will look at the question of science in Asia, both historically and in the contemporary period. We will ask what might an "Asian Science" look like? How does a post-colonial context change the way that science is imagined and practiced? When did "science" emerge, and what makes it similar or different from other forms of knowledge? This class will examine academic and popular articles, as well as films and web clips to push us to look at current debates about science in the news, such as questions about HIV/AIDS testing, genetic cloning and stem-cell research. We will explore some of the broader issues in science studies scholarship, exploring the gendered dynamics in scientific labor and how scientists' assumptions about reality shape their interests and experiments. The course will look at how physicists in Japan and the US approach their work and carry out their research, as well as ongoing debates about the role of Asia in questions about "Universal" or "Western" science. Students will write a research paper on a topic of their choice. The class will be conducted as an intensive seminar, with active student participation.Grading
- Seminar participation 20%
- Seminar facilitation 20%
- Mid-term 20%
- Term paper 40%
NOTES:
Where a final exam is scheduled and you do not write the exam or withdraw from the course before the deadline date, you will be assigned an N grade. Unless otherwise specified on the course outline, all other graded assignments in this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned.
REQUIREMENTS:
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T 20.01) and academic dishonesty and misconduct procedures (S10.01‐ S10.04). Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style. It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website: http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student.html.
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Sismondo, S. An Introduction to Science and Technology Studies. London: Blackwell Publishers. 2009.
ISBN: 978-1-4051-8765-7
Sharon Traweek. Beamtimes and Lifetimes: The World of High Energy Physicists. Harvard University Press. 1992.
ISBN: 978-0674063488
A collection of articles will be available in the Bennett Library.
Registrar Notes:
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site contains information on what is meant by academic dishonesty and where you can find resources to help with your studies. There is also a section on tutoring.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS