Debating Science: Legitimacy, Authority, and Knowledge

Undergraduate / Graduate

How can we tell what counts as science? That is, how does science make itself legible as science? Are the social sciences "as scientific" as the natural sciences? By concerning itself with practices of legitimation, this course introduces students to the social study of science and linguistic anthropological theory. Students will consider the sociopolitical dimensions of scientific activity through a theoretical lens which takes language use as a form of social action. They will consider concepts such as reliability, reproducibility, and objectivity. Case studies will likely include climate change skepticism, education research, and neurodiversity. Students will end the quarter by writing and presenting on a current or historical topic of "scientific" debate, that is, debate on the scientific status of a field or claim.C