Knowledge, Science, and Society

Undergraduate

The course explores the relationship between what individuals know and their participation in society, including as members of scientific communities. Topics may include: the ways communities rather than individuals can hold knowledge; how cognitive authority depends on a person's membership in, and social position in, society; the role of testimony in knowledge; how the legal system creates knowledge; the roles of gender, race, class, and culture in knowledge; and the ethical implications of knowledge. (Prerequisite: semester 3 or above standing.)