science studies

The latest in the Science Communication Consortium series... The Science Communication Consortium presents: Science and Congress: The Role of Think Tanks and Congressional Science Committees Thursday, April 24, 2008 7:00-8:30pm CUNY - 365 Fifth Avenue, NY NY (directions below) Recent years have seen a rise in prominence of legislative issues that control how scientists work or that require scientific information for decision making. How do legislators receive this information, and what are the potential effects of distortion or misunderstanding of it on science in the United States? Join us…

Starting in the 1970s, historians, sociologists, and anthropologists began to apply their methods and theories to understanding the processes and assumptions that shape the production of scientific knowledge and technology. These scholars argued that science does not stand apart from society as a collection of objective facts and theories, but is influenced by institutions, social norms, ideology, and even the laboratory technology that is used to observe nature. This new field of science studies offered important insight into the practice and craft of doing science while providing valuable…