Science, Technology, and Society: A Sociological Approach

Science, Technology, and Society: A Sociological Approach is a comprehensive guide to the emergent field of science, technology, and society studies and its implications for today s culture and society. Written in an accessible style, and designed especially for students, the book emphasizes the sociological sciences as the foundation for STS studies. It opens with a discussion of current STS topics, research tools, and theories, and tackles some of the most urgent issues on the STS agenda: power and culture, race, gender, colonialism, the internet, cyborgs and robots, and biotechnology.

Case studies highlight particular ideas and their practical application. A glossary and further reading suggestions complete Science, Technology, and Society, making it an indispensable introduction to a controversial area of inquiry.

PrefaceP.

Introduction Introduction.

Our Premises and Our Approach / Nuts and Bolts and the Systems that Tighten Them / Conclusion.

2 Cultures of Science.

Birth of a Fact / Society and Culture / Worldviews / The Social Construction Conjecture / Feminism and Science Studies / Technology in Motion / Pre–Scientific: You Or Me? / Mind and Society / What Can Sociologists Say About Mathematics? / Conclusion.

3 The Dance of Truth.

Science and Technology as Social Institutions / The Dance of Magic, Science, and Religion / What Is Truth? / Dangerous Icons: From Magic and Religion to Science and Law / Conclusion.

4 STS and Power in the Postmodern World.

Technology and Society / Power, Values, and Agency / Cyborgs, Humans, and Technology / Contemporary Society: Globalization Or Bust? / Metaphors, Narratives, and Glocal Cultures / Conclusion: Technoscience and Globalizations.

5 Life after Science and Technology Studies.

Technoscience Revisited / Case Study: the New Reproductive Technologies / Case Study: Robots, Minds, and Society / Frontiers and Horizons / Conclusion: Where We Have to Stand in Order to Begin.

Glossary.

References.

Name Index.

Subject Index

Wenda K. Bauchspies is Assistant Professor of Science, Technology, and Society and Women s Studies in the STS Program at Pennsylvania State University.

Jennifer Croissant is Associate Professor in the Department of Women s Studies at the University of Arizona.

Sal Restivo is Professor of Sociology and Science Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is co–editor of Math Worlds: Philosophical and Social Studies of Mathematics (1992) and author of Science, Society, and Values: Toward a Sociology of Objectivity (1994).

In clear and understandable language, this introduction to STS brings home the point that science and technology are social constructions by human communities. Its applications range from science s border with religion, to cyborgs, robots, and new reproductive technologies. Students will quickly turn on to what STS is all about. Randall Collins, University of Pennsylvania

Amidst the science wars this book reads as a peace treaty: skillfully navigating between the sirens of absolutism and relativism, the authors lead the reader into the land of technoscience." Jean Paul Van Bendegem, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

recommend[ed] for its robust and engaging argument, political concerns and ambitions, and challenge to readers to explore their own beliefs and experiment with new visions.
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