Sociology – Science, Technology, and Society
Questions for tutorial readings
(The purpose of these questions is to serve as reading guides which should help you make sense of the material. They are not necessarily at the centre of what will be discussed in class)
Tutorial 1, Part 1
Reading: Bridgstock, Martin 1998: “The Scientific Community”, in: Martin Bridgstock et al. Science, Technology and Society. An Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 15-39
Questions:
(1) What makes academic science “strange”?
(2) How is science internally organized?
(3) What distinguishes university-based science from that conducted in business organizations and by government agencies?
Please note: This reading was chosen because its discussion of the different forms of science is clear, exemplary, and easily accessible. The data it presents are dated, but not our concern here.
Tutorial 1, Part 2
Reading: Foster, Jacob G. et al. 2015: “Tradition and Innovation in Scientists’ Research Strategies”, American Sociological Review 80: 875-908
[Note: For the purpose of our discussions, you may ignore pages 882-889]
Questions:
(1) Of the myriad of problems worth subjecting to scientific scrutiny, which ones get chosen? What determines scientist’s choice of research questions, and for what reasons?
(2) Is science overly “conservative”? If yes, what does conservatism in science mean? Is it good or bad for science?
(3) What tension exists between tradition and innovation in science? Why do most scientists opt for tradition rather than innovation? And if that were a problem, is there something that could be done about it?
Self-Notes:
-“Mertonian Perspective” vs. “Constructivist Perspective”?
-Academic scholars always need innovation in doing research (at least a bit – e.g. 90% tradition + 10% innovation), or else they are not allowed to publish their articles
