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Description
Why are the findings of some scientific studies suppressed by companies? Who should make decisions about how to tackle a new infectious disease like Covid-19, or about the safety of a new technology like self-driving cars? Why do nations choose to spend such large sums of money on fundamental science such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN?
This module explores the relationships between science, technology and democracy, and the changing role of the State in science and technology (S&T) in our societies. The Covid-19 crisis and responses to it illustrate how crucial these relationships are. We will explore key science and technology policy issues and look at wider challenges, such as efforts to improve public engagement in decisions about science and technology, initiatives to encourage more responsible research and innovation, and debates about the apparent rise in fraud and misconduct in science and concerns on the part of some scientists that many published scientific findings may be false.
The issues explored in this module are critical to citizenship in a modern science and technology-based democracy. On successful completion of this course module, students will have demonstrated a raised awareness of the crucial place of science and technology in modern society and of the associated governance challenges. These challenges are fundamental not only to public policy makers but also to private firms and non-profit organisations.
This module provides insights that will be helpful for future careers in research management, public policy, science communication/public engagement, and science diplomacy.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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