Teaching STS
Teaching is an important part of academic life. STS courses are thought to students with a great variety of disciplinary backgrounds, covering virtually all areas of natural and social sciences as well as engineering and the humanities. Those graduating from STS programmes pursue careers not only in academia, but also in the policy domain, public services and administration, as well as in the private sector. In this way, teaching is conceived as an opportunity to engage with the shaping of technology. By making engineering students reflexive about their occupation, teaching is framed as an instrument of enhancing responsibility in research and innovation. Yet, is this still the main function of STS courses, and will that remain the case in the near future? Given that STS as a discipline is itself evolving, do we see new challenges looming on the horizon that require changes in our teaching in order to reflect the discipline’s self-understanding and academic position?
We invite colleagues in the field to submit proposals in order to address topical issues regarding teaching STS. Session proposals should specify a thematic focus and suggest a suitable format (paper presentation, panel discussion, workshop, etc.) by which a chosen theme may be disused.