Description: This PhD course is intended for students conducting research that requires the systematic study of: knowledge production and use; and technological design, production and use. To support this type of study the course will provide students with a state of the art overview of the most important theoretical developments and analytical tools from the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS).

Objectives
At the end of this course the students would be able to:
1. Explain how their own project and ideas relate to state of the art discussions in STS theories (SCOT; ANT; Situated Analysis; Practice Theory; User Studies; Engineering Studies)
2. Explain the principal issues addressed in STS.
3. Explore how STS theories and tools can serve their PhD projects.

Activity timeline:

Students should:

1. Enrol in the course by 31 March 2015 at https://phd.moodle.aau.dk/login/
2. Deliver a one-page description of their project by 10 of April 2015. Please be clear about what are the questions of your research project and in what ways you imagine that the transitions theories might be supportive.
3. Deliver by the 15th of May 2015 a three-page analysis of how their project relates to the course. In what ways does the literature help the project? In what ways does the project serves as a basis to criticize the literature?
4. Make a presentation during the course in order to get feedback from the teachers. The aim of the presentation is that students test their ideas of how the theories of transitions might be supportive of their project. (This is optional but strongly recommended)
5. Deliver by the 15th of August 2015 a 10 page paper with the full elaboration of their ideas. Ideally this exercise should support the students’ progress in their PhD either by advancing her state of the art review, a chapter, an article or any kind of structured idea.

In short:
Deadline for enrolment: 31 March 2015
Deadline for project paper: 10 of April 2015
Preparatory reading and writing: 1 April – 15 May 2015
Deadline for preliminary analysis: 15 May 2015
Meetings: 2-4 June 2015 (3 full days)
Delivery of a 10 page paper: 15 August 2015

Readings

Bijker, W. E., Hughes, T. P., Pinch, T., & Douglas, D. G. (2012). The social construction of technological systems: New directions in the sociology and history of technology. MIT press.

Clarke, A. (Ed.). (2005). Situational analysis: Grounded theory after the postmodern turn. Sage.

Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the social-an introduction to actor-network-theory. Reassembling the Social-An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory

Law, J. (2004). After method: Mess in social science research. Psychology Press.

Oudshoorn, N. E. J., & Pinch, T. J. (2003). How users and non-users matter.

Schatzki, T. R., Knorr-Cetina, K., & von Savigny, E. (Eds.). (2001). The practice turn in contemporary theory. Psychology Press.

Sismondo, S. (2011). An introduction to science and technology studies. John Wiley & Sons.

Organizer: Andrés Valderrama, Ulrik Jørgensen, from PLAN and Torben Elgaard Jensen, from LEARNING

Lecturers: Andrés Valderrama, Erik Lauridsen, Susse Georg and Ulrik Jørgensen, from PLAN

ECTS: 5

Time: 2-4 June, 2015

Place: Aalborg University, Copenhagen, A.C. Meyers Vænge 15, room ACM15 2.1.043.

Zip code: 2450

City: Copenhagen

Number of seats: 25

Deadline: 31 March, 2015