6 ECTS credits
180 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 1021478ANR for all students in the 1st semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.
This course focuses on the development, use and role of knowledge in society, whereby the concept of "knowledge" is to be understood in a broad form, but where the emphasis is on "scientific knowledge". Evolution and use of knowledge are placed within their historical context; this means that the major historical evolutions and transformations of the past two millennia are extensively considered. The present cannot be understood without knowledge of the past, but the emphasis is on the 20th and 21st centuries. The following aspects are covered:
- the production of past and present knowledge (how, which forms, which knowledge systems, linked to which social groups);
- status and use of different forms of knowledge (by whom is 'knowledge' generated, in what way 'accepted' and perceived by which groups / systems, and why? what is 'knowledge'?);
- a critical approach to the concepts "knowledge society" and "knowledge economy" (what? what not? perception? (mis) use of concepts and context? ....);
- special attention to the specificity of "scientific knowledge" - contrasting the various scientific revolutions, development, status, use (or not using it) with other forms of "knowledge"; science and scientific research, the place and role of research in contemporary society and the social expectations placed on scientific research;
- additional phenomena being studied are: the development of educational institutions and universities (as places where knowledge / scientific knowledge is produced and communicated); the new challenges for the academic world from the perspective of major social issues; the development of forms of communication (book, writing, media, internet) and the critical handling of means of communication and sources in general.
Specific attention is paid to the so-called "science’s crisis", in which, among other things, the following aspects are addressed: the issue of quantitative research and non-reproducible research, cooperation with companies and social actors and the associated problems; publication pressure; scientific research and new ideas; scientific research and major social themes (climate, health, food); science and fraud; the overload of scientific research and how to deal with it; the search for ways to find 'correct' scientific knowledge via the internet, slow science and big science, ... These topics are elaborated on the basis of a few case studies, for example the climate debate.
There is no manual or syllabus. Slides, handouts and recommended literature are used. Authors that are discussed are: Funtowicz, Ravetz, Latour, Polanyi, Schumacher, Saltelli, Toulmin, Weber.
Learn to gain insight into the processes of knowledge use and knowledge production, to be able to place these in their historical context, and to reflect critically on this.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
The exam is oral, there are no separate tasks.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Adult Education: Profile Social Studies (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Adult Education: Profile Cultural Studies (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Adult Education: Abridged Profile Social Studies (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Adult Education: Initial track (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Adult Education: Abridged Profile Cultural Studies (only offered in Dutch)
Bridging Programme for Master of Science in Educational Sciences: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)
Schakelprogramma Master of Science in Educational Sciences: Exchange Ma Economics/Manageme (only offered in Dutch)