Science as social practice. An Introduction to Science Studies 

How do we understand “science”? What counts as scientific knowledge and why? What are the historical origins of modern science? How have new scientific disciplines emerged? How are sciences shaped by social contexts? This kind of questions stand in focus of the interdisciplinary field of “Science Studies” which examines the social, cultural and political aspects of knowledge production in science. The course introduces to approaches, concepts and methods of Science Studies for the natural sciences, putting a special focus on the physical sciences. The course is aimed at students of physics and other natural sciences. Interested students of the humanities and social sciences are also welcome.