314211 Communication system of science (S) (SoSe 2021)

The communication system of science, that is the system of communication that circulated research and new findings within the scientific communitys, is by no means a monolithic entity but organized in a discipline specific manner. There are various ways on how scientists communicate their research, the gate keeper function is institutionalized, different types of publication that are used and the way in which the underlying technical is applied. In addition, the communication system has been subject to remarkable changes, also following particular discipline specific patterns and pathways. Aim of the seminar is to develop an understanding about the similarities and differences of the communication system of science and its development and how they relate to epistemic qualities of different fields.

Modus operandi

The seminar is project oriented. Besides mandatory readings that introduces to different aspects of the communication system of science it is expected that each participant picks a discipline she is interested in. It is used throughout the seminar as an example that is empirically investigated under the perspectives offered by the readings. The results of the investigations will be presented and compared in the seminar. Therefore, the seminar shifts back and forth from reading to operationalization and empirical investigation, to presentation and comparison of results.

The seminar will be held synchronously via Zoom:
https://uni-bielefeld.zoom.us/j/99619705972?pwd=RHRiTG9sN0J2VnQvblhHRzltSTBqZz09

Requirements for participation, required level

Course requirements

It is expected that participants read the mandatory literature (7 texts during the whole seminar), investigate aspects of the communication system of the selected discipline and give six 3-5 minutes presentations of the results. Graded essays (based on the empirical investigations) are both possible and welcome but not mandatory.