Teaching and Learning about Science and Society

'Science, Technology, and Society' - STS - has become a major educational theme. There are many courses in schools, universities and other institutions, dealing with all sorts of topics such as the history of science, energy policy, industrial innovation, technology assessment, Third World development, scientific method, and so on. But what is this subject really about? Why should it be taught? Who should study it? What should they learn? How should the subject be approached? Who should teach it? These questions are being asked by both teachers and students in many fields of science, engineering, medicine, social studies, and the humanities. This informal account of the rationale of STS education shows how many diverse factors are involved - the philosophy and sociology of science and education, social and cultural objectives, political ideologies, vocational needs, scholarly standards, institutional capabilities, etc., not to mention the practical realities of teaching and learning at all levels.

Science & Math

Ziman, John M.

History & Philosophy

Cambridge University Press

In this 1976 volume, Professor Ziman paints a broad picture of science, and of its relations to the world in general. He sets the scene by the historical development of scientific research as a profession, the growth of scientific technologies out of the useful arts, the sources of invention and technical innovation, and the advent of Big Science. He then discusses the economics of research and development, the connections between science and war, the nature of science policy and the moral dilemmas of social responsibility in science. Each topic is introduced by reference to easily understandable particular examples, with a large number of illustrations chosen to bring out the concreteness and reality of science as a human activity. Professor Ziman gives a chapter-by-chapter list of suggested topics for oral and written discussion, intended to provoke critical, sceptical attitudes to simplified solutions to real issues, and comments briefly on relevant books and other sources.

The Force of Knowledge

Politics & Social Sciences

Sociology

Philosophical puzzles, political problems, ethical enigmas - science has them all. Do some theories stink? Is research a gentlemanly art or a tough professional game? What happens to scientists who go gaga? Can scientific knowledge be treated as a commercial commodity? How can research be made relevant to national development? Is war good for physics? What should scientists do about Soviet dissidents? How does information become knowledge? Why bother about examinations? These and many other topics on the human side of science are discussed in this wide-ranging book, originally published in 1981. As an experienced theoretical physicist, Professor Ziman speaks about science from the inside. As a long-time advocate of social responsibility in science, technology and education, he looks critically into science from the outside. He exposes for the layman, with wit and nerve, some of the most challenging issues of the time.

Puzzles, Problems, and Enigmas: Occasional Pieces on the Human Aspects of Science

Technology

Why believe in the findings of science? John Ziman argues that scientific knowledge is not uniformly reliable, but rather like a map representing a country we cannot visit. He shows how science has many elements, including alongside its experiments and formulae the language and logic, patterns and preconceptions, facts and fantasies used to illustrate and express its findings. These elements are variously combined by scientists in their explanations of the material world as it lies outside our everyday experience. John Ziman's book offers at once a valuably clear account and a radically challenging investigation of the credibility of scientific knowledge, searching widely across a range of disciplines for evidence about the perceptions, paradigms and analogies on which all our understanding depends.

Reliable Knowledge: An Exploration of the Grounds for Belief in Science (Canto original series)

Philosophy

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Psychology & Counseling

Professor Ziman provides a coherent account of the different perspectives on science and technology that are normally studied under various disciplinary heads such as philosophy of science, sociology of science, and science policy. It is intended for students embarking on courses in these subjects and assumes no special knowledge of any science. It is written in a direct and simple style, and technical language is seldom introduced. It will appeal to students in a wide range of scientific disciplines and complements Professor Ziman's earlier books.

An Introduction to Science Studies: The Philosophical and Social Aspects of Science and Technology

In this book, originally published in 1987, John Ziman seeks the answers to crucial questions facing scientists who need to change the direction of their careers. A research scientist takes years to acquire specialized knowledge and skills. A whole career may then be spent as an expert in a very narrow field. But new discoveries and new social demands bring rapid change to science and technology. Is it really so difficult for scientists to move into new fields of research mid-career? How are their attitudes to change affected by their education, their research experience, their conditions of employment and their personal ambitions? How can they be helped through such periods and re-deployed for further useful scientific work? This book was written primarily for working scientists and their employers, in the language they would themselves use about their personal experiences and motives. For the non-scientist it provides many vivid glimpses of science as a career, and at the same time opens up a fresh area of the sociology of science, of social psychology and of management studies.

Knowing Everything about Nothing: Specialization and Change in Research Careers

Professor Ziman provides a coherent account of the different perspectives on science and technology that are normally studied under various disciplinary heads such as philosophy of science, sociology of science, and science policy. It is intended for students embarking on courses in these subjects and assumes no special knowledge of any science. It is written in a direct and simple style, and technical language is seldom introduced. It will appeal to students in a wide range of scientific disciplines and complements Professor Ziman's earlier books.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ziman, John M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Ziman, John M.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ziman, John M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Teaching and Learning about Science and Society

The Force of Knowledge

Puzzles, Problems, and Enigmas: Occasional Pieces on the Human Aspects of Science

The Force of Knowledge

Reliable Knowledge: An Exploration of the Grounds for Belief in Science (Canto original series)

Teaching and Learning about Science and Society

Puzzles, Problems, and Enigmas: Occasional Pieces on the Human Aspects of Science

An Introduction to Science Studies: The Philosophical and Social Aspects of Science and Technology

Knowing Everything about Nothing: Specialization and Change in Research Careers

An Introduction to Science Studies: The Philosophical and Social Aspects of Science and Technology