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Science and Activism
Wissenschaft und Aktivismus
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:35:41
Abstract
How political may or must science be? In view of the climate crisis and COVID-19, the relationship between politics and science is once again the topic of an intensiv public debate. The seminar offers a historical view on the current situation. The focus is on the 1970s and 1980s, when many of today's problems were already announced and negotiated.
Objective
The seminar focuses on the joint reading and discussion of original sources and secondary texts on the history of the relationship between politics, activism and science. The central working tool is the newly developed source collection "cache" (cache.ch). With this collection, students become acquainted with important stages of the "counter-knowledge" of the 1970s and 1980s, such as the establishment of alternative research institutes, communication platforms or international political networks. Through research on individual thematic complexes, but also on specific sources and actors, students develop the competence to work critically with original texts and research literature on the history of political activism. In doing so, they expand their knowledge both independently and in groups. In the second half of the seminar, the focus is on applying the knowledge gained in the seminar: The students write small (initially fictitious) blog posts and discuss them with each other. Selected contributions are published on entropie.ethz.ch and/or the blog of "cache".
Resources
Literature
Stadler, Max, Nils Güttler, Niki Rhyner, et. al. Gegen|Wissen. Zürich: intercom, 2020. cache.ch.
General Information
- Language
- German
- Levels
- DS , DR , MSC
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Registration & Places
- Max Places
- 60
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| seminar | Wissenschaft und Aktivismus |
|
28 h semesterly |
Offered In
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GESS Science in Perspective (Only the topics listed in this paragraph can be chosen as GESS Science in Perspective. Further below you will find the "type B courses Reflections about subject specific methods and content" as well as the language courses. 6 ECTS need to be acquired during the BA and 2 ECTS during the MA Students who already took a course within their main study program are NOT allowed to take the course again.)
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Type A: Enhancement of Reflection Competence (Suitable for all students. Students who already took a course within their main study program are NOT allowed to take the course again.)
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Type B: Reflection About Subject-Specific Methods and Contents (Subject-specific courses: Recommended for doctoral, master and bachelor students (after first-year examination only). Students who already took a course within their main study program are NOT allowed to take the course again. These course units are also listed under "Type A", which basically means all students can enroll)
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Doctoral Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences (More Information at: )