Program on Science, Technology and Society at Harvard

More Than Yard Signs: A J-Term Crash Course in Science, Technology and Society

January 21-23, 2026, 10:00am-4:00pm
HUCE Room 429

Abstract

This J-term workshop brings together students from across the University to explore the interplay between knowledge, expertise, and democratic decision-making. It addresses how questions of power, policy, law, and politics play out in tandem with scientific and technological developments. Sessions introduce foundational concepts from the discipline of Science and Technology Studies (STS) to analyze the institutional and political authority of science and technology in contemporary societies.  Over three days, we will explore how societies can seek to construct reliable forms of knowledge in an era plagued by skepticism, distrust of authority, and political polarization. Post-Enlightenment, societies counted on science and technology to provide democratically acceptable justifications for  policy decisions. The complexities of contemporary social problems motivated widespread delegations of power to experts. Yet the same sciences and technologies have increasingly come to be perceived as “the problem” rather than “the solution.” For example, as modern technologies have decentralized information provision more than ever before, expert claims have become increasingly contested. Rifts concerning facts accompany growing political polarization, especially in the United States.  To make sense of contemporary frictions and future avenues for democratic governance, participants will work together to discuss a set of readings, current controversies from recent news articles, and each other’s research-in-progress. No prior experience in STS required.