This course is a practical introduction to main issues in the sociology of knowledge, with a focus on how they apply to public debates on social topics in the present and how they can inform effective social media activism.
In the first part of the course we discuss on concrete examples issues such as objectivity, credibility, classification, and expertise and ask how (scientific) knowledge is produced, received, and challenged. Students write short mid-term reflections on two of these topics.
The second part of the course introduces theoretical approaches in the sociology on knowledge, from Marxism to poststructuralism. Students give short presentations of one of the texts and peer review each other’s work.
The third and final part explores how ideas from the sociology of knowledge have been mobilized in debates about gender inequality, mental health, globalization, and climate change in recent years. Students integrate previous assignments to write a social media post (blog, op-ed, etc.) about a social issue of their choice.
- Teacher: Adela Hincu