kricherson Says:
October 31st, 2011 at 2:44 pm edit

Coming from a science background, I had some difficulty with this section of Glaser and Strauss’ book. Again, perhaps because I know little about sociology or sociological theory, I was confused by some of their (seemingly foundational) assertions. They write that in comparative analysis, “[n]othing is disproved or debunked, despite that those who are overly concerned with evidence constantly believe” (22) and that the evidence theories are based on “…may not necessarily be accurate beyond a doubt…but the concept is undoubtedly a relevant theoretical abstraction about what is going on in the area studied” (23). Continue Reading Reading Responses: Coding

koverstreet Says:
October 17th, 2011 at 12:49 am edit

While reading Chapter 5 of Jenny Reardon’s Race to the Finish: Identity and Governance in an Age of Genomics, I was particularly intrigued by the debates over representation and informed consent/ choice. There are multiple senses of representation at work here that I’d like to draw out and perhaps we can have further discussion about them in class. The first sense of representation is reminiscent of the Latour piece we read in the spring, in which he critiques the view of science as “merely” recording the ontological reality of the world. Continue Reading Reading Responses: Interviewing

After last week’s discussion, I thought S&Jers might be interested in this Wired blog post on this PLoS Medicine paper highlighting the power of data in both reflecting and perpetuating racial inequality.

akargl Says:
October 10th, 2011 at 5:12 pm edit

I absolutely devoured these readings. I found it extremely useful for the stage I’m at with my project. Also, in commencing to create maps of my project, I appreciated Star & Bowker for, among other things, explicitly implicating the maps we’re about to make in the web of things the maps will organize. (I’m imagining some sort of M.C. Escher-inspired bubble embedding the whole map within itself.) Rather than discuss all that I found wonderfully useful (which I think just seems harder right now because I’m anxious to try stuff out), I want to draw out three areas I needed more help with:Continue Reading Reading Responses: Situational Mapping

Lisa Jean Moore, professor of sociology and gender studies at Purchase College, State University of New York, will deliver the second annual Peggy Downes Baskin Ethics Lecture on Wednesday, October 19.

The lecture will take place at 5:30 p.m. in UCSC’s Humanities 1 Building (room 210). Admission is free and open to the public. A reception will follow at 6:30 p.m.Continue Reading Of Interest: Lisa Jean Moore to present annual Baskin Ethics Lecture

Post your reading reflections for 10/5 in here.

akargl Says:
October 2nd, 2011 at 1:58 pm edit

Starting with Akrich (1992), I found the descriptions tracing the networks within which technical objects are embedded helpful for illustrating how to complicate object boundaries. Her theory overall, however, while posthumanist at first glance, maintains representationalist ontoepistemological stance with humans at the center. For me, the first hint of this came with her statement that, “the methodological problem is that if we want to describe the elementary mechanisms of adjustment, we have to find circumstances in which the inside and the outside of objects are not well matched” (207). This takes for granted that Continue Reading Science & Justice Methods, Week 2 Thread

Apropos of Jenny’s earlier post about Sam Harris, I felt obligated to post the famous Richard Dawkins rap animation. I still love this years later.