818065 Perspectives on Risk and Technology Assessment (in Eng.)

Art
Vorlesung und Übung
Semesterstunden
2
Vortragende/r (Mitwirkende/r)
Lalyer, Carina Roberta , Steffens, Lasse , Giese, Bernd Moritz
Organisation
Angeboten im Semester
Wintersemester 2024/25
Unterrichts-/ Lehrsprachen
Englisch
Lehrinhalt

Course contents:
1. concepts of risk across disciplines in natural sciences;
2. concepts of risk in social studies with an emphasis on critical theory and post-structuralism;
3. definitions for risk across different disciplines;
4. concepts of technology assessment;
6. assignment of case studies (see details below) and group formation;
7. operationalisation of risk in technology assessment;
8. class presentations of group case studies.

We constantly face and create new risks. Nearly 40 years after Wolfgang Beck identified a risk society, new threats have emerged and minor ones have grown more significant. This course explores various perspectives on risk, aiming to understand what constitutes a risk and how we perceive it. The course covers an examination of the concepts of risk across disciplines in natural sciences and then shifts to the social studies perspective, on definitions of risk across different disciplines and introduces the concepts of technology assessment. Climate change is used as a primary case study to illustrate these concepts, providing a foundation to delve into ecological, toxicological, and technical concepts of risk, as well as sociological and philosophical approaches, including those by Niklas Luhman, critical theory and post-structuralism. Students will engage in the assignment of case studies and group formation, exploring different sources of risk such as air pollution and eutrophication. This practical approach aids in understanding the operationalisation of risk in technology assessment. The course includes class presentations of group case studies, allowing students to present their findings and demonstrate their understanding of how different interpretations of risk can be applied in practical technology assessments.
Lehrziel

This lecture aims to raise awareness of the different understandings of risk in the natural sciences and social sciences, complemented by knowledge of philosophical interpretations of risk. This approach broadens the "engineering perspective" and familiarizes students with interdisciplinary thinking, sensitizing them to contradictions and subjectivity in risk definitions. This is particularly valuable for the UBRM degree program, enhancing comprehensive risk assessment skills.

After the successful completion of this course the students will be able to:
1. describe and define different perspectives on risk in natural sciences;
2. discuss and interpret philosophical understandings of risk, with an emphasis on critical theory and post-structuralism;
3. describe the concepts of technology assessment;
4. assess a case study using in-class learnt concepts;
5. use search engines to identify appropriate literature;
6. communicate the results of their case study in class presentations and in writing.
Noch mehr Informationen zur Lehrveranstaltung, wie Termine oder Informationen zu Prüfungen, usw. finden Sie auf der Lehrveranstaltungsseite in BOKUonline.