Controversy: Experts, Post-Truth and Fake News
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| SOCI2013 | Sociology and Social Policy | 2 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- SOCI2013
- School
- Sociology and Social Policy
- Level
- 2
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
This module will examine the role of experts and expertise in modern society. In many cases conflicting information circulates in the media and people do not know who to trust and what to believe. Should we listen to ‘the science’? We are allegedly living in a post-truth society where participants in polarized debates go as far as accusing each other of presenting fake news. Experts are supposed to provide neutral advice but often get drawn into the fray, too. We will examine selected case studies that allow us to better understand the role of experts in society. Case studies may include climate change; Brexit; legal and illegal drugs; and vacation.
Target Students
Available to all level 2 and 3 students including subsidiary students from outside the school and exchange students.
Classes
This module is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars.
Assessment
- 100% Coursework: 4,000 words.
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
To ensure the students will:gain an appreciation of the role of controversies in societies, especially with regard to expert disagreements;be introduced to key concepts, theories and case studies;understand the ways in which expert knowledge is produced and mobilized in everyday practices, and in political decision making.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge & Understanding
- A critical and reflexive understanding of the role of expertise;
- An understanding of the relationships between knowledge and decision making;
- An understanding of the ways in which expertise is distributed in society and what its role and function is;
- An appreciation of different forms of knowledge, such as lay knowledge and expertise, tacit knowledge, and scientific knowledge;
- An understanding what the notion of the knowledge society means.
Intellectual Skills
- An ability to analyse, assess and present empirical information;
- An appreciation of the different conceptual frameworks and how they relate to the understanding of empirical examples.
Professional and Practical Skills
- An ability to undertake and present work in a scholarly way;
- An ability to articulate with clarity and good understanding the formal and specialized language of their disciplines and fields of study;
- A recognition of the relevance of lay and expert knowledge to social and political debates.
Transferable/Key Skills
- An ability to communicate effectively in both formal and informal group settings;
- An ability to read, assess and represent sophisticated written evidence and argument.