Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society

Chandler, Jennifer

doi: 10.1177/0270467607305500pmid: N/A

This article draws on the suggestion that modern technology is “autonomous” in that our social control mechanisms are unable to control technology and instead merely adapt society to integrate new technologies. In this article, I suggest that common law judges tend systematically to support the integration of novel technologies into society. For example, courts sometimes require parties seeking compensation for serious injuries to submit to medical technologies to which the parties object for genuine reasons of fear or moral objection. Where a novel technology alters the environment in some way, courts sometimes legitimize that alteration by refusing to recognize harm and instead characterizing avoidance of the technology as self-imposed harm. The examples selected in this article were chosen to support the hypothesis in one way or another, and future work will aim to look for counter examples and to conduct a more complete assessment of the hypothesis.

Pense, Christine M.; Cutcliffe, Stephen H.

doi: 10.1177/0270467607306592pmid: N/A

Nanotechnology promises to amend an understanding of elemental properties, alter the basic techniques of manufacturing, and improve disease diagnosis. There is a disconnect among the positive predictions of scientists and researchers, the fears of public interest groups, and the developers of products. A new framework for evaluating the social implications of nanotechnology will permit a dialogue among interest groups, who currently fail to effectively communicate with one another. Each instance of nanotechnology application will likely have its own unique attributes, but this framework for evaluating the social implications of nanotechnology will address three questions: How do problems become visible to the social groups that contribute to the framing of technology? What kind of language do social groups use to express significance? How does risk standardization contribute to technology stabilization? The suggested framework compares the ways that risk is discussed in military applications, consumer products, and workplace safety.

Blackmore, Tim

doi: 10.1177/0270467607306936pmid: N/A

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, increased computing power has made possible extraordinary leaps in film special effects. This article argues that special effects developed since the beginning of digital animation, when coupled with standard editing room techniques (jump cuts, cutaways), have brought us to an era where the eye cannot keep pace with on-screen events. It is arguable that video gamers are best equipped to handle the visual overload produced by action films' effects. The article enumerates a series of techniques used in current action films to bring about visual excess that has an upsetting, exciting, overwhelming somatic effect on the viewer; these same effects are indispensable for the success of contemporary blockbuster action movies. Following theorist Paul Virilio's arguments, this article suggests that a machine ideology drives the perceptual system to dizzying limits, resulting in the “speed death of the eye.”

Fleischer, Doris Zames

doi: 10.1177/0270467607305658pmid: N/A

Because of New York City's proximity to water, edifices were built with one step as a barrier to potential flooding. The increase in the disability population made it evident that this step formed a barrier to people who could not negotiate level changes, especially those in wheelchairs and motorized scooters. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that new construction be accessible to people with disabilities and that older buildings be altered when such accessibility is “readily achievable.” The problem is that except for people with disabilities filing legal complaints when the ADA is violated, there is no other enforcement mechanism. Also, New York City's narrow streets allow too little space for compliant ramps. This article describes how disability activists and government representatives created a model for accessibility that allowed for informal agreements and solutions that, although not always strictly compliant with the law, served the actual needs of the disability population.

Medina-Jerez, William

doi: 10.1177/0270467607305867pmid: N/A

The purpose of this study was to explore rural and provincial students' conceptualizations of nature in Colombia alongside the science education offered in their school communities. Students' perceptions of nature were produced from interviews that revolved around a focusing event and two eliciting devices to document their views about home, school science, and nature. Eighteen students from two urban and one provincial school communities were invited to participate in an interview. An anthropological approach to education allowed for case descriptions in urban and provincial settings in a northeastern region of Colombia, South America. The findings specifically reflect how multiple worldviews correlate with the framework of school science.

Yager, Robert E.

doi: 10.1177/0270467607305737pmid: N/A

The major advantage of STS is the kind of teaching it allows and demands. Twelve middle school teachers who were enthused with STS teaching selected two sections for a research study. One section was the experimental STS section; the other followed the course syllabus and textbook closely. The major findings indicate the advantages for STS as a teaching approach.Students at the STS approach learned as many science concepts as students who were taught such concepts directly. But the students in the STS sections were superior in all other aspects, including understanding and use of 14 process skills, use of creative thinking skills, development of more positive attitudes, better ability to apply and connect ideas and skills to other situations, and developing a better understanding of the nature and history of science.

Ferber, Paul; Foltz, Franz; Pugliese, Rudy

doi: 10.1177/0270467607304559pmid: N/A

Building on McMillan's two-way model of interactivity, this study presents a three-way model of interactive communication, which is used to assess political Web sites' progress toward the ideals of cyberdemocracy and the fostering of public deliberation. Results of a 3-year study of state legislature Web sites, an analysis of the community networks, and a review of purely political sites such as MoveOn.org, RNC.org, and DNC.org are reported. Little deliberation was found on the legislature sites, but opportunities for such were greater on the other types of sites.

Vanderburg, Willem H.

doi: 10.1177/0270467607307224pmid: N/A

Our knowledge “system” is built up from disciplines and specialties as its components, which are “wired” by patterns of collaboration that constitute its organization. The intellectual autonomy of these components prevents this knowledge system from adequately accounting for what we have gradually discovered during the past 50 years: In human life, society, and the biosphere, everything is related to everything else. It has also created a dual mode of knowing and doing, one embedded in experience and culture and the other separated from them. It is becoming increasingly evident that the lacunae in our knowledge system are directly related to the challenges faced by our civilization. This article outlines a proposal to begin delimiting these lacunae by inserting new components on the basis of roundtables into the knowledge system.

Moses, Lyria Bennett

doi: 10.1177/0270467607304560pmid: N/A

This article identifies the types of legal issues that result from technological change and discusses the different institutions involved in resolving those problems. It demonstrates that, despite the focus on political solutions, other institutions also have a role to play in solving legal dilemmas presented by technological change. Legislation may not always be necessary and can cause problems, especially where a technology is likely to evolve further. Even where legislative solutions are necessary, it is important to factor in the role played by other institutions when crafting legislation.

Horning, Michael A.

doi: 10.1177/0270467607304561pmid: N/A

This study examines the role that community networks can take in fulfilling McQuail's call for a more democratic-participant form of mass media. Community networks, which are online grassroots organizations designed to promote local community initiatives, increased their Internet presence in the 1990s. However, their number has declined in recent years. Earlier research has suggested that community networks fail because they lack a unified identity, have not determined their specific purpose on the Web, and do not provide relevant information to network members. Findings suggest that community networks wishing to achieve sustainability should concentrate their efforts on developing social capital and fostering strong democracy. This study examines the extent to which those existing community networks are working toward developing such content on their sites. Findings suggest that community networks are currently working toward developing content that promotes social capital but that far fewer networks are using their sites to promote strong democracy.