European Master of Arts Programme on Society, Science and Technology ESST

Through its multidisciplinary approach, ESST explores the interrelated worlds of the scientist, engineer, politician, and citizen. Furthermore, the global, multicultural, and environmentally conscious perspectives of ESST develops ethical awareness and public responsibility. ESST is designed to provide training for students of different backgrounds: social scientists, engineers and human scholars. In a period, that is heading towards an ever more complex knowledge society there will be an increasing need for experts who are able to deal with the science-technology-society relation in a reflexive and politically conscious way. Graduates of the ESST program are thus well prepared for a wide spectrum professional and academic activities. This includes all kinds governmental institutions, NGO's, or private institutes and academic institutes that deal with issues such as research funding, technological development, public health and medicine, environmental policy, technological risk management or organizational development. Some of the issues discussed within the ESST programme are: Do science and technology develop according their own logic, or are do they reflect the interests and values of their social context? How and to which extend, can policy then deliberately control the course of scientific and technical innovations? In what way is the policy-making process changing in a knowledge society? Are we moving towards a technocratic society in which only scientific experts have a say or is there a future for democracy in the knowledge society? How can policy-institutions deal both effectively and democratically with the risks and moral dilemmas of new technological developments such as genetic food, biomedicine, and information or communication technology? Who is to be considered an expert in these matters? How and where can we draw the line between experts and lay people? Can technology help to overcome the global North-South divide? Does the transfer of new technologies to developing countries increase their dependency of the North? Are their other forms of technology that are more adapted and that that fit easier with the local needs of people in the South? In the ESST programme students reflect on the arenas in which controversial issues are discussed, like, biotechnology, genetics, sustainable technology, climate change, biodiversity and the globalisation of economics, and technology transfer. ESST also offers several specialisations in the second semester. Like • Technoscience and Values; • Building and maintaining life in the development process; • Social perspectives on Technological Risks: discourses, risk analysis, risk management and politics of risk; • Living in a Technological Culture; • Computers and the Law; • Science and Technology Teaching and Society ; • Technology Assessment Methodologies and Applications to Cases in ICT; • Nature, Culture, Science and Technology Some are more policy-oriented. For example, • Bridging the technological Divide; • Globalisation; • E-government and E-democracy; • The Politics of Knowledge: • Assessing and Communicating Risk; • From Theories of Innovation to Technological Policies. Others are more oriented at theories and processes of innovation, like • Innovation Systems, Social and Ecological Change; • Systems of Innovation, Public Innovation Policy and Innovation Strategy; • Globalisation, Innovation Processes and Innovation Policies; • The Economic and Technological dimensions of Globalisation; • From Theories of Innovation to Technological Policies; • Knowledge production and organisational innovation. You can find more detailed information on the web page: www.esst.unimaas.nl. If you would like to have more information please do not hesitate to contact them. Professional Photography Tips