Ph.D COURSE: Genetic engineering; Connecting science, risk and communities

26.08.2004

2nd course organised by the National Network for Ethical, Legal and Social Aspects of Biotechnology in cooperation with the Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology (GenØk) will be given in Tromsø from the 30th of August to the 2nd of September 2004.

Main lecturer is Prof. Brian Wynne (Univ. of Lancaster). Lectures will also be given by Prof. Sissel Rogne (Bioteknologinemda), Dr. Roger Strand (University of Bergen and GenØk) and Dr. Joanna Goven (Univ. of Canterbury and NZIGE).

Course overview

This course will provide perspectives on the processes of conflict, debate and decision-making about genetic modification and genomics in agriculture and health. Risk is a necessary concept to understand the impact of genetic engineering, and the problems involved in rendering the technology more democratically accountable and legitimate. This course examines risk as a modern 'scientific' discourse of social and environmental assessment of genetic engineering by focusing on:

Risk as a variable, complex and multidimensional factor within gene ecology.
The discourse of risk as a tool for communicating various social and human commitments and contingencies.
How public concerns may influence the organisation and shaping of scientific Research & Development and innovation trajectories.
Analysis of the relationships between local/ indigenous and scientific knowledge in the GMO issue and bio prospecting.


Target group: Researchers and PhD students in biotechnology, bioethics, philosophy, law, technology and innovation studies, political science, and sociology. Language of tuition will be English and lectures will run from 9:15 to 16.00/ 17.00.

Registration by sending an email to: sissel.bergvoll@fagmed.uit.no by the 25 of August. Questions? Please contact Anne I. Myhr by email annem@fagmed.uit.no

Course fee: NOK 600, -. Includes course material and lunch 4 days. The course is funded by the FUGE programme in NFR.

Evaluation: To get the course accepted as a PhD-course, a 10-15 pages essay on a topic relevant to the course is required.

The main lecturer

Brian Wynne (MA (Natural Sciences, Cambridge 1968), PhD (Materials Science, Cambridge 1971), MPhil (Sociology of Science, Edinburgh 1977)) is Professor of Science Studies and Research Director of the Centre for the Study of Environmental Change (CSEC) at Lancaster. Currently he is inter alia establishing at Lancaster an international research centre on economic and social aspects of genomics, CESAGen. His work has covered technology and risk assessment, public risk perceptions, and public understanding of science, focusing on the relations between expert and lay knowledge and policy decision-making. He was an Inaugural Member of the Management Board and Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency, (EEA), (1994-2000) and is a member of the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council's expert committee on Responses to Public Concerns.