ATS3239 Science, technology, and futures

More than ever, science and technology are transforming our futures, but not always in ways that are desirable, ethical or just. Artificial intelligence, digital platforms, reproductive technologies, climate science, energy technologies, and infrastructural systems – these are all transforming human societies, environments, and imagined futures. Yet technologies are not simply neutral tools, nor is science merely a source of objective knowledge. They are embedded in cultures, institutions, places, and power relations.

In this unit, you will learn perspectives from anthropology, human geography, and Science and Technology Studies, to analyse how scientific knowledge and technological systems embody social values, how they transform relationships between humans, environments, and digital worlds, while also being transformed by these same forces in return. The unit also emphasises how visions of the future - such as digital transformations, bioengineering, and sustainable development – shape present decisions, institutions, and forms of governance. Through this lens, you will develop the analytical tools to critically engage with technological change and to imagine how alternative approaches might enable more diverse and ethical futures.