230148 SE Pictures, Practices, and Power: Social Studies of Scientific Imaging & Visualization (2015S)

Digital images are crucial tools in scientific work. Computer graphs, CAD plots, environmental pictures, brain scans, and nano images are used in research either to visualize ideas and results or to explore things which otherwise would not be visible to the human eye. Digital images, however, are not neutral tools but socio-technical artifacts in which social contexts and cultural regimes of seeing are inscribed. Such 'inscriptions' are very powerful: They are perceived as beautiful objects and scientific truths at the same time, which makes them both appealing and authoritative. Digital images are persuasive since they shape the ways we see the world and ourselves.
In this course, we will inquire into the power of scientific images and their digital objectivity. How are they produced and used in various fields of research and different local contexts? How are the interpreted? How do they work when they leave the laboratory setting and circulate outside the university? We will discuss both classic and recent literature in STS and prepare some small case studies on these issues.