WeTEM: Science, Ethics, Technology and Society

The course Science, Ethics, Technology and Society for the Bacherlor’s degree programmes of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Astronomy, (Applied) Physics and (Applied) has as theme Energy and Sustainability . The aim of this course is to encourage you to think about innovative ways in which mathematics and the natural sciences can contribute to a prosperous and sustainable society.

The broad theme of the course consists of all the major social challenges in mathematics, the natural sciences and technology. This theme comprises studies into new energy resources and the production of new materials (material sciences) and technology development. In addition, mathematical and astronomical principles are important areas of  knowledge development in this field.

The introductory theme days are made up of lectures and tutorials which offer a combination of science-related knowledge, social aspects and scientific approaches in the field of ‘Science and Society’. The lectures will introduce several basic approaches in ethics, philosophy of science, argumentation, innovation theory and science dynamics. For your final project, you will write an essay on a scientifically and socially topical subject.