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79138-01 - Seminar: Moral Economies of Data Production (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | James Lawrence Zimmermann Merron (james.merron@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This seminar examines the moral economies of data production in science and technology, with particular attention to how norms, values, obligations, and institutional arrangements shape data practices. Drawing on historical and sociological studies of science, the course approaches data not as a neutral or self-evident resource, but as a socio-technical achievement embedded in concrete sites of practice. At its core, the seminar is structured around a sustained empirical engagement with data-intensive scientific infrastructures, particularly through close reading of Bruno Strasser’s Collecting Experiments (2019). Building on the concept of moral economy introduced by Lorraine Daston (1995), and extended through studies of laboratories, scientific personhood, cooperation, and data infrastructures (Shapin 1988, 1991; Ophir & Shapin 1991), the course foregrounds the ethical, epistemic, and organizational dimensions of data work. |
| Learning objectives | By the end of the course, participants will be able to: • Conceptually operationalize the notion of moral economy to the study of data production • Analyze data practices as situated, institutional, and infrastructural achievements • Critically examine the moral dimensions of scientific cooperation, authority, and responsibility • Relate historical STS scholarship to contemporary data-intensive infrastructures and debates • Develop empirically grounded analyses of data practices |
| Bibliography | Daston, Lorraine. 1995. “The Moral Economy of Science.” Osiris 10: 2–24. Ophir, Adi, and Steven Shapin. 1991. “The Place of Knowledge: A Methodological Survey.” Science in Context 4(1): 3–22. Shapin, Steven. 1988. “The House of Experiment in Seventeenth-Century England.” Isis 79(3): 373–404. Shapin, Steven. 1991. “A Scholar and a Gentleman: The Problematic Identity of the Scientific Practitioner in Early Modern England.” History of Science 29(3): 279–327. Strasser, Bruno J. 2019. Collecting Experiments: Making Big Data Biology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Sitzungszimmer U4.002 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 16.02.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Sitzungszimmer U4.002 |
| Monday 23.02.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Fasnachtswoche |
| Monday 02.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Sitzungszimmer U4.002 |
| Monday 09.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Sitzungszimmer U4.002 |
| Monday 16.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Sitzungszimmer U4.002 |
| Monday 23.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Sitzungszimmer U4.002 |
| Monday 30.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Sitzungszimmer U4.002 |
| Monday 06.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Osterwoche |
| Monday 13.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Sitzungszimmer U4.002 |
| Monday 20.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Sitzungszimmer U4.002 |
| Monday 27.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Sitzungszimmer U4.002 |
| Monday 04.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Sitzungszimmer U4.002 |
| Monday 11.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Sitzungszimmer U4.002 |
| Monday 18.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Sitzungszimmer U4.002 |
| Monday 25.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Pfingsten |
| Modules |
Modul: Methoden der Near & Middle Eastern Studies und der Gesellschaftswissenschaften (Master's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) Modul: Methoden der Soziologie und der Gesellschaftswissenschaften: quantitativ (Master's degree subject: Sociology) Modul: Transfer: Europa interdisziplinär (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Module: Fields: Knowledge Production and Transfer (Master's degree program: African Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Assessment is based on: • Active participation • One in-class presentation or short analytical paper applying course concepts to a concrete data practice |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Soziologie |