In social epidemiology, to speak of theory is simultaneously to speak of society and biology. It is, I will argue, to speak of embodiment. At issue is how we literally incorporate, biologically, the world around us, a world in which we simultaneously are but one biological species among many—and one whose labour and ideas literally have transformed the face of this earth. To conceptualize and elucidate the myriad social and biological processes resulting in embodiment and its manifestation in populations' epidemiological profiles, we need theory. This is because theory helps us structure our ideas, so as to explain causal connections between specified phenomena within and across specified domains by using interrelated sets of ideas whose plausibility can be tested by human action and thought.1–3 Grappling with notions of causation, in turn, raises not only complex philosophical issues but also, in the case of social epidemiology, issues of accountability and agency: simply invoking abstract notions of ‘society’ and disembodied ‘genes’ will not suffice. Instead, the central question becomes: who and what is responsible for population patterns of health, disease, and well-being, as manifested in present, past and changing social inequalities in health?

Theories for social epidemiology in the 21st century: an ecosocial perspective

(1996). Science Education: Border Crossing into the Subculture of Science. Studies in Science Education: Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 1-52.

Science Education: Border Crossing into the Subculture of Science

In this review of the published literature in English on the concept of scientific literacy, the net is cast wider than just the professional science education com- munity, and the diverse works on scientific literacy are brought together in an interpretative synthesis of this literature. Scientific literacy is first placed in an historical context, and a number of different factors that influence interpretations of this concept are discussed thereafter. These factors include the number of different interest groups that are concerned with scientific literacy, different conceptual definitions of the term, the relative or absolute nature of scientific literacy as a concept, different purposes for advocating scientific lit- eracy, and different ways of measuring it. The overview yields a fuller understanding of the various factors that contribute to the concept of scientific literacy, and makes clear the relationships between these factors. 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci. Ed 84:71- 94, 2000.

Scientific literacy: A conceptual overview

Handbook of Quantitative Science and Technology Research

Preface vii 1 The Prehistory of Science and Technology Studies 1 2 The Kuhnian Revolution 12 3 Questioning Functionalism in the Sociology of Science 23 4 Stratification and Discrimination 36 5 The Strong Programme and the Sociology of Knowledge 47 6 The Social Construction of Scientific and Technical Realities 57 7 Feminist Epistemologies of Science 72 8 Actor-Network Theory 81 9 Two Questions Concerning Technology 93 10 Studying Laboratories 106 11 Controversies 120 12 Standardization and Objectivity 136 13 Rhetoric and Discourse 148 14 The Unnaturalness of Science and Technology 157 15 The Public Understanding of Science 168 16 Expertise and Public Participation 180 17 Political Economies of Knowledge 189 References 205 Index 236

http://pos89.persiangig.com/document/Sociology%20of%20Science/An%20Introduction%20to%20Science%20and%20Technology%20Studies%20(Sergio%20Sismondo).pdf

An Introduction to Science and Technology Studies

An introduction to science studies : the philosophical and social aspects of science and technology

Medical interpreters provide a bridge across the language gap for patients and practitioners. Research suggests that practitioners and interpreters experience numerous difficulties in their collaboration that can negatively affect service to patients with limited English proficiency, many of whom are immigrants. Using qualitative evidence from interviews with medical interpreters, I argue that many of these difficulties result from the fact that interpreter practice is based on a theoretical understanding of communication that does not adequately describe the problems faced by interpreters in negotiating between immigrant and practitioner groups. Suggestions for a more theoretically complete practice are offered.

Clinicians and medical interpreters: negotiating culturally appropriate care for patients with limited English ability.

TOPIC: While nurses address lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, intersexed, and queer (henceforth LGBTIQ) patients' health needs, the professional nursing practice value of social justice provides a larger role for nurses in identifying and minimizing social barriers faced by LGBTIQ patients.

PURPOSE:  This paper examines the social and health-related experiences of LGBTIQ youth in Canada, a country which has removed many of the social and legal barriers faced by LGBTIQ in countries such as the United States. An awareness of the Canadian LGBTIQ experience is instructive for nurses in different countries, as it reveals both the possibilities and limitations of social legislation that is more inclusive of LGBTIQ youth.

SOURCES:  Review of literature in PubMed, Academic Search Premier, government documents.

CONCLUSION:  The literature reveals that exclusion, isolation, and fear remain realities for Canadian LGBTIQ adolescents. The Canadian experience suggests that negative social attitudes toward LGBTIQ persist despite progressive legislation. The value of social justice positions nurses to constructively intervene in promoting the health and well-being of LGBTIQ youth in the face of social homophobia.

Social justice and social determinants of health: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, intersexed, and queer youth in Canada.

Evidence-based medicine’s (EBM) quantitative methodologies reflect medical science’s long-standing mistrust of the imprecision and subjectivity of ordinary descriptive language. However, EBM’s attempts to replace subjectivity with precise empirical methods are problematic when clinicians must negotiate between scientific medicine and patients’ experience. This problem is evident in the case of bibliotherapy (patient reading as treatment modality), a practice widespread despite its reliance on anecdotal evidence. While EBM purports to replace such flawed practice with reliable evidence-based methods, this essay argues that its aversion to subjective language prevents EBM from effectively evaluating bibliotherapy or making it amenable to clinical and research governance.

Lost in Translation: Bibliotherapy and Evidence-based Medicine

Web search engines have emerged as one of the dominant technologies of modern life, leaving few aspects of our everyday activities untouched. Search engines are not just indispensable tools for finding and accessing information online, but have become a defining component of the human condition and can be conceptualized as a complex behavior embedded within an individual's everyday social, cultural, political, and information-seeking activities. This book investigates Web search from the non-technical perspective, bringing together chapters that represent a range of multidisciplinary theories, models, and ideas about Web searching. They examine the various roles and impacts of Web searching on the social, cultural, political, legal, and informational spheres of our lives, such as the impact on individuals, social groups, modern and postmodern ways of knowing, and public and private life. By critically examining the issues, theories, and formations arising from, and surrounding, Web searching, Web Search: Multidisciplinary Perspectives represents an important contribution to the emerging multidisciplinary body of research on Web search engines. The new ideas and novel perspectives on Web searching gathered in this volume will prove valuable for research and curricula in the fields of social sciences, communication studies, cultural studies, information science, and related disciplines.

Deborah Dysart-Gale

Papers

An introduction to science studies : the philosophical and social aspects of science and technology

Clinicians and medical interpreters: negotiating culturally appropriate care for patients with limited English ability.

Social justice and social determinants of health: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, intersexed, and queer youth in Canada.

Lost in Translation: Bibliotherapy and Evidence-based Medicine

Web search : multidisciplinary perspectives