Where can I study STS in Switzerland? Which scholars are conducting STS research in which thematic areas, and where can I learn more about and read up on it? This PDF lists the various teaching focuses of individual departments and institutes in Switzerland, research projects at Swiss universities, and STS-relevant organs. A condensed overview can be found on this page.
Do you want to know which STS-courses are taught in Fall semester 2024? See this PDF here.
Your research project is not listed? Or do you have an STS podcast you’d like to share with us? Then get in touch with us!
1. Teaching Foci
| BA/MA/PhD | Program | Location | Keywords | Scholars teaching STS | Link(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | Bachelors of the School of Social Science (FR) | UNIGE | Foundations of STS (history, concepts, approaches, on ANT); STS and the state, the market, the law, risks, the environment, and democracy. | Nicolas Baya Laffite | https://pgc.unige.ch/main/teachings/details/2024-T205020 |
| BA + PhD | Bachelor in sociology | UNIGE | Epistemology, science, technology and society in environmental and digital transformations | Cornelia Hummel, Nicolas Baya Laffite | https://pgc.unige.ch/main/teachings/details/2024-T205041 |
| MA | Master in Sociology (FR) | UNIGE | STS Master course, spring semester, open to auditors. Foundations of STS; critical approaches to the study of “transitions”, digital, environmental. | Nicolas Baya Laffite (Léo Girard teaching assistant) | https://pgc.unige.ch/main/teachings/details/2024-T405003 |
| MA | Master in Innovation Human development, Master in Global Studies. | UNIGE | “Think and speak” seminar. It is based on reverse teaching, critical methodologies in innovation studies, focus on China and Europe (in English) | Basile Zimmermann | https://pgc.unige.ch/main/teachings/details/2024-T406018 |
| BA | Bachelor in International Relations (FR). | UNIGE | Foundations in STS, introduction to SHS methods, case studies on recent developments in new technologies and international relations | Basile Zimmermann | BA course: https://pgc.unige.ch/main/teachings/details/2024-J2M339 |
| BA | Bachelor in Biology (FR) | UNIGE | biology in societ, Science Studies, History of Science, New Approaches | Kostas Kampourakis, Bruno J Strasser | https://pgc.unige.ch/main/teachings/details/2024-12B010 https://pgc.unige.ch/main/teachings/details/2024-12B011 |
| MA + PhD | Master in Gender Studies (FR) | UNIGE | Gender, body, biomedicine | Delphine Gardey | https://www.unige.ch/etudes-genre/fr/equipe/delphinegardey |
| BA+MA | Social Anthropology | UZH | Anthropology of Technology, STS, environment and technology, sustainability (1 – 2 courses/semester) | Kathrin Eitel, Kiah Rutz, Nadja Kemper | |
| MA + PhD | Different Master programmes at ETH | ETHZ | Foundations of Science, Technology and Society (Master course, beginning in Spring semester 2025) | Bianca Vienni-Baptista Margarita Boeing-Liptsin | |
| BA + MA | BA + MA Gender Studies | UNIBAS / Social Sciences / Centre for Gender Studies | Courses drawing on a range of queer-feminist and post/decolonial STS perspectives; special focus on digital technologies, reproductive technologies, and ‘nature’ | Bianca Prietl & Marion Schulze | |
| BA + MA | SHS program | EPFL | Several STS or STS-related courses for engineers and scientists | Jean-François Bert, Annabella Zamora, Dominique Vinck, Loïc Riom, Luca Chiapperino | https://edu.epfl.ch/studyplan/fr/bachelor/programme-sciences-humaines-et-sociales/ & https://edu.epfl.ch/studyplan/fr/master/programme-sciences-humaines-et-sociales/ |
| PhD | PhD in STS | ETH | Group/Professorship of Ethics, Technology and Society no formal “program” for PhD (just like in most other humanities and social sciences at ETH) but this is the first STS professorships hired by ETH currently 1 PhD candidate works there | Margarita Boenig-Liptsin | https://ets.ethz.ch/ |
| BA + MA | Bachelor in Ethnology/biology-ethnology + Master in social sciences | UniNE | Etudes sociales des Sciences | Jérémie Forney | https://www10.unine.ch/desc_data/plans2024-2025/plan_2024-2025_2ET1087.pdf |
| BSc | Bachelor of Science | FHNW School of Engineering | Impact of technology on society, Tech For Good STS is an integral part of FHNW’s engineering and computer science programmes. | Adrian Brändli | https://www.fhnw.ch/de/die-fhnw/hochschulen/ht/institute/institut-fuer-geistes-und-sozialwissenschaften |
| MA | Master in Digital Humanities | UNIBE | Courses drawing on Critical Algorithm Studies, gender-perspectives of digitization. | Tobias Hodel | https://www.dh.unibe.ch/studium/studienprogramme/index_ger.html |
| Ba + Ma | Social science | UNIL | Medicine, health and society, social studies of biomedicine, medicine and technology | Francesco Panese, Céline Mavro, Marc Audétat | https://applicationspub.unil.ch/interpub/noauth/php/Ud/ficheCours.php?v_enstyid=95656&v_ueid=171&v_langue=fr&v_isinterne= |
| MA | Masters in Digital Humanities | UNIBAS / DHLab | History of Technology, Science and Politics, Sociocultural Construction of Science, Critical Digital Studies, Political Economy and STS | Ranjodh Singh Dhaliwal | https://dhlab.philhist.unibas.ch/en/master-course/ |
| Ba + Ma | Social science | UNIL | Gender, science and medicine, health sexuality reproduction, digital traces, sociology of the digital, anthropology of technology | Cynthia Kraus, Olivier Glassey, Boris Beaude, Irene Maff, Daniela Cerqui Ducret, Daniela Cerqui Ducret | https://applicationspub.unil.ch/interpub/noauth/php/Ud/ficheCours.php?v_enstyid=73739&v_ueid=171&v_langue=fr&v_isinterne= |
2. STS Research Projects
| Focus | Name | PI | Location | Keywords | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical approach to the “twin transition” | Observatoire des transitions | Science, technology and ecological and digital transformations. Controversies, expertise, policy instruments… | https://www.unige.ch/sciences-societe/socio/fr/nicolas-baya-laffite/ | ||
| Environmental + Feminist STS | Radical Resilience (DFG Walter Benjamin Project) | Kathrin Eitel | ISEK at UZH | resilience, TechFix, climate change data, flood, innovation | https://www.kathrineitel.com/radical-resilience https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/511266686?language=en |
| anthropology of science and technology, cultural studies | Cultural Studies of Science and Technology Group (This is a group with several research projects) | ETH | intersections between science, policy and society, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, research policy, research evaluation, anthropology of energy | https://csts.ethz.ch/ | |
| history of science and technology, STS | Lab for the history of science and technology (This is a group with several research projects) | digital practices, environment, repair and maintenance, public participation | https://www.epfl.ch/labs/lhst/ | ||
| Anthropology of knowledge, Science and Technology Studies, and environmental anthropology | Research Group “Nature – Representations – Materialities” | Magdalena Bucher, Alain Müller, Julian Rainer Purrmann | Cultural Studies, University of Basel | Nature; Representations; Materialities; Mountains; Waters | https://kulturwissenschaft.philhist.unibas.ch/de/forschung/standard-titel/nature-representations-materialities/#c13025 |
| Queer and Trans Reproduction with Assisted Reproductive Technologies | Habilitation project by Dr. Doris Leibetseder | Doris Leibetseder | reproductive justice from a queer and trans perspective; focusing on assisted reproductive technologies | ||
| AI and Sustainability | in preparation by Bianca Prietl | Bianca Prietl | – | materiality of AI-technologies; socio, economic and environmental in/justices; | |
| Digitalization and Male Hegemony | in preparation by Bianca Prietl | Bianca Prietl | – | conditions and forms of male hegemony in the context of sociotechnical dynamics called digitalization | |
| Political Geology of Nuclear Waste Disposal | Nuclear Strata | Rony Emmenegger | University Fribourg | Subterranean geographies / materiality / nuclear waste / risk & safety / deep time & futures | https://www.unifr.ch/geo/humangeography/en/research/political-geology.html |
| Materialities of aging | Aging Humans, Changing Homes | Cornelia Hummel, Marie Bieler, Aline Beef, Laurence Claudepierre-Burattim Cecilia Raziano | UNIGE, Institute of Sociological Research | https://www.unige.ch/sciences-societe/socio/fr/recherche/irs/nos-thematiques-de-recherche/famille/aging-humans-changing-homes/ | |
| STS/comparative politics/AI governance | Taming the Artificial, Ordering the Social: Making AI Governance in China, the EU and the US | Uni Zurich/ Department of Communication and Media Research | https://www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/research/projects/taming-artificial-ordering-social-divergence-and-convergence-emerging-ai https://ikmz.uzh.ch/en/research/divisions/science-crisis-and-risk-communication/project_overview/project_ai0.html | ||
| STS and computing cultures | Corporate Software Work and Artificial Intelligence Technologies | University of St. Gallen | https://www.unisg.ch/de/universitaet/ueber-uns/organisation/detail/person-id/76f6c047-ac37-46be-884d-339c3c1dea40/ | ||
| Transdisciplinary research for agroecology | Centre d’excellence et de compétence pour le développement de systèmes agroécologiques durables dans l’Arc jurassien dans un contexte de changement climatique | Université de Neuchâtel, Fondation Rural Interjurassienne | https://www.unine.ch/unine/home/recherche/centres-de-recherche/cedd-agro-eco-clim.html | ||
| Social studies of postgenomics | Constructing the Biosocial: an engaged inquiry into epigenetics and post-genomic bioscience(Ambizione Project) | Luca Chiapperino | University of Lausanne | Epigenetics, Biosocial, Science and Technology Studies, Co-laboration, Stress | https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/185822 |
| Social studies of health and biomedicine | Development of Personalized Health in Switzerland: Social Sciences Perpectives (Sinergia Project) | Francesco Panese, Dominique Sprumont, Bruno Strasser, Joël Wagner | University of Lausanne | Precision medicine, Legal foundations, Moral economies, Public Participation, Healthcare costs and insurance, Social epistemology, Personalized health, Self-care practices, Biomedical platforms, Policy implications, Biomedical industry | https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/180350 |
| Social studies of postgenomics | PARED – Parental Responsibility, Epigenetics and DOHaD: Emerging sociotechnical imaginaries of reproduction in the age of epigenetics Division 1 project | Francesco Panese, Umberto Simeoni | University of Lausanne | Developmental Origins of Health and Disease: DOHaD, Science and technology studies, Moral issues in reproduction, Reproductive medicine, Sociotechnical imaginary, Epigenetics | https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/162873 |
| Digital education | Relocating Machine Intelligence: Trusting, Teaching, and Tinkering with Robots at School | Marc Audétat, Philippe Sormani, Farinaz Fassa-Recrosio(UNIL) Julien Bugmann (HEP | University of Lausanne, and High school of pedagogy (HEP-Lausanne), SNSF, NRP 77, 2020-2024 | Digital education, use of robots at school, Analysis of interaction in situ, STS, Educational sciences, political sciences | https://www.nfp77.ch/en/Fo1GtcB5RW6xOlnM/project/robots-in-school-trust-interactions-and-institutions |
| Socio-technical imaginaries | What narratives for ecological transformation? Beyond imaginaries of technical fix versus apocalypse for a more sustainable society | Stéphanie Missonier, Estefania Amer (HEC), Raphaël Baroni, Gaspard Turin, Colin Pahlish (Faculty of Arts), Grégoire Zimmermann, Marc Audétat (SSP) | University of Lausanne, Funding programme STRIVE (UNIL), 2024-2028 | Imaginaries and narratives as hinders or stimulations of agency in favor of environmental transformation | https://www.unil.ch/strive/fr/home/menuinst/les%20projets/recits.html |
| Social studies of sustainability and chemistry | NCCR | Francesco Panese and Luca Chiapperino | UNIL | NCCR Catalysis, Sociotechnical imaginary, sustainability, co-production, chemistry, environmental health | https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/225147 |
| ethnography of medical specialist practice | (Im-)Possibilities of letting life end. An ethnography of transformations in medical practice (Ambizione Project) | Anna Mann | University of Zurich, Department of Sociology | https://www.suz.uzh.ch/en/institute/aboutus/mid_level/mann.html | |
| Political Economy of Computational Media, Critical AI Studies, Videogame Studies, Speculation and Design | -Research Programs at the Professorship of DH and AI- | Ranjodh Singh Dhaliwal | University of Basel, Digital Humanities Lab and the Department of Arts, Media, and Philosophy | Political Economy of Computation, Videogame Studies and Citizen Science, Critical Design and Making, Speculation and Fabulation, Environmental Humanities | https://ranjodhdhaliwal.com/ |
| Social studies of health and biomedicine | Quality of life of patients living with vascular LIVEr diseaseS – Developing research on the social impact of rare diseases | Maria Caiata Zufferey, Giada Danesi | University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland | Rare diseases, Quality of lives, Peer research | https://www.livesproject.eu/ |
| Bande dessinée STS | Conception d’une série de bandes dessinées mettant en scène des pratiques et résultats issus des STS | Dominique Vinck | Université de Lausanne. STS Lab |
3. STS Organs
| Name | Description | Keywords | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| STS CH (association) | STS-CH is the Swiss Association for the Studies of Science, Technology and Society (STS). The primary purpose of STS-CH is to advance research, teaching and outreach in the academic field of Science & Technology Studies (STS). | Association, STS community, representation of interests, international outreach | https://sts-ch.org/ |
| Living Books about History | Living Books about History represent a new form of digital anthology. They present short essays on current topics of scholarly interest accompanied by selected contributions that are freely available online. | Digital Tecnologies, Digital Humanities, Television, Internet, etc. | https://livingbooksabouthistory.ch/en/ |
| infoclio.ch | infoclio.ch is the professional portal for the historical sciences in Switzerland. It has a special focus on the integration of digital technologies in the production of historical knowledge | Historical Sciences, Digital Humanities, Digital History | www.infoclio.ch |
| Digital History Network Switzerland | The Digital History Network Switzerlandaim is to promote the visibility of digital history. The network aims to facilitate exchange between experts and provide an information platform for all interested parties. It maintains a mailing list | Digital History | https://www.digitalhistorynetwork.ch/ |
| Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts (SLSA) | An international organization (there exists a European leg, SLSAEu, as well, at https://www.slsa-eu.org/) welcomes colleagues in the sciences, engineering, technology, computer science, medicine, the social sciences, the humanities, the arts, and independent scholars and artists. SLSA members share an interest in problems of science and representation, and in the cultural and social dimensions of science, technology, and medicine. Also runs the flagship journal Configurations (at https://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/configurations). | Arts and Science, Science Fiction Studies, Science Technology and Culture, Literary and Cultural Dimensions of Science and Technology, Media Studies, Digital Humanities, History and Philosophy of Science | https://litsciarts.org/ |
| Revue d’antrhopologie des connaissances | Academic journal publishing studies that draw on approaches and methods from different disciplines in the humanities and social sciences to study the production, circulation and mobilisation of knowledge in contemporary societies in all geographical areas. Metadata and introductory articles in French, English, Spanish and German. Publications in French with the possibility of simultaneously publishing the article in another language. | Knowledge, STS | https://journals.openedition.org/rac/index.html |