Key Questions
& Themes
Key Questions
& Themes
Key Questions and Objectives
This panel seeks to interrogate the relevance and applicability of Bildung in contemporary (STEM) education and STS engagements.
Contributions are encouraged to address, but are not limited to, the following questions:
How can Bildung inform critical approaches to education in science, engineering, medicine, and other technology reliant domains?
What is the role of Bildung in fostering ethical responsibility, awareness of sustainability issues and social justice within technoscientific professions?
How might Bildung bridge the gap between scientific and technical expertise and broader societal concerns?
In what ways can Bildung contribute to addressing global challenges, such as climate change, inequality, and the rise of misinformation and populism?
How can Bildung be reimagined to include diverse cultural, historical, and epistemological traditions?
What is the potential of Bildung in crafting sociotechnical imaginaries of desirable, just, sustainable, and democratic futures?
Themes for Exploration
The panel is particularly interested in contributions that engage with:
Bildung and Higher Education: Exploring the tensions between Bildung and the neoliberal university, including its implications for academic freedom, interdisciplinarity, and the integration of research, teaching, and engaged scholarship.
STS and Bildung: Addressing the challenges and opportunities of incorporating Bildung in STS informed education and practice, focusing on holistic problem-solving, social responsibility, and ethical reflexivity.
Cultural and Historical Perspectives: Examining how the concept of Bildung has traveled across cultural and disciplinary boundaries, adapting to different contexts while retaining its critical potential.
Critical and Democratic Bildung: Proposing ways to merge Bildung with critical pedagogy, democratic education, and social justice frameworks, fostering inclusive and transformative learning environments.
Bildung and the Anthropocene: Investigating the role of Bildung in cultivating ecological awareness and responsibility in the face of environmental crises and technoscientific disruptions.