The STS Graduate Program at UBC draws on a rich set of resources at UBC, in Vancouver, and at our sister universities, Simon Fraser University and the University of Washington.
STS Colloquium Schedule (2025/26)
STS Colloquia will be held in Buchanan Tower 1112, 5:00-6:30 PM unless otherwise indicated
TERM 1 (September – December, 2025)
September 18: Heidi Tworek, UBC History and School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
Dr. Heidi Tworek is Canada Research Chair and Professor of History and Public Policy at UBC, where she directs the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions. Her work examines the history and policy of communications and media.
https://history.ubc.ca/profile/heidi-tworek/ | https://sppga.ubc.ca/profile/heidi-tworek/
“Online Harassment of Health Communicators: Causes and Consequences”
Abstract: This talk will examine online harassment of health communicators during the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on interviews, surveys, focus groups, and social media data, I explain the phenomenon and explore how online abuse affected health communicators’ personal and professional lives. Finally, I consider the broader consequences for communicating about science and public trust in scientists and healthcare professionals.
September 18: STS Welcome Back Event
To follow Heidi Tworek’s colloquium
7:00 PM at Koerner’s Pub
October 16: Aryan Karimi, UBC Sociology
https://sociology.ubc.ca/profile/aryan-karimi/
“Why Can’t We Test Our Sociological Theories? The Case of Assimilation Theory”
A discussion of current work developing a methodological critique of central theories of sociology, focused on the sociology of migration.
TERM 2 (Jan – Apr 2025)
February 5: 2025-2025 Straker Memorial Lecture
Joe Dumit, Professor of Science & Technology Studies, and Anthropology, Chair of Performance Studies at University of California Davis; Professor in Interdisciplinary Data Collaborations at Aarhus University
https://anthropology.ucdavis.edu/people/joe-dumit
AI & Co-Researching: Hallucinations are a Feature of LLMs – Let’s Use Them
See the Straker Memorial Lecture page for the details
April 2: Nancy Tuana, Dupont/Class of 1949 Professor of Philosophy and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Founding Director of the Rock Ethics Institute, Pennsylvania State University
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Tuana
Topic TBA, related to Tuana’s recent book, Racial Climates, Ecological Indifference: An Ecointersectional Approach. Oxford University Press, 2023. OUP
