An Introduction to Science and Technology Studies, Second Edition reflects the latest advances in the field while continuing to provide students with a road map to the complex interdisciplinary terrain of science and technology studies. * Distinctive in its attention to both the underlying philosophical and sociological aspects of science and technology* Explores core topics such as realism and social construction, discourse and rhetoric, objectivity, and the public understanding of science * Includes numerous empirical studies and illustrative examples to elucidate the topics discussed* Now includes new material on political economies of scientific and technological knowledge, and democratizing technical decisions* Other features of the new edition include improved readability, updated references, chapter reorganization, and more material on medicine and technology

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The prehistory of science and technology studies -- The Kuhnian revolution -- Questioning functionalism in the sociology of science -- Stratification and discrimination -- The strong programme and the sociology of knowledge -- The social construction of scientific and technical realities -- Feminist epistemologies of science -- Actor-network theory -- Two questions concerning technology -- Studying laboratories -- Controversies -- Standardization and objectivity -- Rhetoric and discourse -- The unnaturalness of science and technology -- The public understanding of science -- Expertise and public participation -- Political economies of knowledge.