Sign up for the 2025 "Introduction to the relationship between science and society" course

The latest edition of the "Introduction to the relationship between science and society" course will take place this year from April 3 to 30, 2025, one day a week.

The aim of this course is to shed light on recent developments in the relationship between science and society, and to try to provide some answers and/or food for thought on the questions these developments raise. It is aimed primarily at doctoral students, post-docs and young researchers, but is open to anyone, scientist or not, interested in these issues.

This year, the focus will be on the relationship between science and the idea of a better world: how can research make the world a better place? Can we engage in science without having in mind the idea of a better world? How can or should we contribute (or not) to the debate on what a better world might look like? Another question to explore is whether the rules and values on which research is based can serve as inspiration for a better world (the approach to settling scientific disagreements, the priority given to argumentation and experimentation, the recognition – at least in theory – that anyone is entitled to participate in research, etc.).

The course will take place at the Institut Pasteur on the following Wednesdays: April 3, 10, 17 and 24, and on Thursday April 30. The mornings will consist of teaching sessions. The afternoons will be used to prepare for a debate on a topical issue (“Science and Utopias”) with the aim of showing participants how to introduce scientific arguments into social debates. A final half-day will give participants the opportunity to present the debate to speakers, scientists and experts.

The course is primarily aimed at PhD students, postdoctoral fellows and junior researchers but is open to everyone interested in the topic, both scientists and non-scientists.

The deadline for registration is February 15.

For more information and to register