INTERNATIONAL HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

We aim to analyse science and technology as a tool of foreign policy since the Second World War, and in multilateral negotiations for cooperation as a goal for keeping leadership, for developing national industries, or just in order to survival. We propose an historical methodology, and particularly we are inspired to the history of international relations, not a restricted diplomatic history but in a larger sense as history of the multiple levels of the international dimension of national and transnational policies. Our approach has to be interdisciplinary inevitably thanks to the interconnection between foreign policy and science and technology as international key factor for leadership, survival and development, but also as an opportunity to reinforce transnational networks up to intergovernmental or supranational organisations, like the European Space Agency or the integration of Europe by infrastructures. Without sliding into political science or economics, History of International relations is obliged to consider recent developments to suggest some trajectoires (trends) up nowadays policies. For this reason, we will refer to present developments of our historic phenomena. Decision making process is strategic. We underline the interplay between experts/advisers and politicians as stakeholders and representatives. After defining Science Diplomacy, Technological Cooperation/Competition, actors and practices, we will concentrate as case study on Space Exploration involving a large typology of sciences and technologies as well as having more and more implications for global policies outside of “simple” national dynamics of hard power or scientific developments. Therefore, the real impact of communicating to public opinion the reasons for investments in Earth observation, Space Human Flights and Outer Space Exploration has become a strategic goal. All three invited speakers will deal with science and technology communication and media. Space is a significant example, but only an example. Students will be invited to enlarge our considerations from Space to other fields of science and technology by choosing a recommended book.
List of each 3 hours lesson:
1) Science Diplomacy: a definition from nowadays up to 1917
2) Technological cooperation/competition vs diplomacy?
3) Historical methodology and an interdisciplinary approach: The Art Network Theory as a conceptual tool for international relations and the ESA History Project
4) Actors and practices: the interplay between experts and political decision makers
5) Cooperation/Competition John
6) European Union and science policies
7) The “independent” Science in Europe
8) An original way for European Scientific cooperation?
6) Outer Space: a European specific “space”?
9) The French leadership in Europe
11) Science for Space and Space for Science
12) “Propaganda” vs media?
13) Science and Technology in Arctic Diplomacy. Conference by Prof. Rasmus Gjedssø Bertelsen (University of Tromsø, Norway) and H2020 InsSciDE (Inventing and Sharing a Science Diplomacy for Europe) project
14) Science for Diplomacy, or Diplomacy for Science? the European Space Agency mission “for all mankind”: Earth Observation as a tool for Living Planet. Conference by a ESA Strategy Officer
15) An inevitable interdisciplinary approach to Diplomacy for Science and Technology? The future of Space Exploration: probes, the Moon and ExoMars. A conversation with Prof. Stefano Debei, Director of CISAS Center for Aerospace Researches and Studies “Giuseppe Colombo” (University of Padua) and of Unipd Mars Team