The document discusses controversies and contested issues, and why mapping controversies is useful. It notes that controversies are complex and involve disagreements not just over opinions but also over core questions, relevant experts, and conditions for trusting expertise. While controversies may not be easily settled due to these disagreements, mapping them can provide a fruitful way to learn about science, technology and society. The document introduces controversy mapping as a teaching method and research approach, outlining the phases of a mapping project from understanding concepts to interpreting and presenting maps. It also discusses some key points about controversies from perspectives like actor-network theory.

1. CONTENTIOUS KNOWLEDGE AND
CONTESTED ISSUES
W HAT ARE CONTROVERSIES AND W HY MAP
CONTROVERSIES?
M D . S A I F U D D I N K H A L I D
A D A P T E D S L I D E S O F P R O F. T O R B E N E L G A A R D J E N S E N , A A U

2. REMEMBER MARIUS?
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3. REMEMBER DONG?
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4. • VACCINATE OUR CHILDREN?
• REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS?
• EAT GM CROPS?
• HAVE WOLVES IN THE WILD?
• RESTRICT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION?
• TAX FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS?
• ENFORCE GUN CONTROL?
• ALLOW CIRCUMCISION?
• CLONE HUMANS?
• USE MORE TESTS TO TRACK PROGRESS IN SCHOOLS?
SHOULD WE:
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5. • HOW DO W E KNOW IF VACCINES HAVE SIDE EFFECTS?
• IS CLIMATE CHANGE REAL?
• IN W HAT SENSE COULD GM CROPS BE CONSIDERED DANGEROUS?
• FROM W HAT PERSPECTIVE ARE W OLVES IN THE W ILD A PROBLEM?
• W HAT IS THE AUTHORITATIVE EXPERTISE ON FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION?
• HOW W OULD A TAX ON FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS W ORK IN
PRACTICE?
• GUN CONTROL – W HERE IS THAT EVEN A PROBLEM?
• IS CIRCUMCISION PAINFUL? DOES IT MATTER?
• CAN W E PREDICT THE CONSEQUENCES OF CLONING?
• ARE TESTS EFFECTIVE? FOR W HAT?
INVOLVES QUESTIONS LIKE:
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6. CONTROVERSIES ARE EVERYWHERE
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7. CONTROVERSIES ARE COMPLICATED
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8. CAN A CONTROVERSY BE SETTLED
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• DISAGREEMENTS ARE MERELY ABOUT DIFFERING OPINIONS
• AND WE CANNOT EVEN AGREE ON
THE CORE QUESTION
WHO IT CONCERNS
WHICH EXPERTS ARE RELEVANT FOR ANSWERING IT
AND THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THEY CAN BE TRUSTED
• SO A CONTROVERSY MIGHT BE SETTLED, IF ONLY:
ALL STAKEHOLDERS ARE SUFFICIENTLY INFORMED AND COME
TO COMMON GROUNDS

9. IN REALITY: THE BAR FIGHT
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10. IN REALITY: THE BAR FIGHT
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• W E ARE RARELY TALKING ABOUT THE SAME THING
• AND SO W E CANNOT REACH AGREEMENT ON
THE CORE QUESTIONS
W HO THEY CONCERN
W HICH EXPERTS CAN ANSW ER THEM
AND W HEN THEN THEY CAN BE TRUSTED
……
• SO CONTROVERSIES ARE NOT EASILY SETTLED
• BUT THEY ARE STILL
UNAVOIDABLE AND NECESSARY TO DEAL W ITH
FRUITFUL PLACES TO LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY IN ACTION
• SO CAN W E TREAT THEM AS A RESOURCE?

11. BAR FIGHTS ARE DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE…
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12.  CONTROVERSY MAPPING
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13. THE MAPPING CONTROVERSIES NETWORK
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• COURSES IN 25+
UNIVERSITIES
• 3 IN COPENHAGEN
• A SHARED
CURRICULUM IN
DIGITAL METHODS
• A DATABASE WITH
THE BEST STUDENT
PROJECTS
• AND AN ON-GOING
RESEARCH AGENDA

14. PHASE 1
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Understand the
basic concepts
Overview of
tools and
datasets
Choose a good
controversy
1st milestone:
Research design

15. PHASE 2
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Harvest data Read literature
Crunch and
visualise data
2nd milestone:
We’ve got maps!

16. PHASE 3
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Interpret maps
Narrate your
data
Explain
methods
EXAM
Present and defend controversy mapping

17. LET’S EXPLORE SOME BASIC
ACTOR-NETWORK POINTS
Mapping Controversies has been called an intuitive way to teach
Actor-Network Theory
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18. 1. THE NOTION OF NETW ORK IS OF USE W HENEVER ACTION IS TO BE
REDISTRIBUTED (P.797)
2. ..FROM A MATTER OF FACT TO A MATTER OF CONCERN (P.799)
3. NETW ORKS ARE A GREAT WAY TO GET RID OF PHANTOMS SUCH
AS NATURE, SOCIETY, OR POW ER, NOTIONS THAT BEFORE W ERE
ABLE TO EXPAND MYSTERIOUSLY AT NO COST (P.802)
4. IF YOU CHANGE THIS DATASCAPE, YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE
SOCIAL THEORY (P.802)
5. INDIVIDUAL ACTION IS MUCH TOO DISTRIBUTED TO BE DEFINED IN
TERMS OF INTERACTION (P.806)
QUOTES FROM ‘NETWORKS, SOCIETIES,
SPHERES’ (LATOUR 2011)
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19. CONTROVERSY AS A
METHODOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE
Why Science and Technology Studies have always thrived on
controversies
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20. Controversies as
Breeching Experiments
Ethnomethodology (Garfinkel 1962)
Breaking open black boxes to make
whatever is assumed (hence
ignored) explicit and available to
inquiry.
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21. Through
controversies…
…the social fabric of science and
technology is revealed.
SSK (Sociology of Scientific
Knowledge)
SCOT (Social Construction of
Science and Technology)
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22. Through
controversies…
…the implications of new science
and technology for wider society
become impossible to ignore.
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23. Through
controversies…
…the material agency of non-
humans becomes apparent.
Actor-Network Theory (ANT)
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24. SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK OF
CONTROVERSIES
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25. IS THIS A CONTROVERSY? AND HOW HOT IS IT?
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uncertainty>>>
disagreement>>>
• IS THERE DISAGREEMENT
• AND IS THERE ALSO
DISAGREEMENT ON W HAT W E
DISAGREE ABOUT?
• IS THE KNOW LEDGE BASE
QUESTIONED?
• ARE ALTERNATIVE KNOW LEDGE
CLAIMS BEING MADE?
• IS THE LEGITIMACY OF EXPERTS
BEING QUESTIONED?
• AND ARE ALTERNATIVE EXPERTS
OR ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF
EXPERTISE BEING MOBILISED?

26. IF YOU ARE A PARTY IN THE CONTROVERSY,
WHAT MATTERS IS:
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uncertainty>>>
disagreement>>>
• HAS THE KNOW LEDGE BASE ON
W HICH YOU BASE YOUR PROJECT OR
YOUR AGENDA BEEN QUESTIONED?
• HAS THE LEGITIMACY OF THE
EX PERTS YOU ASK FOR ADVICE
BEEN QUESTIONED?
• DO YOU HAVE A SUFFICIENT
OVERVIEW OF W HAT CONSTITUTE
THE RELEVANT QUESTIONS FOR
YOUR
USERS/STAKEHOLDERS/AUDIENCE?
• AND CAN YOU REASONABLY EX PECT
THAT THEY W ILL BE CONVINCED BY
THE CASE YOU ARE ADVOCATING
AND THE ARGUMENTS YOU WANT TO
MAKE IN SUPPORT OF IT?

27. • DO STAKEHOLDERS AGREE ON:
W HAT THE IMPORTANT
QUESTIONS ARE?
WHO CAN ANSW ER THESE
QUESTIONS?
AND W HAT CONSTITUTES A
SATISFACTORY ANSW ER?
• OR DO YOU HAVE TO FACILITATE
SUCH AN AGREEMENT, AND DO
YOU THEN HAVE THE RIGHT
DEVICES AT YOUR DISPOSAL?
• HOW W OULD A FORUM CAPABLE
OF ENCOMPASSING ALL THE
DIFFERENT CONCERNS HAVE TO
BE CONSTRUCTED`?
IF YOU HAVE A MEDIATING ROLE AND NEED TO
REACH A SETTLEMENT OR A COMPROMISE:
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uncertainty>>>
disagreement>>>

28. • YOUR INTERVENTION
ENVIRONMENT IS CHANGING?
• AND ESPECIALLY IF IT IS
GETTING HOTTER?
• HOW CAN YOU KEEP AN EYE ON
IT?
• WHAT CONSTITUTES EARLY
WARNING SIGNALS IN RELATION
TO YOUR PROJECT?
• AND WHERE SHOULD/COULD
YOU BE LOOKING FOR THEM?
IN ANY CASE YOU WILL PROBABLY WANT TO
KNOW IF:
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uncertainty>>>
disagreement>>>

29. SO WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE
NATURE OF THESE MAPS?
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30. MAPPING, CHARTING, AND VISUALIZATION
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• MAPPING, CHARTING, AND
VISUALIZATION ARE THREE
COMPONENTS OF
PRODUCTION MAPPING.
• PRODUCTION MAPPING
REFERS TO A REPEATABLE
AND AUTOMATED PROCESS
OF PRODUCING MAPS AND
CHARTS OF GIS DATA.

31. • W ORKFLOWS
MAPPING AND CHARTING TOOLS SUPPORT ENTERPRISE
CARTOGRAPHIC PRODUCTION W ORKFLOWS. THESE W ORKFLOWS
GENERATE NUMEROUS CARTOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS .
• CONTEXT
W HAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE MAP? W HAT GEOGRAPHIC AREA
W ILL IT COVER? W HAT SCALE, PROJECTION, AND DATA W ILL BE
USED?
• CARTOGRAPHIC DATA
• SYMBOLOGY
• CARTOGRAPHIC EDITING
• LAYOUT
• PUBLISHING
FROM GIS TO CONTROVERSY MAPPING
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32. CHARACTERISTICS & ELEMENTS OF
GEOGRAPHIC MAPPING
TO
MAPPING CONTROVERSIES
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33. GROUP FORMATION AND TOPIC SELECTION>
ROUND 1@HOME
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