I was a double major at Cornell (History and Computer Science) and ended up taking a few STS (Science, Technology and Society) classes. One of these classes was really great – a graduate level seminar co-taught by two up-and-coming young turks (one from the history department, one from – I recall – a molecular biology background).

Another course, though, was much as described above: a professor who didn’t understand the first thing about technology who used left-wing social “science” concepts as a replacement for real scholarship …and who brooked no disagreement from her left wing party line (any doubt about her view of the world was cast as “buying in to right wing propaganda”).

Alan Sokal’s “Social Text” affair demonstrated (a) the fundamental meaningless of postmodern culture studies; (b) the obsessive desire for respect from their “peers” in the real sciences that these cultural studies folks have.

These two trends smash into each other head on in the STS world – insecure know-nothings who respect science (or, at least, respect the respect that science garners) who none the less crave attention and deference often run the show.

It’s funny (sad funny, no ha-ha funny) that these mini scandals always break out in the “fake” departments.