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Cool, Alison

Assistant Professor

Positions

Research Areas research areas

Research

research overview

  • Dr. Cool’s research areas include the anthropology of Scandinavia; anthropology of science, medicine, and technology; science policy; expertise; economics; life sciences; twin studies; global data circulation; cultural understandings of privacy and surveillance; big data; open data; and EU data legislation.

keywords

  • cultural anthropology, anthropology of science and technology, medical anthropology, science and technology studies, STS, Sweden, Northern Europe, science policy, expertise, economics, life sciences, big data, open data, global data circulation, cultural understandings of privacy and surveillance

Publications

selected publications

Teaching

courses taught

  • ANTH 1155 - Exploring Global Cultural Diversity
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2019 / Spring 2023 / Spring 2024
    Examines the geography, kinship, politics and religious values of various cultures globally in historical and contemporary context through an anthropological perspective. Check with department for semester offerings. May be repeated up to 9 total credit hours.
  • ANTH 2100 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2018 / Summer 2019 / Fall 2020
    Covers current theories in cultural anthropology and discusses the nature of field work. Explores major schools of thought and ethnographic fieldwork in a range of cultures studied by anthropologists. Required for Anthropology majors.
  • ANTH 4710 - Departmental Honors in Anthropology 1
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Fall 2021
    Course work built around theme of research design as a means of integrating previous training in the field of anthropology as well as providing an opportunity to perform creative scientific investigations. Prepares students to write an honors thesis in ANTH 4720. Required of students doing Anthropology departmental honors.
  • ANTH 4720 - Departmental Honors in Anthropology 2
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2020 / Spring 2021 / Spring 2022
    Continuation of ANTH 4710. Recommended prerequisite: ANTH 4710.
  • ANTH 4745 - Science, Technology and Society
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Fall 2022
    Explores the cultural work of science and technology in contemporary societies. The course will focus on anthropological studies of technoscientific works ranging from high-energy particle physics and marine biology to hackathons and space exploration. Discussion topics include the relationship between science, technology and political power; scientific controversies; paradigm shifts and scientific revolutions; and ideas of objectivity, representation and abstraction. Same as ANTH 5745.
  • ANTH 4755 - Cultures of Expertise: Science, Power and Knowledge
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2019 / Fall 2023
    Examines the expertise as a cultural category. Students will consider the historical and cultural contexts of various forms of expertise and the social roles of experts from car mechanics to civil engineers, doctors and scientists. Students will be given opportunities to reflect analytically on their own experiences with increasingly specialized education as they develop "professional vision" in their chosen fields. Same as ANTH 5755.
  • ANTH 5755 - Cultures of Expertise: Science, Power and Knowledge
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2019 / Fall 2023
    Examines the expertise as a cultural category. Students will consider the historical and cultural contexts of various forms of expertise and the social roles of experts from car mechanics to civil engineers, doctors and scientists. Students will be given opportunities to reflect analytically on their own experiences with increasingly specialized education as they develop "professional vision" in their chosen fields. Same as ANTH 4755.
  • ANTH 7000 - Seminar: Current Research Topics in Cultural Anthropology
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2018 / Spring 2021 / Spring 2022
    Discusses current research and theoretical issues in the field of cultural anthropology. May be repeated up to 18 total credit hours.
  • ANTH 7010 - Seminar: Contemporary Theory in Cultural Anthropology
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2022
    Addresses current theoretical perspectives in cultural anthropology and controversies surrounding them. Discusses science, history, interpretation, and postmodernism. Includes the relationship between theory and method as well as the production of ethnography. May be repeated up to 9 total credit hours.

Background

International Activities

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