THE FILM OPPENHEIMER AS A CULTURAL ARTIFACT IN SCIENCE EDUCATION: STS AND SOCIOSCIENTIFIC POSSIBILITIES

Abstract

This article analyzes the pedagogical potential of the film Oppenheimer for science education, considering its possibilities for articulating scientific knowledge, relationships between science and technology, political processes, ethical dilemmas, and social consequences. The research adopted a qualitative, exploratory, documentary, and bibliographic approach, using the film directed by Christopher Nolan as the central corpus, complemented by historical documents and academic studies on nuclear science, the Manhattan Project, relationships between science and the State, and nuclear technologies. The analysis was organized into four stages: comprehensive viewing of the film and systematic recording of relevant situations; organization of episodes into analytical categories; interpretation based on the Science-Technology-Society (STS) perspective and Socioscientific Issues (SSI); and systematization of possibilities for pedagogical use. The results show that the film enables discussions of science as a historical, collective, and socially situated practice, while also problematizing the relationships between science, technology, political power, scientific responsibility, war, and sociopolitical movements. It is concluded that Oppenheimer can constitute a relevant cultural artifact for STS and SSI approaches, provided that it is used with pedagogical mediation and historical contextualization, rather than as a substitute for scientific and historical sources.