Science, Technology & Society (STS) Program
Science, Technology, and Society (STS) is an interdisciplinary field of study that seeks to explore and understand the many ways that science and technology shape culture, values, and institutions, and how such factors shape science and technology. We all depend heavily upon science and technology, and STS examines how science and technology emerge, how they enter society, how they change through social processes, and how society changes, as well. The STS Program sponsors several interrelated activities:
- The B.A. and B.S. majors in STS, including 30 credit hours of course work in the major: STS 214 - Introduction to STS; STS 403 - Seminar in STS; a four-course breadth requirement consisting of courses chosen from: I-History, II-Philosophy of Science and Ethics, III-Assessment and Policy, and IV-Other STS Courses; and a four-course STS Specialty that addresses a coherent theme related to science, technology, and society.
- The Minor in STS, consisting of 15 hours of course work including STS 214 - Introduction to STS.
- A graduate minor in STS (under development).
- The annual Rolf Buchdahl Lecture on Science, Technology, and Values
The objectives of the STS Program are to:
- Help its students learn some of the alternative ways of thinking and conducting research that characterize the interdisciplinary Science, Technology & Society field, and to relate these to larger human concerns
- Enable its students to explore complex STS topics by seeing them from multiple perspectives and in relation of other topics, and to integrate STS information and concepts from a variety of sources
- Provide its students with the skills and resources to learn key STS concepts, literature, practices, and issues in order to encourage lifelong learning
For more information contact Hope Ziglar, Student Services, IDS.
The current chair of the STS Advisory Committee is Dr. Edith Sylla, Professor of History.
