2002-2003 Catalogue
2001-2002 Catalogue

Two-letter course code: ST

COURSE OFFERINGS

017j    Digital Photography and Imaging    An exploration of classic photographic techniques as applied through the digital medium using digital cameras and scanners and PhotoShop Elements software. Students will explore and apply the principles of composition to increase the visual impact of their work. Technical applications will cover the basics of hardware and software operations including sizing and cropping, color and tonal adjustments, and other image manipulations and corrections. Input options, file formatting, and output processes required for print and electronic viewing will be examined. Students will investigate the ways in which digital imaging can be used in art and in business, science, or communications through the production of four real-life projects. Noncredit.     HIGGINS

112fs    Science, Technology, and Society    Critical perspectives on the social aspects of science and technology in our lives, in the world around us, and throughout history. Issues include gender, communications, war, and the environment. Four credit hours.  S.    FLEMING, REICH

[118]    Environment and Society    Listed as Environmental Studies 118 (q.v.). Four credit hours.    

[212]    Native Natural Knowledge    An introduction to systems of natural knowledge in the non-Western world. The focus is on living traditions in Africa, Australia, China, Japan, and native North and South America. Emphasis is on diversity with a view to articulating both a personal philosophy and a global environmental synthesis. Four credit hours.  H, D, I.    

215f    Weather, Climate, and Society    A comprehensive introduction to the science of global change and its social dimensions. Topics include the composition, structure, and circulation of Earth's atmosphere and oceans; air pollution, ozone depletion, El Niño, and climate change. Four credit hours.  N.    FLEMING

244j    Changing Notions of Progress    Listed as History 244 (q.v.). Three credit hours.  H.    JOSEPHSON

[245]    Science, Race, and Gender    A two-course cluster (both required). For descriptions see Biology 245 and History 245. Eight credit hours.    

[246]    Luddite Rantings: A Historical Critique of Big Technology    Listed as History 246 (q.v.). Four credit hours.  H.    

[251]    Industry, Technology, and Society    An examination of the processes by which rapid technological developments have taken place in America, including the country's transformation from an agricultural- to an industrial-based economy during the 19th century; the stimuli and constraints on inventors, engineers, entrepreneurs, and corporations; the hesitant and often ineffective attempts by government to control technology; and the impact that evolving technology and industry have had on the environment. Four credit hours.  H.    

[271]    History of Science in America    A survey of the social, intellectual, and institutional development of science in America from colonial times to the present. Topics include scientists' roles in government, education, and industry; science in war; women in science; and the emergence of America as a leading scientific nation. Four credit hours.  H.    

[273]    Apocalypse Now: Science, Technology, and the Millennium    Perspectives on technology and gender in the shaping of millennial hopes and expectations, including the quest for ultimate knowledge, power, and control. Topics include technological enthusiasm since the Middle Ages, in early American history, and as manifested by atomic weapons, space travel, robotics, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and the environmental crisis. Seminar format will emphasize close reading and discussion of primary sources. Four credit hours.    

[275]    Science, Technology, and Politics    The origins of and contemporary issues in U.S. science and technology policy development, focusing on federal policy issues associated with the civil space program, advances in biomedicine, information technology, and intellectual property created by federally funded research. Four credit hours.  S.    

[281]    Global Environmental History    Perspectives from the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. A seminar examining the history of environmental issues from the different perspectives of the South and the North. The course will meet on occasion in the video conferencing center for discussions with international experts from the Southern Hemisphere. Readings and discussion will emphasize responses to past environmental changes through the historical lenses of gender, race, class, privilege, and other differences. Four credit hours.  H, I.    

356s    The Biography of Oil    Petroleum--it's not just a material, it's a way of life. How the oil industries and the technologies spawned by oil (e.g., automobiles, plastics, fertilizers) have influenced our lives, our economy, and our politics over the last 125 years. Consideration of alternative energy sources to oil as well as energy-related policy issues concerning international relations, human rights, environmental degradation, and resource depletion. Four credit hours.  S.    REICH

393f    Technology, War, and Society    A seminar on the role of technology in warfare and the military's broader influence on society from antiquity to the end of the Cold War. Topics include causes of war, military research and development, the rise of the national security state, high-tech warfare, and the future of war. Four credit hours.  H.    FLEMING, J. ROISMAN

[445]    Nuclear Madness    Listed as History 445 (q.v.). Four credit hours.  H.    

471f    Research Seminar: Science, Government, and Culture    Listed as History 471 (q.v.). Four credit hours.  H.    JOSEPHSON

485f    Technology and Its Discontents    A seminar emphasizing classical and enduring texts by philosophers, historians, and sociologists of science and technology. Students will engage in weekly discussions and write a series of short think pieces on the readings. STS students will identify a research topic, conduct a literature review, and write a formal proposal in preparation for completing a final integrative project. Open to all seniors. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Four credit hours.    FLEMING

486s    Science, Technology, and Society Senior Project    Written and oral communication of research. Students complete a final integrative project and present a public seminar. Prerequisite: Science, Technology, and Society 485. Four credit hours.    FLEMING

491f, 492s    Independent Study    Independent study in areas in which the student has demonstrated the interest and competence necessary for independent work. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor and the program director. One to four credit hours.