Science, Technology, and Society Requirements

Science, Technology, and Society (STS) is an innovative, cross-disciplinary field of study focused not only on how science and technology shape the world but also how social and cultural developments shape science and technology. Drawing on work in sociology, anthropology, history, philosophy, media studies, literary history, and other fields, STS examines the deep cultural roots of our techno-scientific society and addresses pressing public policy issues. STS majors take courses across the natural, computational, and social sciences and the humanities to gain a well-rounded perspective on issues of science and technology. The STS major is excellent preparation for employment opportunities in both public service and the private sector, with recent graduates gaining employment in finance, tech, marketing, environment and sustainability, and government and policy career areas, among others.

Students planning to major or minor in STS should take ST112 (Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society) as soon as possible. Thereafter, STS students should take ST236 (Concepts and Methods in STS). STS students choose from a variety of electives and complete a yearlong senior research project.

Faculty

Chair, Associate Professor Aaron Hanlon (English and STS)

Core Faculty: Assistant Professor Ashton Wesner; Visiting Assistant Professor Thom Klepach

Steering Committee: Associate Professor Aaron Hanlon (English and STS); Assistant Professor Ashton Wesner; Visiting Assistant Professor Thom Klepach; Faculty Librarian Kara Kugelmeyer (Library)

Requirements

Requirements for the Major in Science, Technology, and Society

The STS major requires a total of 10 courses:

One introductory course (ST112: Introduction to STS)
One methods course (ST236: Concepts and Methods in STS)
One 200-level or higher course in natural or computer science beyond the all-College N requirement; may be an N but need not be; may be a lab but need not be
Two ST- or ST-approved courses focused on Technoscience Ethics and Justice (TEJ)
Three additional ST- or ST-approved courses as electives
Two senior capstone courses: ST485: STS Research I (senior Fall) and ST486: STS Research II (senior Spring)

The following rules also apply:

All courses not listed or cross-listed ST- in the catalogue must be from the approved courses list to count for STS credit.
Courses taken abroad require the approval of the STS chair. No more than two courses for a semester abroad or four courses for a year abroad may be counted toward the major.
No more than two 100-level courses beyond ST112 may be counted toward the major.
Students with at least a 3.5 GPA in the major and at least a 3.25 GPA overall may request permission to undertake an honors thesis.

Senior Projects

All senior STS majors will take ST485, which will prepare them for research through seminar readings, literature reviews, and proposal writing. This is the first part of a yearlong capstone experience in which students design and complete a final integrative project in science, technology, and society. This is followed by ST486, an intensive research and writing experience with final public presentations. Any member of the faculty may serve as an advisor for STS senior projects.

Honors in Science, Technology, and Society

Students with a 3.5 GPA in the major (and at least a 3.25 GPA overall) may request permission to undertake an honors thesis. They will enroll in ST485 and meet with other STS seniors to prepare a literature review and proposal, which must be approved by a panel of faculty members. Students continuing in the honors program will enroll in ST484 under the supervision of an advisor and second reader. Upon successful completion of the thesis and fulfillment of all requirements for the major, and if a 3.5 GPA in the major is maintained, the student will be invited to deposit a copy of his or her thesis in Miller Library and will graduate with “Honors in Science, Technology, and Society.”

Requirements for the Minor in Science, Technology, and Society

Track 1. Social-Cultural (for majors in humanities, interdisciplinary studies, and social science): ST112: Introduction to STS; ST485: STS Research I (in senior fall); five other ST- or ST-approved courses.

Track 2. Human Dimensions of Science (for natural science majors): ST112: Introduction to STS; ST485: STS Research I (in senior fall); three other ST- or ST-approved courses; a two-course thematic cluster consisting of at least one 300-level or higher natural science, computer science, or mathematics course. The thematic cluster must be approved in advance by the STS chair in consultation with the relevant department(s). The final paper in ST485 must integrate the thematic cluster with its social and cultural implications.

List of STS-Approved Courses

* Indicates cross-listed with STS in the course catalogue

# Indicates Technoscience Ethics and Justice (TEJ) credit

Approved in Fall 2022:

AM297 Land, Sovereignty, and Cultural Identity #
AM238 Making Modern Science* #
AM397 Indigenous Peoples, Climate Change, and Power #
AY112 Cultural Anthropology
AY221 Of Beasts, Pets, and Wildlife
AY256 Land, Food, Culture, Power #
AY328 Anthropology of Money
AY341 Culture, Mobility, Identity #
BC362 Medical Biochemistry
BI118 Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
BI253 Ecological Communities of the Northeast
BI271 Ecology
BI274 Neurobiology
BI277 Vertebrate Natural History
CL153 Environmental Approaches to Antiquity
CL154 Ancient Medicine*
CS151 Computational Thinking: Visual Media
CS152 Computational Thinking: Science
CS232 Computer Organization
EC231 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
EC477 Financial Technology
EN283 Environmental Humanities* #
EN357 Literature and Environment
EN493 17th-Century Literature and the Natural World
ES239 Seafood Forensics*
ES319 Conservation Biology
ES326 International Climate and Environmental Justice #
GM297 Animals, Hybrids, and Machines
HI348 U.S. Environmental History
HI397 Dark Matters: Technology and its Discontents in the Middle East #
LA214 Environmental Policy and Performance in Contemporary Latin America #
PL126 Philosophy and the Environment
PS233 Biological Basis of Behavior*
SO131 Introduction to Sociology
WG120B Critical Inquiries in Medical Ethics #
WG241 Foundations of Disability Studies #
WG352 Theorizing Medicine: Critical Race Studies to Trans of Color Critique* #

Approved in Spring 2023:

AA244 Black Digital Humanities #
AM128 Land, Sovereignty, and Cultural Identity #
AM254 Surveillance Culture* #
AM298 Worlds Beyond the Human: Multi-Species Justice #
AY112 Cultural Anthropology
AY265 AI and Inequality #
BC362 Medical Biochemistry
BI198 Plants and People
BI225 Immunology
BI275 Human Physiology
CL254 Natural Disasters in Antiquity and Beyond
CS151 Computational Thinking: Visual Media
CS152 Computational Thinking: Science
CS310 Creating Future Words: Computing, Ethics, and Society
EA242 Development and Environmental Issues in Contemporary China* #
EC231 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
EC468 Challenges of the Anthropocene: Views from the Global South #
EN283 Environmental Humanities #
EN298A Critical Inquiries in Board Game Media
ES243 Environmental Ethics
ES366 Pollution and Human Health
GE123 How to Build a Habitable Planet
GE198 Climate Through Human History
GS255 Global Health: Critical Perspectives on Health, Care, and Policy
IT246 Wild Writing: A Comparative Experiential Approach to Ecopoetics
PS233 Biological Basis of Behavior*
RE232 American Spirituality and the Environment
SO131 Introduction to Sociology
SO367 Art and Science of Data Analysis
WG120B Critical Inquiries in Medical Ethics #

Approved in Fall 2023:

AA244 Black Digital Cultures #
AM228 Nature and the Built Environment
AM254 Surveillance Culture* #
AM298 Worlds Beyond the Human: Multi-Species Justice #
AY112 Cultural Anthropology
AY328 Anthropology of Money
AY364 Toxicity, Health, and the Pharmaceutical Self
BC362 Medical Biochemistry
BI118 Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
BI163 The Cellular Basis of Life
BI225 Immunology
BI271 Ecology
BI274 Neurobiology
CS151 Computational Thinking: Visual Media
CS152 Computational Thinking: Science
EC343 Environment and Development
EN283 Environmental Humanities #
EN324 Creative Environmental Communication
EN350 Ecotopian Visions #
EN493N 17th-Century Literature and the Natural World
ES223 Environmental Policy
ES265 Global Public Health
ES319 Conservation Biology
ES364 Climate Change, Justice, and Health #
ES368 Global Climate Policy
GE127 Pale Blue Dot: Earth Through Time
HI314 Venice from Beginning to End*
HI415 Plague: Death and Disease in Premodern Europe*
HI497 Histories of Assisted Reproductive Technology* #
MA376 History of Mathematics*
PL120A Mind and Machine
PL328 Radical Ecologies* #
PL365 Philosophy of Cognitive Science
PS233 Biological Basis of Behavior*
SO131 Introduction to Sociology
SP297 Deep Ecology in Human Imagination
SC212 Introduction to Statistics and Data Science
WG120B Critical Inquiries in Medical Ethics #