Science, Technology, and Society

The interrelation of scientific and technological systems with social and political life has become perhaps the most pressing concern of modern society. Science, Technology, and Society (STS) provides a rigorous approach to this area in conjunction with a primary discipline in the social sciences, arts, literature, or the natural sciences. Developing from its foundation in the history and philosophy of science, STS acts as a bridge between the social studies disciplines and natural sciences. It also complements the focus of the Experimental Humanities (EH) concentration on media in literature and the arts.

Students can use the resources of STS for the extradisciplinary exploration often demanded by contemporary issues in technology and science, while the primary academic or scientific field—for instance, anthropology, physics, or economics—provides a base of methodological skills and perspective. One benefit of this structure is that STS can provide the institutional grounding for interests—such as nonfiction science writing, the economy of software or social networking, toxicology, or the philosophy of scientific disciplines—that have no single “home” in a primary program.

The STS concentration hopes to foster a critical community engaged in understanding science and its relation to society, and to promote contact among students across different fields and divisions. Students in STS are encouraged, but not required, to have a practical “hands-on” technological, artistic, or policy component to their education, preferably in collective projects in their junior year. Models for such projects include constructing radio transmission equipment, developing biodiesel equipment for school vehicles, and studying construction and engineering techniques for work in developing countries.