✕

Science, Technology and Society, Minor

The Minor in Science, Technology and Society

Professor Christopher J. Phillips, Faculty Advisor, History Department
Location: Baker Hall 231C, 412-268-1753, cjp1@cmu.edu

Dr. Alexandra Garnhart-Bushakra, Academic Program Manager, History Department
Location: Baker Hall 240G, 412-268-1260, agarnhar@andrew.cmu.edu

Ms. Beth Jameson, M.A., Academic Advisor and Humanities Coordinator, History Department
Location: Baker Hall 240A, 412-268-5666, bjameson@andrew.cmu.edu

Overview

The Minor in Science, Technology, & Society (STS) provides students with an interdisciplinary, historically-grounded perspective on the development and meaning of science and technology in modern society. The minor enables students to explore the philosophical underpinnings, cultural and historical contexts, and economic and literary assessments of the interplay among science, technology, and society. A wide range of elective courses facilitates a deeper dive into subjects and approaches that build on the skills and knowledge gained in students’ primary and additional majors. This minor is appropriate for students pursuing both B.A. and B.S. degrees who seek a greater understanding of how science and technology have helped to shape and reshape the modern world.

Curriculum

The STS minor curriculum is 54 units (typically six 9-unit courses) split between a minimum of 27 units of “Core Courses” and 27 units of Electives. Students must take two “Core Courses” on the history and philosophy of science and technology and one “Core Course” on the language and rhetoric of science and technology. Students may choose from a wide variety of approved electives, including additional “Core Courses” to complete the minor. Students may request that courses not currently listed in the catalog count for the elective requirement by asking the Faculty Advisor for approval.

Please note that students may “double-count” a maximum of two courses for the STS minor that are used to fulfill the requirements of other majors and programs, including those administered directly by the History Department.

Minor in Science, Technology and Society54 units

I. Core Courses 27 units

Complete one course from each area. Additional courses from the History of Science Core and the History of Philosophy Core may count as electives for the minor.

Area 1. History of Science Core

Take at least 1 course from the list below.

Units
79-160Introduction to the History of Science9
79-170Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society9
79-175Moneyball Nation: Data in American Life9
79-234Technology and Society9
79-330Medicine and Society: Health, Healers, and Hospitals9
79-370Technology in the United States9
79-380Hostile Environments: The Politics of Pollution in Global Perspective9
Area 2. Philosophy of Science Core

Take at least 1 course from the list below.

80-220Philosophy of Science9
80-221Philosophy of Social Science9
80-226The Nature of Scientific Revolutions9
80-244Environmental Ethics9
80-245Medical Ethics9
80-249AI, Society, and Humanity9
Area 3. Science Core

Take at least 1 course (9 units total) from the following departments: 15-xxx Computer Science, 09-xxx Chemistry, 03-xxx Biological Sciences, 33-xxx Physics

II. Electives 27 units

Complete three courses from the approved list of elective courses. Courses listed in Areas 1 and 2  may also be taken as electives if not already completed for an Area requirement. To petition for a course not listed to be approved as an elective, contact the Faculty Advisor, cjp1@cmu.edu, directly.

73-427Sustainability, Energy, and Environmental Economics9
76-395Science Writing9
76-425Rhetoric, Science, and the Public Sphere9
76-476Rhetoric of Science9
76-492Rhetoric of Public Policy9
76-494Healthcare Communications9
79-150Medieval Science, Magic, and Wonders of Nature9
79-176Telegraphs, Tapes & TikTok: Technology and Revolutions in the Modern Middle East6
79-202Flesh and Spirit: Early Modern Europe, 1400-17509
79-204American Environmental History9
79-208Witchcraft and Witch-Hunting9
79-213The American Railroad: Decline and Renaissance in the Age of Deregulation6
79-215Environmental Justice from Conservation to Climate Change9
79-221From Compton to Kabul: Sound, Power, and Global History9
79-280Coffee and Capitalism9
79-283Anthropology of Energy9
79-289Animal Planet: An Environmental History of People and Animals9
79-297Technology and Work9
79-302Killer Robots? The Ethics, Law, and Politics of Drones and A.I. in War9
79-303Pittsburgh and the Transformation of Modern Urban America9
79-304History of Eugenics and Scientific Racism9
79-315The Politics of Water in Global Perspective9
79-331Body Politics: Women and Health in America9
79-332Medical Anthropology9
79-357Science and the Body6
79-365Race, Medicine, and Civil Rights9
79-368Un-natural Disasters: Societies and Environmental Hazards in Global Perspective6
79-375Science & Religion6
79-381The Multispecies City: Anthropology of Urban Environments9
80-101Dangerous Ideas in Science and Society9
80-150Nature of Reason9
80-222Measurement and Methodology9
80-312Mathematical Revolutions9
80-324Philosophy of Economics9
80-335Social and Political Philosophy9
80-348Health, Human Rights, and International Development9
84-387Remote Systems and the Cyber Domain in Conflict9
III. History Internship3-9 units
79-505Social & Political History Internship3-9

The History program strongly encourages students to locate internship opportunities in Pittsburgh or elsewhere that complement their historical interests (as, for example, in a museum or historical society) or in areas of policy research that complement their historical interests (as, for example, in a government agency or non-profit organization that promotes science education and outreach). The Academic Program Manager, Dr. Alexandra Garnhart-Bushakra, will assist students with matching their interests to local organizations. STS students can earn up to 9 units in each internship. Up to 9 history internship credits may count toward fulfillment of elective course requirements for the STS minor.

Back to top