Courses

CSTMS offers core STS courses on campus for undergraduates and graduate students.

STS C100: Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society

Screen Shot 2015-01-20 at 2.39.27 PM

This course provides an overview of the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) as a way to study how our knowledge and technology shape and are shaped by social, political, historical, economic, and other factors. We will learn key concepts of the field (e.g., how technologies are understood and used differently in different communities) and apply them to a wide range of topics, including geography, history, environmental and information science, and others. Questions this course will address include: how are scientific facts constructed? How are values embedded in technical systems? Also listed as Interdisciplinary Studies Field Maj C100G and History C182C. (4 units)

 

STS C104D: Human Contexts and Ethics of Data – History/STS

This course teaches you to use the tools of applied historical thinking and Science, Technology, and Society (STS) to recognize, analyze, and shape the human contexts and ethics of data. It addresses key topics such as doing ethical data science amid shifting definitions of human subjects, consent, and privacy; the changing relationship between data, democracy, and law; the role of data analytics in how corporations and governments provide public goods such as health and security to citizens; sensors, machine learning and artificial intelligence and changing landscapes of labor, industry, and city life. It prepares you to engage as a knowledgeable and responsible citizen and professional in the varied arenas of our data-fied world. Also listed as History C184D. (4 units)

 

STS C200: Topics in Science and Technology Studies

pollen-543490_640

This course provides a strong foundation for graduate work in STS, a multidisciplinary field with a signature capacity to rethink the relationship among science, technology, and political and social life. From climate change to population genomics, access to medicines and the impact of new media, the problems of our time are simultaneously scientific and social, technological and political, ethical and economic. Also listed as Environ Sci, Policy, and Management C252, Anthropology C254, and History C250. (3 units)

 

STS C250: Science and Technology Studies Research Seminar

clock-70189_640

This course will cover methods and approaches for students considering professionalizing in the field of STS, including a chance for students to workshop written work. Also listed as Environ Sci, Policy, and Management C273, Anthropology C273, and History C251. (3 units)