Founded in 1976, the Program in Science, Technology, and Society
attempts to increase human understanding of the human-built world.
Science and technology are no longer specialized enterprises confined
to factories and laboratories: they have become intertwined with each
other and with human society. The fundamental contribution of STS is to
look at the human-built world as an integrated whole. Two basic,
interrelated questions are addressed by faculty and students in the
Program in Science, Technology, and Society:
- How did science and technology evolve as human activities?
- How do they relate to the larger civilization?
The STS perspective has become of critical importance in
understanding a host of public issues such as privacy, democracy,
environment, medicine, education, and national and global security.
Beginning in 1988, the STS Program, in collaboration with the
History Faculty and Anthropology Program, created a doctoral program in
the History and Social Study of Science and Technology (HSSST).
While many HSSST graduates teach at universities, others bring an STS
perspective to law, business, journalism, and museum work. An
undergraduate program in STS has existed since 1980. It typically
attracts students with broad interests who seek an interdisciplinary
approach to education and who want to learn how scientists and
engineers influence the world. Students may concentrate, minor, joint
major or double major in STS.
Department of Science, Technology, and Society links
Visit the MIT Department of Science, Technology, and Society home page at:
http://web.mit.edu/sts/
Review the MIT Department of Science, Technology, and Society curriculum at:
/OcwWeb/web/resources/curriculum/index.htm#sts