Minor in Science, Technology & Society

Minor Description

The most pressing issues of our time, from global climate change to digital surveillance, are at once social and scientific, political and technological. The Science, Technology & Society minor explores these integral relationships, situating emerging technologies and scientific ideas within their complex histories and social politics. Students in STS work with faculty members trained in a range of disciplines from psychology and biology to geography and media studies. They develop skills in applied scientific and technical research as well as capacities for critical, creative, and ethical reflection, examining the relationship between power and knowledge production in science and technology contexts.

The STS minor comprises three curricular components: two core courses (10 credits), one research methods course (5 credits), and two STS elective courses (10 credits). This structure is designed to support individual areas of interests and foster interdisciplinary scholarship.

Minor Requirements

Students who declare the minor as of Winter 2024 quarter have the requirements below to complete. Students declared prior to Winter 2024 quarter can reach out to an IAS Academic Advisor and decide to complete the minor under the current requirements or switch to these new requirements. You can schedule an appointment with your IAS advisor or email.

Core Courses

To complete the STS minor, students must complete the following core courses:

  • BISSTS 307: Science, Technology & Society
  • BISSTS 355: History of Science and Technology

Methods

The STS minor requires that students complete one of the following methods courses:

  • BES 301: Science Methods and Practice
  • BIS 312: Approaches to Social Research
  • BIS 340: Approaches to Cultural Research

This requirement reflects a pedagogical attention to the production of knowledge — asking students to consider the social and cultural contexts of methodological practice.

STS Elective Courses

The STS minor requires that students complete two courses (10 credits total) from the elective list below:

Elective courses examine the social and cultural context of scientific knowledge production and technological development or engage in applied scientific research and/or technological design. In addition, these classes situate research and design practice within broader social and cultural contexts. *Please note that the list of courses will be maintained by the School of IAS. Total elective courses may exceed two depending on credits completed. 10 credits of electives must be completed to satisfy the elective requirement.

  • BEARTH 317 Soils Laboratory
  • BEARTH 318 Hydrogeology
  • BEARTH 320 Impacts of Climate Change
  • BEARTH 321 Geomorphology
  • BEARTH 341 Natural Hazards and Human Disasters
  • BES 303 Environmental Monitoring Practicum
  • BES 311 Environmental Chemistry
  • BES 312 Ecology
  • BES 316 Ecological Methods
  • BES 362 Introduction to Restoration Ecology
  • BES 385 Biodiversity Conservation
  • BES 439 Computer Modeling and the Environment
  • BIS 218 The Power of Maps
  • BIS 233 Participatory Media Culture
  • BIS 242 Environmental Geography
  • BIS 243 Introduction to Environmental Issues
  • BIS 244 Wetlands Discovery
  • BIS 246 Introduction to Sustainability
  • BIS 285/B BIO 285 Seminar in Biology
  • BIS 235 Critical Media Literacy
  • BIS 236 Introduction to Interactive Media
  • BIS 252 Politics of Science
  • BIS 307 Environmental Justice
  • BIS 332 Global Digital Industries
  • BIS 352 Mapping Communities
  • BIS 380 Bioethics
  • BIS 382 Health, Medicine and Society
  • BIS 421 Technology Policy
  • BIS 422 Clinical Psychology
  • BIS 458 Energy, the Environment, and Society
  • BIS 459 Conservation and Sustainable Development
  • BISMCS 478 Visual Communications
  • BISSTS 231/B BIO 231 Genes, Genomes & Heredity
  • BISSTS 232/B BIO 232 Embryos, Genes, and Reproductive Technology
  • BISSTS 397 Topics in Science, Technology, and Society
  • BISSTS 420 Race, Gender, Science, and Medicine
  • BISSTS 497 Advanced Topics in Science, Technology, and Society
  • B BIO 233 Cancer: Biology, Risk and Treatment
  • B BIO 305 The Science and Ethics of Stem Cells
  • B BIO 310 Brain and Behavior
  • B BIO 330 Marine Biology
  • BHLTH 224 Disease, Human History, Society & Civilization
  • BHS 201 Introduction to Public Health
  • BHS 403 Introduction to Epidemiology
  • BHS 300 Principles of Health Research
  • BHS 302 Social Dimensions of Health
  • BST 205 Women in STEM
  • BST 445 Political Economy of Energy
  • BST 446 Sustainable Energy
  • CSS 411 Computing Technology and Public Policy

Total: 25 credits

Students must earn a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA for courses applied to the minor.

A minimum of 15 credits applied to the minor must be completed in residence at UW Bothell.

Students are required to take at least 15 credits at the 300-400 level coursework out of 25 credits.

Note: Classes in this minor are offered primarily during the day-time hours.

Questions?

If you have questions regarding the minor in STS, please contact the IAS Advisors at IASadv@uw.edu.