Science Magazine
The Science, Technology and Society (STS) program is designed to
help you understand the ways in which science and technology
influences and is influenced by the society of which it is a part.
STS courses are taught by faculty from many disciplines including
history, philosophy, literature, anthropology, and economics, as
well as from disciplines in the natural and life sciences and from
technology disciplines such as computer science.
In your studies you will confront many challenging and exciting
questions about the relationship between science, technology and
society. For instance:
- How have scientific discoveries--from the discovery that the
earth orbits the sun to the mapping of the human genome--altered
the surrounding society? What impact do these scientific changes
have on our view of ourselves in art, literature and religion?
- How do technological innovations--like gunpowder, antibiotics,
or computers--alter political, social, economic and cultural
life?
- What are the social, economic and political processes that
determine the directions of scientific research and technological
development?
- How is science and technology portrayed in the arts, literature
and the media, and what effects do these portrayals have on how
science and technology work?
- How can we reconcile the sometimes conflicting claims of
science and religion?
- What kinds of ethical issues arise with new developments in
science and technology--like genetic engineering or the
Internet--and how do we resolve such issues?
No doubt you can think of other questions like these. The STS
program will allow you to explore them.
For more information, contact Carol Reeves, (317) 940-9858 or creeves@butler.edu.