Introduction to Science and Technology Studies
School of Undergraduate Studies BIS 1310 3.00
The accelerating availability of technological and scientific advances defines the 21st century. Science, technology, and their controversies pervade every aspect of our daily lives. The emergence of genetically modified food, individually targeted genome therapies, and the deployment of drone warfare exemplify this prevalence. As more aspects of our daily lives become "seen" and "knowable," trends such as big data also play an increasingly ubiquitous role in our existence. Using a critical, postcolonial lens, this course overviews the history and philosophy of Western science along with shifts and key concerns in environmental science, biological science, and computer science. The course also provides a foundation in the fundamental purpose of science and technology studies to examine and contest, from a highly interdisciplinary perspective, that which occupies the position of scientific and technological knowledge and their appropriate uses in US society and globally. BIS student
