The Center for Science and Society is excited to offer a new minor in "Science and Society" for the 2024-25 academic year. This minor is an interdisciplinary collection of courses for students who wish to explore critical approaches to and societal implications of science, technology, health, and environment.
The aim of the Science and Society minor is to equip students in all fields, whether humanities, social sciences, or STEM disciplines, to critically interact with both new developments and long histories of science and technology, enabling them make sense of and intervene on societal grand challenges on individual, community, and global scales. Students who complete the minor will be able to
- interpret developments in science, technology, and medicine, in relation to their social and historical contexts;
- hone critical perspectives in order to locate how power and politics shape science and technology; and
- analyze, assess, critique, synthesize, and interpret outputs from scientific and technological fields and their implications for society.
The Science and Society minor is informed by the existing field of Science and Technology Studies (STS), an established interdisciplinary field that leverages methods and theories from the social sciences and humanities to interrogate the impacts not only of science and technology on society and culture but also of society and culture on science and technology.
Minor Requirements
The minor is currently open to undergraduate students in Columbia College or the School of General Studies. Five courses are required for the completion of the minor:
- HIST/SCSO UN2972: Unsettling Science (1)
- Method or theory course (1)
- Can be drawn from a number of departments, e.g., anthropology, sociology, history, the natural sciences (decided in consultation with the Director of Undergaduate Studies)
- Electives (3)
- Students are encouraged to select electives according to chosen tracks (e.g., history of science, environmental health, race and technology) in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies and affiliated Science and Society faculty.
Please contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies Madi Whitman at [email protected] with any questions.
Below is a selection of relevant courses that may be used to fulfill the elective portion of the Science and Society minor. For a full listing of all interdisciplinary classes across the university, please visit our interdisciplinary course listing page.
Undergraduate students interested in the Science and Society minor are encouraged to join our affiliated student list. You'll receive invitations and updates to student-focused curricular events.