A small department asking the largest questions
The Department of Science and Technology studies aims to explore the past, present and future of technology
By EMILIA ROSE — science@theaggie.org
The Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) hosts a small major in the College of Letters and Science with a big goal of exploring the context and impacts of science and technology throughout history.
Often overshadowed by the hard sciences and humanities, STS combines both fields into a cohesive yet all-encompassing major.
Professor Finn Brunton lectures Introduction to Science, Technology and Medicine Studies (STS 001); he explained the field of STS.
“Part of what STS lets us do is to put science and technology into larger contexts,” Brunton said. “We can understand where they came from, how they evolved […] it lets us ask, how do these things work, right? How did they develop over time? How did they become what they are? And what can we think about where they're going in the future?"
The STS major provides students with the opportunity to study the historical and societal context of science and its impacts throughout time. STS also allows students to analyze how these disciplines intersect and what they mean together.
Brunton explained what type of student might be interested in STS.
“The best way to characterize the people that STS is a good fit for is people who are intensely curious,” Brunton said. “The range of topics is as broad as science and technology itself can encompass.”
Hayley Steele, a graduate student in the STS department, shares how the field can offer valuable perspectives to science students, even those who do not major in STS.
“Scientists usually aren't trained to offer meta-analyses of their work, which can make it hard for them to articulate certain key details about the historical and cultural context in which they are working,” Steele said. “The more perspectives you have on a given research project, the easier it is to catch forms of bias that might have gone unnoticed otherwise.”
The major offers four different emphases: law and innovation, health and environment, data and media technologies and philosophy and history of science.
For those interested in participating in STS but do not want to commit to a full major, the possibility of adding an STS minor to UC Davis’ list of programs is under consideration, according to Burton.
Although still a developing field, STS is a profoundly interdisciplinary subject, with many talented and enthusiastic professors welcoming any and all students to learn in their classrooms.
Written by: Emilia Rose— science@theaggie.org