Science, Technology and Society Major

Requirements for the Major in Science, Technology and Society

1. Foundational courses

   • An introductory course in STS. STS 010 HM (this should be taken early but need not be the first STS course)

   • One STS theory and practice course in each of the three disciplinary areas of STS. 

   • These courses explicitly examine science and technology using the theories, concepts and methods that are central to STS as a discipline.

     1. One historical studies course from course, STS 081 PZ, HIST 081 HM, HIST 082 HM, or HIST083 PZ 

     2. One philosophy of science course from course, course, course, or PHIL163 SC  

     3. One political, cultural, or social approach course to STS from ANTH 111 HM, POST 186 PZ, ANTH 114 SC or FGSS 183 SC 

   • Three “science and technology practice” courses
     To gain some first-hand experience with practice and theory in science and technology, STS majors must take three courses that all fulfill requirements for majoring in a single STEM field (science, mathematics, computer science, or engineering). The requirement for three courses includes some advancement beyond the introductory courses: at least one of these courses must have a prerequisite in that STEM field or be second (or greater) in a sequence required for that major.

2. Three “concentration area” STS courses, all from a single area of STS: either History, or Philosophy, or the Political, Cultural, and Social Perspectives area of STS. This requirement asks students to acquire depth in one of the main disciplinary areas of STS. One of these courses may be replaced with a senior thesis. A thesis student chooses a member of the STS field group as a primary mentor in the research project, and will also need a second reader; one of these must be a member of the Pomona faculty. The student’s program must be determined in consultation with both readers and must show intellectual integrity and academic coherence.

3. Three “science and technology practice” courses
   To gain some first-hand experience with practice and theory in science and technology, STS majors must take three courses that all fulfill requirements for majoring in a single STEM field (science, mathematics, computer science, or engineering). The requirement for three courses includes some advancement beyond the introductory courses: at least one of these courses must have a prerequisite in that STEM field or be second (or greater) in a sequence required for that major.

4. Two STS electives from any of the courses listed as STS courses

5. course - Senior Integrative Seminar 

Requirements for the Major in STS/Public Policy Analysis (PPA)

This option is designed for students who wish to focus on public policy issues in science, technology and society. It is important to choose this option no later than the second semester of the sophomore year by contacting the program coordinators in both programs.

1. Five-course public policy sequence:

   1. course, course 

   2. course or course, course 

   3. One of the following science and public policy courses: POST 133 PZ  

2. Statistics: course, course, course or a course approved by the PPA program coordinator

3. Core courses in history and philosophy of science and technology:

   1. History of science and technology: two from course; STS 081 PZ or HIST 081 HM; HIST 082 HM

   2. Philosophy of science and technology: one from course, course or course

4. Four courses in mathematics (course or above), science and/or engineering (including experimental and physiological psychology, excluding the statistics requirement above):

   1. One semester of a laboratory science

   2. Three courses in one field that count toward a major in that field or that are prerequisites to courses that count toward a major in that field

5. course, course, course, three-course internship thesis sequence