The newly inter-college STS Program is home to
- undergraduate and graduate studies in the wider fields of the sciences, engineering, medicine, anthropology, geography, literature, rhetoric, and many more.
- both graduate and undergraduate minors in STS as well as Bioethics and Medical Humanities and soon also Disabilities Studies
PROGRAMS
SMTC: Science, Medicine and Technology in Culture
The SMTC group is a diverse group of faculty and graduate students from the departments of History; English; Philosophy; Anthropology; Science, Technology and Society; Women's Studies; and various departments of the life and physical sciences dedicated to exploring the history, rhetoric, philosophy, and broader culture of science, technology, and medicine from a range of interdisciplinary perspectives.
MINORS
The STS Undergraduate Minor
The Science, Technology, and Society (STS) minor can complement all majors throughout the University. Housed in the STS Program, it provides interdisciplinary instruction and integrated knowledge to enhance education in a world permeated by science and technology.
The STS Graduate Minor
The Science, Technology, and Society (STS) graduate minor may be combined with all graduate degrees at the University. The minor will provide in-depth STS theory and research and allow these to be integrated in the graduate student's primary field of study.
The STS Option within the Letters, Arts, and Sciences Major
Letters, Arts, and Sciences is a multidisciplinary, theme-oriented, and student-designed major in the College of the Liberal Arts leading to a bachelor of arts degree.
We also can advise for the Bachelor of Philosophy (B.Phil.) program.
Bioethics and Medical Humanities Minor
The Bioethics and Humanities Minor will give students the opportunity to explore a wide range of issues from topics that often make the headlines—such as stem cell research and physician-assisted suicide—to larger and often neglected questions of social justice and access to healthcare. Students taking the BMH minor will have the opportunity to probe these issues, drawing on literature and on recent scholarship from a wide range of disciplines (including philosophy, medicine, law, psychology, sociology, anthropology, public policy, international studies and environmental studies). The minor is suitable for students in almost any major, especially those going on to further academic work or careers in medicine, law, the health sciences, the life sciences, informatics or forensics.
Disability Studies Minor
The Disability Studies Minor is currently in the administrative planning stages to be available in Spring 2007. For now, please visit the Rock Ethics Institute's program description for our strengths in this area.
The STS Peace & Conflict Studies Minor
The STS Peace and Conflict Studies minor will give students the opportunity to study the factors that contribute to war and conflict; the methods designed to prevent, resolve and manage it; and the conditions necessary for peace. Courses are designed to provide an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural approach to the issues of war and conflict, peace and peace-building.
European Studies on Society, Science and Technology (ESST)
Through the College of Liberal Arts, Penn State has participated for many years in undergraduate student exchanges and faculty research with the University Maastricht in the Netherlands who offer a one-year international Masters program in Science and Technology Studies. It is taught in collaboration with 17 universities from 14 different European countries. More information on this can be found on our web site: www.esst.unimaas.nl