Science & Technology Studies (STS)Arts and Sciences

Showing 35 results.

Course descriptions provided by the Courses of Study 2016-2017.

STS 1117

The seminar will explore the history of science, technology, and society in the United States during the Cold War.  Students will write about such themes as government funding, promotion, and regulation ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17982 STS 1117   SEM 101

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute

STS 1126

This seminar explores the ways in which Science and Society shape one another and provides the opportunity to write extensively about this mutual shaping. Topics vary by section. view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • Topic: FWS: What is Mathematics?

  • 17983 STS 1126   SEM 101

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute

Syllabi: none
  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • Topic: FWS: Exploring S&TS through Science Fiction

  • 17984 STS 1126   SEM 102

  • For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute

STS 1941

How did the approaches to knowledge of nature that developed in medieval and early-modern Europe create an enterprise that associated the practical manipulation of nature with scientific truth? This course ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: BSOC 1941HIST 1941

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8903 STS 1941   LEC 001

STS 2011

This course introduces some central ideas in the field of S&TS. It is aimed at students from any background who are challenged to think more critically about what counts as scientific knowledge and ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: SOC 2100

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7923 STS 2011   LEC 001

  •  7925 STS 2011   DIS 202

  •  8094 STS 2011   DIS 203

  • 16324 STS 2011   DIS 204

  • 16325 STS 2011   DIS 205

STS 2051

In today's rapidly changing world of health and medicine, complex ethical issues arise in many contexts from the private, interpersonal interactions between doctor and patient to the broad, mass-mediated ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: BSOC 2051

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 16473 STS 2051   LEC 001

  • First-Year students not admitted into course.

  • 16474 STS 2051   DIS 201

  • 16475 STS 2051   DIS 202

  • 16476 STS 2051   DIS 203

  • 16477 STS 2051   DIS 204

  • 16478 STS 2051   DIS 205

  • 16479 STS 2051   DIS 206

  • 16480 STS 2051   DIS 207

  • 16481 STS 2051   DIS 208

STS 2071

This course offers an introductory survey of the history of medicine (principally in Europe and the United States) from classical antiquity to the early twentieth century. Using a combination of both primary ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: BSOC 2071HIST 2710

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8096 STS 2071   LEC 001

  •  8098 STS 2071   DIS 201

  •  8100 STS 2071   DIS 202

  •  8102 STS 2071   DIS 203

  •  8104 STS 2071   DIS 204

  •  8235 STS 2071   DIS 205

STS 2381

In 1919, journalist John Reed published Ten Days That Shook the World about the 1917 Russian Revolution. Some events are so transformative, Reed argued, they change the course of history. This class examines ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HIST 2881

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 16898 STS 2381   LEC 001

STS 2561

An exploration of processes of change in medicine in China.  Focuses on key transitions, such as the emergence of canonical medicine, of Daoist approaches to healing and longevity, of Buddhist medicine ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  • 15900 STS 2561   LEC 001

STS 2641

In this course we will study the technologies – aqueducts, automata, catapults, concrete and more – that allowed the Roman Empire to prosper and expand. Technical and historical background will accompany ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: ARKEO 2641CLASS 2641

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17704 STS 2641   LEC 001

  • 17705 STS 2641   DIS 201

  • 17706 STS 2641   DIS 202

STS 2751

As technologies and algorithms that can autonomously take in information, make decisions, and act on those decisions become more and more prevalent, questions arise as to the moral and ethical aspects ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ECE 2750ENGRG 2750INFO 2750

  • 3 Credits Graded

  •  9928 STS 2751   LEC 001

STS 2761

Traffic lights, elevators, and recycling bins seem rather boring and irrelevant. Yet, while not usually on our minds when thinking about governance and regulation, these seemingly mundane technologies ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: SOC 2760

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  9710 STS 2761   LEC 001

STS 2871

Evolution is the central concept in biology. This course examines evolution as a science and places it in an historical context. Lectures focus on descent with modification, the nature of natural selection, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: BIOEE 2070

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6733 STS 2871   LEC 001

    • TR Ives Hall 217
    • Allmon, W

      Graffin, G

  • Intended for students with no background in college biology. May not be taken for credit after BIOEE 1780 Does not meet evolutionary biology requirement for biological sciences major.

  •  6734 STS 2871   DIS 201

  •  6735 STS 2871   DIS 202

  •  6736 STS 2871   DIS 203

STS 3011

Biology and biotechnology are major influences on modern life. In addition, socio-political and historical conditions have shaped biological research and its applications in medicine, agriculture, environmental ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: BSOC 3011

  • 4 Credits Graded

  •  6421 STS 3011   LEC 001

  • First-Year students not admitted into course.

STS 3020

How to write about science, technology, and medicine for the media. Writing assignments focus on writing news for web sites, blogs, magazines, and other media. view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one laboratory. Combined with: COMM 3020

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8092 STS 3020   LEC 001

  • Not open to freshmen. Prerequisite: college-level writing course.

  •  8093 STS 3020   LAB 401

STS 3311

Environmental governance is defined as the assemblage of institutions that regulate society-nature interactions and shape environmental outcomes across a range of spatial and temporal scales.  Institutions, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: BSOC 3311DSOC 3311NTRES 3311

  • 3 Credits Graded

  •  7956 STS 3311   LEC 001

  • Enrollment limited to: juniors, seniors, or by permission of instructor.

  •  7957 STS 3311   DIS 201

  •  7958 STS 3311   DIS 202

  •  7959 STS 3311   DIS 203

STS 3511

Media make things move. Ships transport goods, cars carry passengers, devices transmit information. While origins and destinations often seem the most significant, modern media and cultural mobility also ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 3112GERST 3511PMA 3511

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17685 STS 3511   SEM 101

STS 3651

Psychoanalysis considers the human being not as an object of treatment, but as a subject who is called upon to elaborate an unconscious knowledge about what is disrupting her life, through analysis of ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •  9946 STS 3651   LEC 001

  • 16953 STS 3651   DIS 201

  • 16954 STS 3651   DIS 202

STS 3811

This course will cover various topics in the philosophy of science. view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: PHIL 3810

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6662 STS 3811   LEC 001

  •  6729 STS 3811   DIS 201

  •  6730 STS 3811   DIS 202

STS 3991

More information and applications available in 306 Rockefeller Hall. view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-6 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7616 STS 3991   IND 602

    • TBA
    • Dear, P

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-6 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7617 STS 3991   IND 603

    • TBA
    • Hilgartner, S

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-6 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7618 STS 3991   IND 604

    • TBA
    • Kline, R

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-6 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7619 STS 3991   IND 605

    • TBA
    • Leuenberger, C

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-6 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7620 STS 3991   IND 606

    • TBA
    • Lewenstein, B

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-6 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7621 STS 3991   IND 607

    • TBA
    • Lynch, M

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-6 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7622 STS 3991   IND 608

    • TBA
    • Pinch, T

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-6 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7623 STS 3991   IND 609

    • TBA
    • Prentice, R

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-6 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7624 STS 3991   IND 610

    • TBA
    • Pritchard, S

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-6 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7625 STS 3991   IND 611

    • TBA
    • Rossiter, M

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-6 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7626 STS 3991   IND 612

    • TBA
    • Sengers, P

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-6 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7627 STS 3991   IND 613

    • TBA
    • Seth, S

STS 4120

Modern science is often seen as having been originally developed in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Copernicus, who set the Earth in motion around the sun in the early 16th century, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: BSOC 4121HIST 4120

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 16029 STS 4120   SEM 101

STS 4131

One of the most troubling realizations of the 20th century has been the extent to which human activities have transformed the environment on a global scale. The rapid growth of human population and the ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: BSOC 4131HIST 4131

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 16314 STS 4131   SEM 101

STS 4240

The social impact of technologies is typically thought about fairly late, if ever, in the design process. Indeed, it can be difficult at design time to predict what effects technologies will have. Nevertheless, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: INFO 4240

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17364 STS 4240   LEC 001

STS 4291

This course examines scientific controversies that become political. Why does some science become politicized rather than normalized and routinized? How do societies deal with collective uncertainty and ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: BSOC 4291GOVT 4291

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 17128 STS 4291   SEM 101

  • Government seniors and juniors given preference.

STS 4331

An introduction to current debates about the role played by science and technology in the history of globalization, international relations, and transnationalism. Covers the period 1600 to the present ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 16663 STS 4331   SEM 101

STS 4411

This senior seminar offers an intensive research and reading experience in the philosophy of medicine, considering, in particular, questions about what physicians know, how that knowledge informs current ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: BSOC 4411PHIL 2961

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 16289 STS 4411   SEM 101

STS 4691

Multidisciplinary course dealing with the social and environmental impact of food production in the United States and developing countries. Agroecosystems of various kinds are analyzed from biological, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: BIOEE 4690BSOC 4691

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16232 STS 4691   LEC 001

  • Prerequisite: introductory ecology course or permission of instructor. Limited to 20 students.

STS 4871

If you want to learn geology, engineering, psychology, nutrition, religion, economics, and how to write an epic poem, you go scurrying to widespread corners of the university. Yet in the English Enlightenment, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: BSOC 4871ENGL 4370

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16463 STS 4871   SEM 101

STS 4991

Students must register for 4 credits each semester (4991-4992) for a total of 8 credits. After the first semester, students receive a letter grade of "R"; a letter grade for both semesters is submitted ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: BSOC 4991

  • 4 Credits Multi-Term

  •  8851 STS 4991   RSC 701

    • TBA
    • Prentice, R

STS 6231

This interdisciplinary seminar introduces the fields of literature and science studies, with a particular focus on early modern natural history and philosophy. How did early moderns produce authoritative ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ENGL 6230

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16524 STS 6231   SEM 101

STS 6301

Sociologist C. Wright Mills challenged his readers to develop their "sociological imagination" to understand the social and historical forces at work in seemingly individual events, such as the receipt ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16297 STS 6301   SEM 101

STS 6811

Advanced discussion of some problem or problems in the philosophy of science. view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: PHIL 6810

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • Topic: Philosophical Naturalism

  •  8465 STS 6811   SEM 101

STS 6991

Applications and information are available in 306 Rockefeller Hall. view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7603 STS 6991   IND 602

    • TBA
    • Dear, P

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7604 STS 6991   IND 603

    • TBA
    • Hilgartner, S

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7605 STS 6991   IND 604

    • TBA
    • Kline, R

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7606 STS 6991   IND 605

    • TBA
    • Leuenberger, C

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7607 STS 6991   IND 606

    • TBA
    • Lewenstein, B

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7608 STS 6991   IND 607

    • TBA
    • Lynch, M

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7609 STS 6991   IND 608

    • TBA
    • Pinch, T

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7610 STS 6991   IND 609

    • TBA
    • Prentice, R

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7611 STS 6991   IND 610

    • TBA
    • Pritchard, S

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7612 STS 6991   IND 611

    • TBA
    • Rossiter, M

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7613 STS 6991   IND 612

    • TBA
    • Sengers, P

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7614 STS 6991   IND 613

    • TBA
    • Seth, S

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 1-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7615 STS 6991   IND 614

    • TBA
    • Vogel, K

STS 7001

Advanced discussion of some problem or problems in Science Studies and the Politics of Science. view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16317 STS 7001   SEM 101

STS 7003

Advanced discussion of some problem or problems in the Cultural History of Technology. view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HIST 7000

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 16329 STS 7003   SEM 101

STS 7111

Provides students with a foundation in the field of science and technology studies. Using classic works as well as contemporary exemplars, seminar participants chart the terrain of this new field. Topics ... view course details

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  5856 STS 7111   SEM 101