The Science, Technology, & Society (STS) specialization is designed to cover a broad range of issues, including the nature and organization of knowledge and expertise, science policy, and public understanding of science.
It is intended for Knowledge Integration students who want to
be exposed to a variety of disciplinary perspectives related to the social, ethical, and political dimensions of science and technology, beyond their core KI courses.
The STS specialization consists of seven courses:
- three from the INTEG core (see list below)
- one STS-themed INTEG elective (see list below)
- three STS-related elective courses from across campus (see list below)
Required INTEG core courses
- INTEG 120 - The Art and Science of Learning
- INTEG 220 - Nature of Scientific Knowledge
- INTEG 221 - The Social Nature of Knowledge
STS-themed INTEG electives
Students must take one INTEG course with an STS theme.
The following is a partial list of the approved courses. Upon request, additional courses may be approved.
- INTEG 240 - Bullshit, Bias, and Bad Arguments
- INTEG 375 - Special Topics: Hands on Sustainability
- INTEG 375 - Special Topics: Science and Technology
- INTEG 410 - Interdisciplinary Collaboration
- INTEG 441 - Hard Decisions and Wicked Problems
- INTEG 475 - Special Topics: Open Science and Technology
STS-related elective courses from across campus
Students must take three STS-related elective courses, two of which must be 300-level or higher; students cannot take all three from one department (as designated by the subject label).
The following is a partial list of the approved courses. Upon request, additional courses may be approved.
ANTH 303 Anthropology of Digital Media
ANTH 347 Medical Anthropology
ANTH 430 Science as Practice & Culture
ARTS 490 Special Topics: The Socio-Cultural and Political Implications of Artificial Intelligence
ENGL 108D Digital Lives
ENGL 293 Introduction to Digital Media Studies
ERS 265 Water: Environmental History and Change
ERS 316 Urban Water Systems
ERS 372 First Nations and the Environment
ERS 404 Global Environmental Governance
ERS 406 Paths to Sustainability
ERS 422 Biosphere Reserves as Social-Ecological Systems
ERS 454 Parks and Protected Areas: Issues and Trends
ERS 462 Global Food and Agricultural Politics (Cross listed with GEOG 462)
GEOG 203 Environment and Development in a Global Perspective
GEOG 207 Climate Change Fundamentals
GEOG 306 Human Dimensions of Natural Hazards
GEOG 307 Societal Adaptation to Climate Change
GEOG 311 Local Development in a Global Context
GEOG 426 Geographies of Development
GEOG 432 Health, Environment, and Planning (Cross listed with PLAN 432)
HIST 216 A Long History of the Internet
PACS 301-001 Special Topics: The Future of War – Drones, Robots, and the Role of Peace
PACS 302: Math for Good and Evil
PHIL 208 Philosophy through Science Fiction
PHIL 224 Environmental Ethics
PHIL 226 Biomedical Ethics
PHIL 245 Critical Thinking about Science
PHIL 252 Quantum Mechanics for Everyone
PHIL 256 Introduction to Cognitive Science
PHIL 259 Philosophy of Technology
PHIL 271 – Special Topics: Human-Canine Relationships
PHIL 447 Seminar in Cognitive Science
PLAN 333 Neighborhood and Community Planning
PLAN 340 Canadian Environmental Policy and Politics
PLAN 346 Advanced Tools for Planning: Public Participation and Mediation
PLAN 431 Issues in Housing
PLAN 432 Health, Environment, and Planning
PLAN 433 Social Concepts in Planning
PLAN 440 Urban Services Planning
SOC 225 Games and Gamers
SOC 232 Technology and Social Change
SOC 248 Health, Illness, and Society
SOC 312 Sociology of Science
SOC 413 Surveillance and Society
STV 100 Society, Technology and Values: Introduction
STV 201 Society, Technology and Values: Special Topics
STV 205 Cybernetics and Society
STV 210 The Computing Society
STV 302 Information Technology and Society
STV 303 Cross-Cultural Change, Technology and Society
STV 306 Biotechnology and Society
STV 400 Society, Technology and Values: Senior Project
STV 401 Society, Technology and Values: Advanced Topics
Undergraduate Calendar Course descriptions (INTEG courses are listed in the Knowledge Integration section)
Please refer to the official requirements for KI Specializations in the Undergraduate Course Calendar.