If I tell someone “my minor is STS,” I know to immediately follow it with “science, technology, and society” before the inevitable puzzled look and “what is that?” question.
STS is a broad field that’s difficult to describe– science, technology, and society seem to cover just about every academic discipline. But the simple definition I use is that STS is the study of how people have interacted with scientific technological innovations throughout history. Questions that STS seeks to answer include: how has the piano been used over time, and how has that changed? What really is “the environment”? Why do we have biases about certain medicines and how they are used? What are the ethical implications of ChatGPT usage in our lives?
Because it is such an interdisciplinary program, STS courses are cross-listed with a multitude of different departments such as anthropology, biology, computer science, english, engineering, history, music, psychology, philosophy, sociology, urban planning, and more! This is what I love most about STS- you get to explore interesting ideas across so many subjects that you may have never considered taking a class in otherwise.
This semester, I am taking two STS classes. The first one is Anthropology of the Environment. I have always been interested in studying the environment and learning how to create a lasting positive impact on our natural world. However, I have found myself moving away from the term “environmentalist”. To me, the movement has become synonymous with denouncing our modern habits like shopping online and eating fast food and instead going off to camp in the woods and “connect with nature” (I have too much of a bug-phobia for that). But this class seeks to challenge those assumptions and reconcile ideas of sustainability and environmental consciousness with being a global citizen in our society. I now feel like I am much more engaged in working towards solutions toward environmental issues.
The second one is Music, Technology, and Digital Culture, which is cross-listed with both the Music and STS Departments. This class explores musical inventions like instruments and recording technology and how social structures have shaped the way they are used. We learn about artists who exercised their own agency over these innovations, such as playing the piano by its strings or using microphone feedback in their performances, and the contextual history of important musical devices like the radio. And it isn’t too often that you find a class where you get to listen to and discuss Pink Floyd and Billie Eilish for a grade.
Whatever your primary field of study is, STS has something for you. Whether you’re a humanities or social science major looking to round out your studies with some scientific exploration, or a STEM major wanting to better understand the social and ethical implications of your interests, STS is a unique program that I encourage everyone at Tufts to consider!