STS-BA - Science, Technology, and Society (BA)
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Program Overview
Mission of the Program in Science, Technology, and Society
The Program in Science, Technology, and Society (STS) aims to provide students with an interdisciplinary framework to understand the complex interactions of science, technology, and the social world. To major in STS, students work through a common core of courses from the social sciences, the humanities, the natural and physical sciences, and engineering. Students pursue coursework in one of seven specialized areas:
Catastrophic Risks and Solutions
Communication and Media
Innovation and Organization
Life Sciences and Health
Politics and Policy
Social Dynamics of Data and Information
Self-Designed Concentration
Students may also undertake research in affiliated laboratories and through the honors program for course units. All students complete a capstone project by taking one of the senior capstone courses (STS 200) or applying for and completing an STS honors thesis. Students are encouraged to pursue mastery in at least one field from within the humanities or social sciences and at least one field from within the sciences or engineering. Majors may declare either a BA or a BS degree (see the specific requirements for each degree).
The program’s affiliated faculty represent over a dozen departments, including Anthropology, Communication, Computer Science, Education, Electrical Engineering, History, Law, Management Science and Engineering, Political Science, and Sociology. By learning to bring such a rich collection of disciplinary approaches to bear on questions of science and technology, students graduate uniquely equipped to succeed in professions that demand fluency with both technical and social frameworks. Recent graduates of STS have entered top-ranked PhD and MBA programs and forged successful careers in various fields, including business, engineering, law, public service, medicine, and academia.
Preparing for the Major
Advising and Course Selection
The Program in Science, Technology, and Society offers an advising process that includes faculty, staff, and peer advisors. Prospective majors must first meet with a peer advisor and then with the Program’s Student Services Officer to determine which degree they will pursue (the BA or BS) and how they will fulfill the program’s basic requirements. When they are ready to declare, they meet with the program’s Student Services Officer to submit their degree plan, and then the Associate Director reviews the coursework for intellectual coherence. Majors are then assigned to a faculty advisor who serves as an academic mentor and helps them identify the core questions driving their interest in the field. The program also sponsors various events designed to help students meet their colleagues and Program alumni, discover research and internship opportunities, and make their way toward the career of their choice.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
With a grade of C or higher in each course, complete eight courses satisfying the following requirements:
*STS WIM Courses (see WIM section for more details):
BIOE 131
COMM 120W
COMM 135W
COMM 137W
COMM 177SW
COMM 186W
CS 181W
CS 182W
EARTHSYS 177C
EARTHSYS 191
ENGR 102W
HISTORY 140A
PHYSICS 191
PUBPPOL 156
STS 191W
**STS Global Courses (course also listed below in either Social Scient and Humanities Courses or Engineering and Science Courses:
ANTHRO 41
ANTHRO 42
ANTHRO 82
ANTHRO 126
ANTHRO 132C
ANTHRO 128
ANTHRO 186
CEE 64
CEE 173
COMPLIT 107
COMPLIT 207B
CLASSICS 151
EARTHSYS 112
EARTHSYS 114
ECOM 106
HISTORY 44Q
HISTORY 140
HISTORY 144
HISTORY 179C
HISTORY 200B
HISTORY 234P
HISTORY 244F
POLISCI 114S
All courses must be taken for a letter grade. CR/Pass/S grades are only accepted for those enrollments taken from spring 2020 through Summer 2021, per Stanford’s COVID-19 policy. Courses may not be double-counted toward both Core and Concentration Area requirements.
All courses must be taken for a letter grade if offered and may not be double-counted with core coursework. Students may count no more than two-course petitions outside the approved Pathway (Concentration) Area course list toward their STS degree plan. Thematic pathways (Concentrations) are organized around an STS-related area or topic:
Catastrophic Risks and Solutions
Communication and Media
Innovation and Organization
Life Sciences and Health
Politics and Policy
Self-Designed Concentration
Social Dynamics of Data and Information
A Bachelor of Arts student must take at least eight classes from the Socio-Cultural Course menu, including at least three designated as Pathway Core (Concentration Core) and at least four classes from the Technical Course menus.
A student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree must take at least eight classes from the Technical Course menu and at least four classes from the Socio-Cultural Course menus, including at least three designated as Pathway Core.
Students in both degree programs are encouraged to pursue sequences of courses that build on one another to increase the coherence of their program and give depth to their skill set and knowledge related to STS.
Alternatively, subject to program approval, a student may design a self-designed pathway. Students interested in creating their own plan must work with the associate director and have their proposal approved at least two quarters before their graduating quarter. A proposal (5 to 10 pages) should (a) describe your intellectual objectives in detail, (b) explain why a self-designed plan is an optimal way to pursue these objectives (as opposed to the five STS pathways or other majors at Stanford), and (c) list at least 12 courses and 50 units that comprise the plan of study. Students with a self-designed plan must fulfill the same core requirements as other STS students. More information can be found on the STS website.
Each student’s Plan Area, certified or self-designed, requires the approval of the STS Associate Director.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan. You may use only one introductory computer science course (CS 105 or CS 106A) toward STS degree requirements.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan.
The Pathway Core (Concentration Core) courses must average a C or higher. The minimum cumulative GPA for this requirement is 2.000.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan. You may use only one introductory computer science course (CS 105 or CS 106A) toward STS degree requirements
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan.
The Pathway Core (Concentration Core) courses must average a C or higher. The minimum cumulative GPA for this requirement is 2.000.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan. You may use only one introductory computer science course (CS 105 or CS 106A) toward STS degree requirements.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan.
The Pathway Core (Concentration Core) courses must average a C or higher. The minimum cumulative GPA for this requirement is 2.000.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan. You may use only one introductory computer science course (CS 105 or CS 106A) toward STS degree requirements.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan.
The Pathway Core (Concentration Core) courses must average a C or higher. The minimum cumulative GPA for this requirement is 2.000.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan. You may use only one introductory computer science course (CS 105 or CS 106A) toward STS degree requirements.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan. You may use only one introductory computer science course (CS 105 or CS 106A) toward STS degree requirements.
Before a student enrolls in a course from this list, the STS Associate Director must approve the course for their curriculum plan.
The Pathway Core (Concentration Core) courses must average a C or higher. The minimum cumulative GPA for this requirement is 2.000.
Students must register for STS 299 each quarter for a total of three quarters (Autumn, Winter, and Spring) and a minimum of 10 units to complete the STS Honors program (i.e. 2 units of STS 299 in Autumn, 3 units of STS 299 in Winter, and 5 units of STS 299 in Spring = 10 units of STS 299). Recommended to take during senior year.