What is S&TS?

Science and technology play fundamental roles in modern life. From hunger to the threat of war, from environmental degradation to AIDS, every social problem that we face today involves science and technology, either as cause or cure. Such issues require that we understand the ways in which science and technology shape the world--and are themselves shaped by history, politics, and culture.

What is S&TS at Cornell?

Cornell University offers both undergraduate and graduate education designed to promote and deepen understanding of science and technology. Drawing on faculty and courses in history, philosophy, sociology, and politics of science and technology, the Department of Science & Technology Studies provides an integrated approach to addressing issues that we must engage today and in the future. Building on a tradition of teaching and research that began more than 50 years ago, the Cornell S&TS program prepares students for a wide range of careers.

Since World War II, Cornell faculty have offered courses in history of science and related topics. In the 1970s, Cornell developed one of the first programs worldwide to apply policy analysis and related disciplines to science and technology. A separate graduate program began in the 1980s, and in 1991 the various programs were combined into a new Department of Science & Technology Studies. The S&TS department administers two undergraduate majors (in Science & Technology Studies and in Biology & Society), a vibrant graduate program, and sponsors a variety of regular reading groups, colloquia, and seminars. Today, the Cornell Department of Science & Technology Studies is recognized nationally and internationally as one of the strongest and most important sites for studying the interweaving of science, technology, and society.

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