SenD#4954
Summary Preface
Name of the Program:
Science, Technology and Society
Objective of the Program:
"Science, Technology and Society (STS) is an interdisciplinary program
devoted to understanding the natures, consequences, and shaping of
technological and scientific activities in modern industrial society...
Students in STS courses study science and technology in society from a
variety of perspectives in the humanities and social sciences." Stanford
Bulletin, 1998-9n.
Brief History:
STS has been organized at Stanford for twenty-eight years in a variety of
administrative and programmatic shapes. The last formal review of the
undergraduate degree program took place in 1988-89 by an ad hoc committee
chaired by Prof. David Tyack. The STS program became part of the School of
Engineering in 1992. When the authorized period of degree-nominating
authority for STS ended in 1996, the Dean of Engineering decided not to seek
renewal for the STS A. B. and B. S. degree programs. The Committee on
Undergraduate Studies (CUS) did not endorse the Dean of Engineering's
decision, and after a period of consultation with faculty, students and
administrators, the program was reassigned to the School of Humanities and
Sciences in 1996-97.
Bulletin:
The section from the 1998-99 Stanford Bulletin is included as an attachment to
the Self-Study Report.
Program Leadership:
The 1998-99 STS Program Committee includes: Robert McGinn (IEEM), Chair;
Francois Bar (Communications); Stephen Barley (IEEM), Joseph Corn (History);
Anthony Engel (Student); James Jucker (IEEM); Tim Lenoir (History); Maritza-
Mrak-blumberg (students); Eric Roberts (Computer Science); Scott Sagan
(Political Science); Sheri Sheppard (Mechanical Engineering): Gavin Wright
(Economics).
Teaching Staff:
See list of faculty teaching core and cognate courses in STS Self Study
Report, pp. 12 17.
Degree Statistics:
Below is the number of students who earned STS bachelor's degrees and honors
in the following years:
A. B. B. S. Honors in STS Honors in STS (non majors)
89-90 5 3 1 1
90-91 2 6 - 5
91-92 8 7 5 1
92-93 7 4 3 1
93-94 1 7 4 -
94-95 3 8 - 2
95-96 5 11 6 3
96-97 5 10 3 2
97-98 6 11 3 2
Finances:
The STS program is administered by the cognizant dean for social sciences in
the School of Humanities and Sciences.
_________________________________________________________________________
H&S Advisory Committee on the Curriculum 1998-99
Review of Program in Science Technology and Society
I. Overview
The review of the Program in Science Technology and Society (STS) was
conducted by the 1998-99 H&S Advisory Committee on the Curriculum:
Malcolm Beasley, Dean, Co-chair
Ramón Saldívar, Associate Dean, Co-chair
Elizabeth Bernhardt, German Studies and Language Center
Marc Feldman, Biological Sciences
Wray Huestis, Chemistry
Brian Milch, Junior, Symbolic Systems
Matthew Snipp, Sociology
Ken Taylor, Philosophy
Ellen Woods, staff
The director of STS prepared a comprehensive and thorough Self-Study Report
and submitted it to the cognizant dean, following the regular procedure for
interdisciplinary degree program reviews established by the Faculty Senate and
the School of Humanities and Sciences. After reviewing the Self-Study Report
(Attachment 1) and meeting with the cognizant dean for STS, the Curriculum
Committee met with Robert McGinn, director of the program. The Committee also
considered the results of the alumni survey, conducted by the Dean's Office,
and included as attachment 2.
The timing of the review merits some explanation as ten years have passed
since the last formal report on the program. Subsequent to that 1988-89
review chaired by Prof. David Tyack, the STS program became part of the School
of Engineering in 1992. When the authorized period of degree-nominating
authority for STS ended in 1996, the Dean of Engineering decided not to seek
renewal for the STS A. B. and B. S. degree programs. The Committee on
Undergraduate Studies (CUS) did not endorse the Dean of Engineering's
decision, and after a period of consultation with faculty, students and
administrators, the program was reassigned to the School of Humanities and
Sciences in 1996-97.
Since its move to H&S and with support from the provost, STS has received
incremental billet resources, and has created prospective curricular and
programmatic ties with the H&S program in History and Philosophy of Science.
The Curriculum Committee is satisfied that the current administrative
arrangements are healthy and assure a positive outlook for the future.
II. Findings
In the face of administrative uncertainties and the recent challenge to the
program's continued existence, the current director, Robert McGinn, has
maintained the highest standards of educational quality for the STS program.
The Curriculum Committee praises Prof. McGinn for his intellectual leadership,
his exceptional attention to student mentoring, his energy in building a
cognate curriculum (effectively doubling the number of courses and faculty
affiliated with STS since 1992), and his extraordinary dedication to keeping
STS alive as a viable undergraduate degree program at Stanford.
STS is an interdisciplinary degree program focused on the nature and
significance of technology and science in modern society. It offers both the
A.B. and B.S. degree options, and all students are required to study a
technical field. A.B. students take courses to obtain a grasp of basic
concepts and methods in one technical field, while B.S. students complete at
least 50 units in technology, science, and mathematics courses. The Committee
found STS to be unique in the undergraduate curriculum, enabling students to
pursue educational opportunities not offered through other undergraduate
degree programs at Stanford.
STS also offers an independent interdisciplinary honors program, serving
students who pursue Honors in STS in combination with a degree in another
field. In the period since the last review, STS granted honors to 17 students
who earned degrees in other majors in addition to 25 STS majors who earned
honors. (Self Study Report, Table 2, page 9)
Alumni of STS demonstrate a diversity of career paths -- in engineering,
business, law, medicine, and education and all express satisfaction with
their preparation for graduate study and work. They are overwhelmingly
enthusiastic in their endorsement of the program, citing flexibility, rigor,
and balance as curricular strengths. They also note special attention to the
development of critical and analytical skills and oral communication skills
presentation, argumentation, and building confidence in public speaking.
Alumni give advising high marks, recognizing the important role of the
director in getting STS majors off to a good start.
The Curriculum Committee was impressed by the coherence and rigor of the STS
curriculum. Students begin with a well defined set of core courses, and
complement these with carefully chosen cognate and advanced courses. Past
affiliation with the School of Engineering has resulted in a substantive
academic foundation in technology and the physical sciences. STS fosters an
interdisciplinary approach that mediates effectively between the technical and
non-technical communities.
Academic Council faculty participation in the STS curriculum has increased
steadily and consistently during the period since the last review. This
increase can be credited largely to the spirit and energy of the program
leadership, but also reflects faculty enthusiasm for working with the students
who elect the major. The Curriculum Committee expressed some concern about
maintaining the participation of the Engineering faculty now that the program
is in H&S.
The Committee discussed ways in which the new administrative arrangements for
STS in the School of H&S might provide fresh directions for the curriculum.
For example, the Committee sees the potential for strengthening the social
science disciplines in STS, and supports the plan to create formal connections
with the program in History and Philosophy of Science. Both of these
developments would open up additional teaching possibilities for graduate
students in STS, which currently has little direct access to TAs, as is the
case for all IDPs.
Members also raised the question of the expanding the STS curriculum to
include topics on the social dimensions of biotechnical advances. The
director reiterated the importance of avoiding overlap with existing IDPs and
interdisciplinary honors programs such as Human Biology, Earth Systems, and
Ethics in Society. The Committee agreed with the need to maintain the unique
physical science foundation of STS, and encouraged STS to establish
connections with biological and medical fields that are appropriately linked
to the STS major through their technical orientation. The goal would be
including perspectives on the social and ethical implications introduced by
the recent developments in biotechnology and bioengineering.
III. Recommendations
The Curriculum Committee recommends that the Program in Science, Technology
and Society (STS) be granted the authority to nominate undergraduate students
for the A. B. and the B. S. degrees and for Interdisciplinary Honors for eight
years. The recommendation for a maximum period of renewal reflects the solid
record of high quality undergraduate education that the program has achieved
over the past several years, and represents the Committee's strongest
endorsement.
The recommendation for renewal also expresses the Committee's optimism about
the planned transition to new program leadership, which appears to be
carefully designed to allow STS to build on past program strengths while
expanding in new directions.