Science, Technology and Society minor

What is the Science, Technology and Society Minor?

If the practical impact of scientific discovery may be felt in the latest technology we hold in our hands, the full meaning and consequences of such developments can only be appreciated on a societal level. Advances in science and innovations in technology are changing how we live, work, play, do business, and govern.

There is a need for ethically minded professionals who understand the social shaping, uses and impacts of science and technology in relation to the dynamics of economic, political, environmental and cultural change. Based in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, “Science, Technology and Society” is an interdisciplinary minor that empowers students to explore how science and technology shape and are shaped by society, past and present.

The minor in Science Technology and Society (STS) consists of 7 courses (or 21 credit hours), which includes four mandatory courses (12 credit hours) and 3 optional courses (9 credit hours) chosen from the list below. The Science, Technology and Society minor is available to all students in any major program in any faculty at Ontario Tech University. It will be of interest to students majoring in STEM programs, who want to learn about how social science and humanities research and teaching about STEM-related topics and issues.

To earn this minor, complete:

LBAT 2000U Introduction to Liberal Studies
LBAT 2414U Science Fiction and Society
SSCI 1210U History of Science and Technology
SSCI 1470U Impact of Science and Technology on Society

+ three of:

COMM 2410U History of Communication Technology
COMM 2411U Digital Media Policy
COMM 3350U Environmental Communication
COMM 3510U Work in the Digital Age
COMM 4120U Contemporary Issues in Communication
COMM 4140U Visual Rhetoric
CRMN 4021U Cybercrime
INDG 2200U Indigenous Digital and Visual Media
INDG 2500U Two-Eyed Seeing in the Natural Sciences
INDG 4570U Indigenous Design and Technology
LBAT 2413U Science Communication: Media for creative, fun, and effective STEM communication
LBAT 4000U Liberal Studies Capstone
LGLS 2500U Information and Privacy Law
LGLS 3510U Censorship and Freedom of Expression
LGLS 3520U Law and Technology
LGLS 4200U Law and Social Change
POSC 3700U Technology, Politics and Social Theory
POSC 3751U Media, War and Conflict

*Please note: the courses linked to this minor are subject to change in the future, and scheduling availability.