STS and the Liberal Arts: A Workshop on Undergraduate Education -- October 28-29, 2001, Cambridge, MA

Society For Social Studies Of Science, Baton Rouge LA

Investigators

Abstract

Project Abstract: SES 00-96514 Sheila Jasanoff STS and the Liberal Arts: A Workshop on Undergraduate Education This project involves a one-day workshop to introduce the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) to deans and other academic administrators from a nationwide selection of four-year colleges and research universities and to promote wider discussion of the field's possible contributions to undergraduate education. The venue is Cambridge, MA, October 28-29, 2001 in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S). With STS education growing in recent years, this is an especially opportune time for an international professional society such as 4S to contribute proactively to this process. Speakers include leading STS scholars and teachers from the US and Europe, as well as administrators who have experience with STS programs at their campuses. The workshop is designed to address three specific goals. The first is informational. The meeting should disseminate knowledge and experiences about the disciplinary content of STS and the design of successful undergraduate programs to a wider cross-section of the educational community. The second is intellectual. The workshop promotes reflection by both scholars and administrators on the unifying characteristics of STS, its relationship with more traditional disciplines, the connections between teaching and research, and the positive roles that STS can play in fostering engaged and informed citizenship in technological societies. The third is network-building. A number of the participants at the workshop will not previously have encountered STS in systematic or programmatic forms. Meeting core figures in the field, and perhaps experiencing parts of the preceding annual meeting, should put them in touch with people and resources if they wish to engage in follow-up activities.