Core STS Courses

STS 901: "Science, Technology, and Medicine in Society"
The interdisciplinary field of science and technology studies explores the intersection of science and culture, on the one hand, and science and technology, on the other. Scholars in the field ask a variety of questions, including: what counts as scientific knowledge and why? How do social and cultural contexts shape the development of technologies? And how is gender implicated in the construction of knowledge?

In this course, we will traverse the rich landscape that constitutes science and technology studies. Aiming to expose students to the wide array of conceptual orientations and methodological approaches drawn on by STS scholars, we will begin the semester by considering several of the pivotal texts in STS and move on to some of the newer voices in the field. Our study will range from the work of Robert K. Merton to actor network and social worlds theory and from feminist approaches to political-economic orientations. A required course for the STS graduate minor, but open to all who are interested, students should end the semester with a good sense of the contours of the field.


STS 902: "Current Topics in Science and Technology Studies"

Daniel Kleinman (Community & Environmental Sociology)
alternate Thursdays 12:00 – 1:30
8108 Social Science Building

The brown bag series showcases University of Wisconsin faculty and student work in the interdisciplinary field of Science and Technology Studies. Strongly recommended for PhD minors in STS; all others welcome. See here for current brownbag schedule.


STS 903: "Interdisciplinarity in the Modern Research University" – current course flyer

What is “interdisciplinary” research and why does it matter? Does interdisciplinary research demand that individual scholars be trained in multiple specializations? Can interdisciplinary research be performed by teams of specialists using technological tools for working across time and space? How do institutional norms, physical spaces, and political-economic structures of power and opportunity affect interdisciplinary research? And how do interdisciplinary practices compare across different modes of research, from the natural, physical, and social sciences to the arts and humanities? This graduate seminar, team-taught by four faculty affiliates of the Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies, explores the meanings and practices of “interdisciplinary,” “transdisciplinary,” and “multidisciplinary” research in the modern university. Although the course content will often focus on interdisciplinarity in the context of science, students with other disciplinary backgrounds are enthusiastically encouraged to participate. Using ideas and readings drawn from history, sociology, public policy, anthropology, education, and communication studies, this seminar itself will serve as an example of interdisciplinary practice. Students will work together in interdisciplinary teams to produce a final review, policy, or research paper on a topic assigned by the faculty.