Students can major or minor in our Science, Technology and Society Program (STS), and obtain either a BSc or BA depending on program requirements.
STS is the study of relationships between science, technology and society. York Science is the only place in Canada that allows you to learn about Science’s larger impact on society while you study your foundational major.
Complex issues face our world today such as digital surveillance and information manipulation, environmental degradation and climate change, technological transformations related to AI and robotics, ethics and genomics, pharmaceutical governance, and sustainable food production.
Our aim is to educate future scientists, engineers, politicians, business executives, computer programmers, and responsible citizens to integrate scientific and technical competence with critical thinking, human values, and social and environmental responsibility.
Why Study STS?
Distinguish your degree: York Science is the only place in Canada that offers major and minor programs in Science, Technology and Society. STS students learn about scientific knowledge and governance, technological change and controversies, innovation policy, and political economy using tools from the social sciences, humanities, and cultural studies. Students learn how to work between disciplines in a way that prepares them for professional and graduate schools, teaching, journalism, policy, and more.
Science and Technology in Action: A degree in STS allows you to better communicate the “real life” impact and social repercussions that science and technology have on different groups in society.
Stand For Science: A degree in STS allows you to understand about the rise of anti-science movements, how information is manipulated about science and technology (e.g., vaccines, climate change), and how these problems can be tackled through strategic communications.
Science, Technology and Social Justice: STS students learn about equity, diversity and inclusivity by examining local, national and global science and technology controversies in past and present societies.
12U Requirements
BSc Degree:
- English (ENG4U)
- Advanced Functions (MHF4U)
- Biology (SBI4U) OR Chemistry (SCH4U) OR Physics (SPH4U)
BA Degree:
- English (ENG4U)
- Biology (SBI4U) OR Chemistry (SCH4U) OR Physics (SPH4U)
Students can major or minor in our Science, Technology and Society program, and obtain either a BSc or BA depending on the program. Speak to an Academic Advisor or visit the Program Change website for more information about adding STS as a minor to your degree.
STS Core Courses
Below is a selection of the core courses students can take in the Science, Technology and Society program.
STS 1411 3.0 – Introduction to Science, Technology and Society
STS 2411 3.0 – Exploring Science, Technology and Society
STS 2010 3.0 – History of Modern Science
STS 2210 3.0 – Technology in the Modern World
STS 2222 3.0 – Exploring Gender in STEM
STS 2333 3.0 – Science, Technology and Racial Social Justice
STS 4501 6.0 – Capstone: Science, Technology and Society Seminar
STS Minor Options
Students can minor in Life Sciences and Society (LSS), Technology, Innovation and Society (TIS) and Earth, Sustainability and Society (ESAS). Select courses include:
Life Sciences and Society (LSS)
STS 3740 3.0 – How Darwinism Developed: A History of Evolutionary Biology
STS 3750 3.0 – Genomics and Society
STS 3780 3.0 – Biomedicine and Society
STS 4785 3.0 – Science, Health and Food
Technology, Innovation and Society (TIS)
STS 3500 3.0 – The Global Information Society
STS 3600 3.0 – Technological Failure
STS 3726 3.0 – Technology, Experts and Society
STS 3730 3.0 – Science, Technology and Modern Warfare
Earth, Sustainability and Society (ESAS)
STS 3725 3.0 – Science and Exploration
STS 3775 3.0 – Physics in the 20th Century
STS 3790 3.0 – Science and Technology Issues in Global Development
STS 4655 3.0 – From the Ark to the Anthropocene