Degree Requirements for Science, Technology, Health & Society
General Requirements for the Major or Minor
General university degree requirements stipulate that 1) at least four units of the major or three units of the minor be taken in residence at Puget Sound; 2) students earn at least a cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken for the major or the minor; and 3) all courses taken for a major or minor must be taken for graded credit. Any exceptions to these stipulations are indicated in the major and minor degree requirements listed below.
Requirements for the Major in Science, Technology, Health, and Society (BA)
A major in Science, Technology, Health, and Society consists of 12 units:
- Foundational Courses: 3 units.
- STHS 200: History of Modern Science and Technology
- PHIL 232: Philosophy of Science
- SOAN 250: Sociology of Science and Technology
- Electives: 5 units.
Students choose five electives from one of the three designated tracks, or work in concert with an STHS advisor to choose electives according to their topical area of interest as described below. The tracks are:- Health, Medicine, and Society;
- Science and Society;
- Technology in the Modern World;
- A student-designed track.
At least two of the five electives must be STHS-labeled courses. SOAN 360 and 365 may also be used to meet this requirement in the “Health, Medicine, and Society” track.
- One of the following Methods Courses: 1 unit.
- HIST 200
- PHIL 220, 230, or 250
- SOAN 298 or SOAN 299
- Ancillary Courses: 2 units.
Two courses in the natural sciences, mathematics, or computer science (preferably in the same field of study). - Capstone Course: 1 unit.
STHS 480 Senior Practicum in Science, Technology, Health, and Society Studies.
For the student-designed elective category track: during the sophomore year or by the first semester of the junior year, a student who intends to major in Science, Technology, Health, and Society should meet with the director of the Program to select a faculty member as an advisor. The student and advisor form a committee with other members of the Advisory Board for the Science, Technology, Health, and Society Program. The student works with their committee to select a coherent set of electives that advance the student's educational goals. The committee will also ensure that there is a sufficient concentration in STHS courses. The elective category will go into effect after the agreement is signed by the student, the committee members, and the director of the Program and is filed in the Office of the Registrar. The elective category agreement can be modified later, if needed
Notes
- Students must have a grade of C or higher in all courses for the major and minor.
- Students must complete at least four units of the required upper-division (300-400 level) courses at Puget Sound. One of these 4 units may be a course taken as part of a study-abroad program, subject to approval in advance by the program director.
Each year, the STHS program will name a graduating major a Mott Greene Research Scholar for a distinguished senior capstone project. Each year, the program will also present one James Evans Research Award to a major in recognition of exceptional research skills. All graduating majors are eligible to be considered for Honors in the Major.
Requirements for the Minor in Science, Technology, Health and Society
A minor in Science, Technology, Health, and Society consists of 5 units:.
- Two of the following foundational courses:
- STHS 200: History of Modern Science and Technology
- PHIL 232: Philosophy of Science
- SOAN 250: Sociology of Science and Technology
- Three STHS-labeled Electives:
- SOAN 360 and 365 may also be used to meet this requirement
- SOAN 360 and 365 may also be used to meet this requirement
Health, Medicine, and Society
BIOE/REL 255 Pandemic Ethics, Laws, and Health Inequities
BIOE/REL 272 Public Health Ethics
BIOE/REL 292 Basics of Bioethics
BIOE/PHIL 292 Basics of Bioethics
CONN 320 Health and Medicine
CONN 354 Hormones, Sex, Society, & Self
ENGL 348 Illness and Narrative: Discourses of Disease
GLAM 323 Sex and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome
PHIL 333 Philosophy of Emotions
PSYC 325 History and Systems of Psychology
REL 298 Reproductive Ethics
SOAN 360 Sociology of Health and Medicine
SOAN 365 Global Health
SOAN 370 Disability, Identity, and Power
STHS 201 Alchemy, Astronomy, and Medicine before 1700
STHS 302 Cancer and Society
STHS 318 Science and Gender
STHS 366 Medicine in the United States: Historical Perspectives
Science and Society
CONN 357 Exploring Animal Minds
CONN 393 The Cognitive Foundations of Morality and Religion
CONN 410 Science and Economics of Climate Change
ECON 225 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
ENGL 374 Literature and the Environment
ENVR 335 Thinking About Biodiversity
HIST 364 American Environmental History
PG/PHIL 390 Gender and Philosophy
PHIL 105 Neuroethics and Human Enhancement
PHIL 285 Environmental Ethics
PHIL 340 Philosophy of Cognitive Science
STHS 100 Apes, Angels, and Darwin
STHS 201 Alchemy, Astronomy, and Medicine before 1700
STHS 325 Natural History Museums and Society
STHS 330 Evolution and Society Since Darwin
STHS 333 Evolution and Ethics
STHS 340 Finding Order in Nature
STHS 344 Ecological Knowledge in Historical Perspective
STHS 345 Science and War in the Modern World
STHS 347 Alchemy and Chemistry: Historical Perspectives
STHS 361 Mars Exploration
STHS 370 Science and Religion in the United States: From Evolution to Climate Change
Technology in the Modern World
CONN 410 Science and Economics of Climate Change
ECON 225 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
ECON 351 Industrial Organization: Market Structures and Strategic Behavior
ENVR 328 Nuclear Narratives of the American West
GLAM 339 Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Antiquity
HIST 335 Intelligence and Espionage in Europe and the US
IPE 389 Global Struggles Over Intellectual Property
PHIL 105 Neuroethics and Human Enhancement
PHIL 286 Ethics, Data, and Artificial Intelligence
SOAN 352 Critical Studies of Organizations, Work, and Management
STHS 301 Technology and Culture
STHS 344 Ecological Knowledge in Historical Perspective
STHS 345 Science and War in the Modern World
STHS 347 Alchemy and Chemistry: Historical Perspectives
STHS 348 Strange Realities: Physics in the 20th and 21st Centuries
STHS 354 Murder and Mayhem under the Microscope
STHS 361 Mars Exploration
STHS 375 Science, Technology, and Politics