Building an emerging discipline through teaching and research

Academics

Through its teaching as well as its research, the department is playing a notable role in building the emerging discipline of Science & Technology Studies (STS). Founded in 1991, the department has an internationally-known Ph.D. Program devoted to training students to conduct advanced research. It also has two undergraduate majors, Biology & Society and Science & Technology Studies.

Academic Destinations

Science & Technology Studies Major Science & Technology Studies Minor Biology & Society Major Graduate Program Current Course Listings

Featured Courses for Summer Session 2022:

STS 1101: Science, Technology and Politics

Instructor: Dr. Ellen Abrams
Online Learning: June 24-July 12, 2024
3 credits
Click here for more information

STS 1451: Body, Mind and Health: Historical Perspectives for Future Professionals

Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Lieberman
Online Learning: July 15-Aug 2, 2024
Click here for more information

S&TS News

Three college campus buildings of various architectural types receed into the distance under a grey sky and a bare branch

College of Arts and Sciences announces 2026 Klarman Fellows

The 12 early-career scholars will pursue research in the sciences, social sciences and humanities.

Aerial view of the Arts Quad in the fall

Cornell Center for Social Sciences awards fall grants targeting $50M in external research support

The Cornell Center for Social Sciences offers multiple grants to help Cornell faculty maximize their research impact. These awards help seed ambitious projects and provide support to teams of faculty applying to major external funding and collaboration opportunities.

Person wearing a cap, sweater, wool hiking pants and sturdy boots, poses on rocky ground of a very steep hill

Physicist John Reppy wins Buckley Prize

Reppy was recognized along with David Bishop, Ph.D. ’78, for "groundbreaking experiments" they did on helium 50 years ago.

books in a library with computers on table

Combining humanities and tech for research gains

An interdisciplinary project is sparking collaborations among those interested in digital approaches to the study of history, languages and culture.

Building university cultures of open inquiry: Nov. 18 talk

John Tomasi, the inaugural president of Heterodox Academy, will speak on “The University at a Crossroads – and How We Can Build Cultures of Open Inquiry” as part of a series of events organized by the Provost’s Committee on the Future of the American University.

Medical anthropologist to deliver annual Society for Humanities lecture

Stacey Langwick, associate professor of anthropology in the College of Arts & Sciences, will speak on "Healing in a Toxic World: Reimagining the Times and Spaces of the Therapeutic."

Doctorow to discuss the digital world as A.D. White professor-at-large

Science fiction author, activist and journalist Cory Doctorow will visit Cornell Sept. 11-19 as an A.D. White Professor at Large, taking part in several events on campus and in the community..

2025 Nexus Scholars talk about academic growth, transformation

Ten students who participated in this summer's Nexus Scholars Program share their stories..

More News

Undergraduate Program

The Department of Science & Technology Studies at Cornell University is concerned with understanding the larger social, ethical, historical, and political dimensions of science and technology.

The Department offers two undergraduate majors: the Biology & Society Major and the Science & Technology Studies Major. The Department also offers a Minor in Science & Technology Studies appropriate for students in the natural or social sciences, engineering, or the humanities who are interested in the social dimensions of science & technology.

Graduate Program

The Graduate Field of Science & Technology Studies (S&TS) at Cornell University is devoted to training students to conduct advanced research in one of the most exciting of contemporary academic disciplines. S&TS research treats science and technology as historical and cultural productions. Research in this field therefore requires the ability to uncover how scientific knowledge, authority, and expertise operate in different social contexts, and to understand their changing historical meanings.

Click here to learn more about the S&TS Ph.D. program.