Department Homepage
The College of Arts & Sciences
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, & Society.
Instructor: Dr. Ellen Abrams
Online Learning: June 22 - July 10, 2026
3 credits
Click here for more information
Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Lieberman
Online Learning: June 22 - July 10, 2026
Click here for more information
Professor Sara B. Pritchard’s book "Transforming Night" examines rising light pollution and its environmental impacts. In it, the Cornell College of Arts & Sciences scholar traces artificial illumination’s rapid growth, links it to environmental justice, and urges action on satellite-driven nighttime brightness.
History teaches us that maps and the names, territories and landmarks they include or exclude always have political consequences, Cornell science and technology studies scholar Christine Leuenberger writes in an opinion article for MSNBC.
An innovative major in the College of Arts & Sciences is being expanded and refined to highlight its combination of science, social science and the humanities and its relevance to careers today.
Leading a university-wide Cornell Unplugged event Sept. 14-20 is Cornell College of Arts and Sciences professor Steven Jackson, Sustainable Computing Working Group chair and vice provost for academic innovation. He says the event promotes smart and thoughtful tech.
Environmental photographer James Balog launches the 2026-27 schedule of Cornell's A.D. White Professors-at-Large Sept. 16-17 with a lecture on glacier retreat. The fall series also features visits from artists, scientists and public intellectuals across disciplines with many ties to the College of Arts and Sciences.
Trump’s proposals to rename geographic landmarks highlight how maps and place names are often used to advance political agendas, territorial claims, and national identity, say Cornell experts Christine Leuenberger and Raymond Craib. Such renaming efforts, they argue, can undermine cooperation and credibility.
Trump’s proposal to rename Lake Ontario has drawn concerns from Cornell College of Arts and Sciences expert Christine Leuenberger about impacts on U.S.-Canada water cooperation. The analysis highlights risks to cross-border resource management and notes any name change would have limited international recognition.
Emmy Kanarowski is majoring in science and technology studies and information science.
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, & Society 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.
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.
Location: Morrill Hall, 423