Science, Technology, and Society Studies

Why study science, technology, and society at Geneseo?

How do science, technology, history, ethics, politics, and creativity all connect? This minor offers students an interdisciplinary framework for understanding how scientific knowledge and technological innovation develop—and how they shape and are shaped by historical, social, cultural, political, environmental, and economic forces.

Students explore topics such as climate change, artificial intelligence, public health, and digital privacy, gaining the tools to assess not only how science and technology work but also why they matter for different communities and across global contexts. Because the minor integrates methods from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, students gain the kind of adaptable, cross‑disciplinary skills that prepare them for careers in public policy, environmental advocacy, health care, communications, education, and technology.

• Minor in Science, Technology, and Society Studies

• Microcredential in Science, Technology, and Society Studies

• Complements majors in the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and education.
• Allows students flexibility to tailor the program to their interests, such as bioethics, environmental futures, medical history, data and society, or technological change.
• Focuses on historical analysis to give students a deep understanding of how scientific knowledge and technological systems have evolved.
• Encourages students to connect coursework with lived experiences, community issues, and their major fields of study.
• Highlights the ethical dimensions of scientific and technological developments—environmental justice, sustainability, health equity, privacy, and public engagement.
• Features faculty across disciplines of environmental history, history of science, and philosophy who explore questions of scientific authority, public trust, health, and environmental transformation.