Studies of Science and Technology

In 1992, with the help of a National Science Foundation Research Training Grant, the University of Minnesota began offering a new graduate minor in Studies of Science and Technology (SST) for students pursuing the M.A., M.S., or Ph.D. degrees. Studies of science and technology is a rapidly expanding field that seeks to understand the conceptual foundations, historical development, and social context of science and technology.

The graduate minor is designed for students from any major who desire to gain a deeper understanding of the nature and development of science and technology. It can be particularly valuable for students who are planning teaching careers in science or engineering, or those majoring in philosophy or history of science and technology. Any student admitted to or currently enrolled in a graduate program at the University may apply for admission to the graduate minor in SST. Students admitted to the SST minor will develop individual programs of study in consultation with the faculty and the director of graduate studies. Adjustments in program requirements can be made for students with relevant previous course experience.

Ph.D. Minor in SST: The minor requires a minimum of 12 graduate-level semester credits. Ph.D. students will be required to take HSci 8111; one of either Phil 8601, 8602, or 8605; one of the SST research seminars (SST 8100, 8200, 8300, 8400, or 8420) not in the student's major field; and two semesters of the SST Colloquium (SST 8000).

Masters Minor in SST: The program requires a minimum of 7 graduate-level semester credits. Masters students will be required to take HSci 8111; one of either Phil 8601, 8602, or 8605; and one semester of the SST Colloquium (SST 8000).

Research Opportunities

Students enrolled in the SST minor will have a rich opportunity to study with a diverse faculty, as well as with postdoctoral fellows who will be supported by the NSF grant. The weekly SST colloquium provides regular opportunities to hear and interact with as many as 30 internationally known scholars per year. The Center for Biomedical Ethics and the Charles Babbage Institute for the History of Information Processing are research centers with a variety of major research grants. Some work connected with these grants may be available to selected SST students.

The University libraries are among the nation's largest, containing over four million volumes. Special collections include the Center for Philosophy of Science library, Wangensteen Library for History of Biology and Medicine, Archive for the History of Quantum Physics, and the Charles Babbage Institute archives. Other resources include the Bell Museum of Natural History, and research files and databases in the Center for Bioethics. Off campus, the rare book and instrument collections in the Bakken Library and Museum of Electricity in Life are available.

University of Minnesota

The SST graduate minor is housed on the Minneapolis campus, which is also the home of a number of very strong departments in the physical, biological, and social sciences. The resources of these departments are thus conveniently available to SST students. (more about the U of M)

The Twin Cities

The Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) is a metropolitan community of more than two million people known for its livability and high quality of life. Students can take advantage of an accessible outdoor life and a rich cultural bounty of major orchestras, museums, theaters, and sports facilities. Beautiful parks and lakes and a good transit system make the Twin Cities an attractive place to live. (more about the Twin Cities)

Admissions and Financial Aid

Any student admitted to or already enrolled in a Ph.D. program at the University may apply for admission to the graduate minor in SST. Graduate School fellowships are available on a competitive basis through the student's major department.

For application deadlines and further information on the SST program, write to:

Director of Graduate Studies
Studies of Science and Technology
746 Heller Hall
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455

or send e-mail to:mcps@tc.umn.edu. You can also call 612-625-6635, or fax to 612-626-8380.

Faculty

SST Faculty are drawn from a number of departments and research centers on the Twin Cities Campus.

Jennifer Alexander
History of industrial culture, bodies and machines, Nazi science and technology, the European efficiency and rationalization movements.
Bruce Braun
Politics and ethics of environmental change; politics of difference.
Carl Elliott
Bioethics: philosophical and ethical questions in psychiatry and pediatrics
John Eyler
History of medicine and public health, epidemics, medicine and society.
Fred Finley
Science and environmental education.
Ronald N. Giere
Cognitive models of scientific representation, judgement, and development.
Alan Gross
Rhetoric of science
Keith Gunderson
Philosophy of mind, artificial intelligence, aesthetics.
Jennifer Gunn
Health policy; history of philanthropy, occupational medicine, and the organization of health care.
Laura Gurak
Rhetorics of science and technology; Internet studies; online research methods; social aspects of computing; the law and technology (intellectual property and privacy).
William Hanson
Logic, philosophy of logic and mathematics.
Geoffrey Hellman
Philosophy of physics and mathematics, logic, epistemology.
Michel Janssen
Conceptual development of 19th and 20th century physics; history of relativity.
Jeffrey Kahn
Bioethics, including research ethics, ethics and genetics, and ethical issues in public health.
Evelyn Fox Keller
History and philosophy of developmental biology.
Kenneth Keller
Technology and national sovereignty, the environment, the globalization of research and development, and policy issues in high technology medicine.
Sally Gregory Kohlstedt
History of science in America, women in science, education.
Jean Langford
Anthropology of science; healing practices and modernity.
Helen Longino
Philosophy of science and feminism, philosophy of biology, epistemology.
Hiromi Mizuno
History of science/technology, Japanese history, nationalism, gender/sex, colonialism.
Arthur L. Norberg
History of technology, information processing and electronics.
Daniel Philippon
Environmental rhetoric, history, and ethics; nature writing; science and religion; American cultural studies; regionalism and place studies.
Michael Root
Epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of social sciences.
C. Wade Savage
Philosophy of psychology and cognitive science; epistemology; measurement theory.
Naomi Scheman
Politics of epistemology, objectivity, realism, and physicalism, Wittgenstein
J.B. Shank
Early modern intellectual and cultural history, history of the Scientific Revolution, "scientization" of political thought
Robert W. Seidel
History of modern physical sciences and their applications.
Alan E. Shapiro
Scientific Revolution to early 1900s, Newton and history of optics.
Karen-Sue Taussig
anthropology of science, genetic testing, new reproductive technologies, cloning, and stem cell research.
C. Kenneth Waters
Philosophy of biology: genetics, molecular biology, evolution; epistemology.

Curriculum

The SST program provides introductory core courses in historiography and philosophy of science, followed by team-taught research seminars and other elective courses in four main research areas: models, theories and reality; biological and biomedical science; physical science; and science, technology, and society. Topics of the seminars will vary from year to year, depending upon faculty and student interest. For example, in 1994-95 seminar topics were: Gender, Biology, and Society: Lessons and Limitations in the Case Study Method; and Gender Matters in the History of Technology. In 1995-96 the special research seminars will be: Science and Technology Policy in Post-World War II United States; and History and Philosophy of Biology.

Core Courses

Elective Courses

Models, Theories and Reality Physical Science Biological and Biomedical Science Science, Technology, and Society

URL: www.sst.umn.edu/sst.htm
© 1995 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

This page maintained by:
Steve Lelchuk
Created: November 20, 1995
Updated: January 8, 2003