
Science, Technology, and Society

New technologies and the future
Do you have strong views about how new technologies can significantly help or seriously harm our future? Are you interested in getting involved with managing technology's influence on society? Science, Technology, and Society is an interdisciplinary field which examines science and technology in relation to society.

New Option!
AI Ethics and Society
The AI Ethics and Society Option of Science, Technology, and Society is starting in Fall 2025. This Option prepares you to address problems AI raises--societal problems that cannot be addressed by technology alone.
An Example STS Problem
Gene Editing
An example problem for STS: gene editing technology called CRISPR/Cas9 is a powerful and relatively easy to use new tool for modifying plant or animal genes. Now that we have this powerful tool, what limits should governments place on its use to modify human beings? Should heritable genetic changes in humans be banned? What if some governments don't ban this so that their societies gain leadership in developing the technology? Addressing this question requires not only technical background, but also grounding in ethics, policy, and culture.
