IT Concentration: Science and Technology Studies- Information and Society
(Humanities & Social Science)
For those entering the program Fall 2009 semester & beyond
Contact Person: Atsushi Akera
Description:
Whether they are in business, government, or the professions, Science and Technology Studies (STS) graduates report that they are uniquely prepared to understand today’s multi-faceted problems. STS is a perfect companion to IT for those students who wish to combine their technical expertise in IT with a deep understanding of IT’s place in the world.
The STS Department has achieved an international reputation for its research and teaching on the social effects of science and technology and, likewise, the impact of society on the shaping of science and technology. STS faculty draw on anthropology, history, philosophy, political science, sociology, and social psychology to develop unique interdisciplinary courses about the place of science and technology in today’s world.
Students generally specialize in a cluster of courses in one of the five main “tracks”:
- information and society
- environment and society
- health and society
- engineering and society
- law, values, and public policy
The information and society track includes the introductory course Information, Society and Culture, plus a selection of more advanced courses such as Ethical Issues in Computing, History of Information Technology, and Information, Law, and Policy. A special public service internship allows students to gain hands-on experience in a local nonprofit, government or public-service organization.
Some students with STS degrees go on to graduate programs in law, management, social science, public policy, public health and medicine. The rest enter the workforce immediately, often in government, the nonprofit sector, or in consulting firms. It is possible to develop a dual major between IT and STS by taking the designated sequence of eight courses that is indicated in the following template.
Required Courses:
| Semester I |
Semester II |
|
ITEC-1100 Introduction to Information Technology
ITEC-1220 IT and Society
CSCI-1100 Computer Science I
MATH-1010 Calculus I
|
CSCI-1200 Data Structures
(formerly known as Computer Science II)
STSS-1110 Science, Technology and Society
H&SS Elective**
Math Elective* |
| Semester III |
Semester IV |
|
ITEC-2961 Creativity and IT
One of:*
- ECSE-2610 Computer Components & Operations
and ENGR-2350 Embedded Control
- CSCI-2500 Computer Organization
STSS-2250 Information Technology, Society and
Culture
Life Science Elective (BIOL-XXXX)
|
ITEC-2110 Web Systems Development
ITEC-2210 Intro to Human Computer Interaction
One of:*
- ECSE-2660 Computer Arch, Networking & OS
- CSCI-2300 Introduction to Algorithms (formerly known as Data Structures & Algorithms)
One of:
- STSS-2350 Law, Values and Public Policy
- STSS-2200 Engineering, Design & Society
|
| Semester V |
Semester VI |
|
ITEC-4310 Managing IT Resources
ITEC 4961 Web Science
STSS-4230 Engineering Ethics
4000 Level STS Course
|
IT Elective (one of):
- CSCI-4380 Database Systems
- MGMT-4170 Data Resource Management
STSS-4800 Public Service Internship
Physical Science Elective (PHYS-XXXX)
H&SS Elective** |
| Semester VII |
Semester VIII |
|
ITEC-4100 IT Capstone Experience
4000 level STS course
H&SS Elective**
Free Elective
|
STSS-4980 STS Senior Project (Capstone)
H&SS Elective**
Free Elective
Free Elective
|
Students must satisfy an 8-credit communication requirement. See your advisor for details.
*Select either the three-course ECSE sequence or the two-course CSCI sequence. If the ECSE sequence is chosen, ENGR-2350 will replace one free elective slot. Move the H&SS Elective to semester with a free elective. If the CSCI Sequence is chosen, your math elective in Semester II must be MATH-2800 Introduction to Discrete Structures.
**See H&SS requirements
|
