Science and Society Minor
(Proposed Catalog Copy)
This interdisciplinary minor encourages students to explore the scope and impact of science in
various aspects of their daily lives. Students choosing this minor will appreciate the multiple
ways that science is integrated into and interpreted through other disciplines. In coordination
with their minor advisor, students develop a unique group of core courses (15-16 credits) from a
pre-approved list to provide them with greater depth into a specific theme. Some general subject
areas through which students may connect science and society more closely include the
environment, ethics, ethnography, faith, health, justice and the law, media, and medicine. The
individual core should include one foundation course in the related field of study.
In preparation for this minor, students should have completed 7 credits in a single lab science
sequence. In addition to completing the 15 credits of core classes, students must also complete
SCSO 200, Introduction to Science and Society, which will provides students with a broad
overview of related topics in the minor, and SCSO 400, Perspectives on Science and Society, in
which students demonstrate what they have learned through their course of study. A maximum of
9 lower-level credits can be applied to the minor (7 within the core and the 2-credit SCSO 200),
and no more than 3 credits can be applied to both the general education requirements and the
minor. No more than two courses from a single department can be applied to this minor. A
minimum GPA of 2.00 is required for coursework in this minor.
Sample Groupings of Courses for Individualized Minor Core Areas
NOTE: These core areas are for illustration purposes only. Students who choose the
Science and Society minor will work with a program advisor to develop a unique set of
core courses that meet their individual goals and interests.
Science, Society, and the Environment
EVPP 110 – Ecosphere: Environmental Science (foundation course)
ECON 335 – Environmental Economics
GEOG 303 – Conservation of Resources and Environment
NCLC 319 – An Endangered Earth
PHIL 343 – Introduction to Environmental Ethics
Science, Society, and Ethnography
ANTH 135 – Human Evolution, Biology, and Culture (foundation course)
ANTH 365 – Race and Racism
ENGL 311 – Writing Ethnography
GEOG 304 – Geography of Population
HIST 418 – Ethnic Groups in America
Science, Society, and Faith
ANTH 135 – Human Evolution, Biology, and Culture (foundation course)
ANTH 496 – On Evolution
PHIL 377 – Darwin: Biology and Beyond
PHIL 378 – Reason, Science, and Faith in the Modern Age
RELI 100 – Human Religious Experience (foundation course)
Science, Society, and Humankind
ANTH 120 – Introduction to Archaeology (foundation course)
PHIL 111 – Individual and Society
BIOL 313 – Human Genetics for the Social Sciences
ENGL 492 – Science Fiction
NCLC 300 - Utopia
Science, Society, and Healing
HSCI 150 – Global Issues in Health, Nutrition, and Culture (foundation course)
NCLC 378 – Medicine, Justice, and Public Policy
PHIL 309 – Medicine and Human Values
RELI 341 – Global Perspectives on Spirituality and Healing
SOCI 390 – Sociology of Health, Illness, and Disability
Possible courses to include in the Science and Society Minor
(This list is not limited to these specific courses – others may also be appropriate)
ANTH 120 – Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 135 – Human Evolution, Biology, and Culture
ANTH 313 – Myth, Magic, and Mind
ANTH 365 – Race and Racism
ANTH 370 – Environment and Culture
ANTH 380 – Language and Culture
ANTH 496 – On Evolution
ASTR 302 – Foundations of Cosmological Thought
BINF 354 – Foundations in Mathematical Biology
BIOL 301 – Biology and Society
BIOL 313 – Human Genetics for the Social Sciences
CS 305/306 (Synthesis of) Ethics and Law for the Computing Professional
CONF 330 – Community, Group, and Organizational Conflict Analysis and Resolution
EOS 304 – Population Dimensions of Global Change
ECON 335 – Environmental Economics
ECON 360 – Economics of Developing Areas
ENGL 311 – Writing Ethnography
ENGL 343 – Textual Media
ENGL 492 – Science Fiction
FRLN 310 – Germany in its Global Context
FRLN 380 – Topics in the Sociopolitics of Language
GEOG 103 – Human Geography
GEOG 303 – Conservation of Resources and Environment
GEOG 304 – Geography of Population
GEOG 305 – Economic Geography
GEOG 306 – Urban Geography
GEOL 305 – Environmental Geology
GOVT 329 – Issues in Political Theories and Values
GOVT 407 – Law and Society
GOVT 421 – Contemporary Political Ideologies
HSCI 150 – Global Issues in Health, Nutrition, and Culture
HIST 298 – History and the Web (1 credit)
HIST 418 – Ethnic Groups in America
IT 304 – IT in the Global Economy
MKTG 301 – Principles of Marketing
MKTG 312 – Consumer Behavior
MATH 400 – History of Math
NCLC 211 – Introduction to Conservation Studies
NCLC 220 – Energy and Environment
NCLC 230 – Math and Culture
NCLC 300 – Utopia
NCLC 306 – Our Common Futures
NCLC 307 – Narratives of Nature
NCLC 319 – An Endangered Earth
NCLC 333 – The Nature of Mathematics
NCLC 350 – Cyberculture
NCLC 378 – Medicine, Justice, and Public Policy
NCLC 379 – Cancer and Its Social Impact
NCLC 401 – Conservation Biology
NCLC 441 – AIDS: Impact on Society
PHIL – Ethics and Cybersociety
PHIL 309 – Medicine and Human Values
PHIL 312 – Philosophy of Technology
PHIL 326 – Justice, Law, and the Modern State
PHIL 343 – Introduction to Environmental Ethics
PHIL 371 – Philosophy of Natural Sciences
PHIL 377 – Darwin: Biology and Beyond
PHIL 378 – Reason, Science, and Faith in the Modern Age
PSYC 231 – Social Psychology
PSYC 324 – Personality Theory
PSYC 372 – Physiological Psychology
PSYC 415 – Psychological Factors in Aging
PSYC 418 – Death, Dying, and Grieving
RELI 341 – Global Perspectives on Spirituality and Healing
SOCW 323/324 – Human Behavior in the Social Environment I/II
SOCW 435 – An Intergenerational Approach to Aging
SOCI 390 – Sociology of Health, Illness, and Disability
Sample Syllabus
Introduction to Science and Society (SCSO* 200)
2007
Fall
Course Description
SCSO 200, Introduction to Science and Society, is designed to provide students who are
considering an interdisciplinary minor in Science and Society with general background
information and a common frame of reference for developing their own, unique focus in this
broadly envisioned area of study. The goal of this course is to help students design a plan for
their coursework in the minor, envision the specific topic they will address, and begin preliminary
preparation for the presentation and research paper they will complete in SCSO 400, the capstone
of their minor course of study.
This two-credit course will be divided into three sections, as follows:
First third of the semester
Students will do background reading on contemporary issues in science and society. Class time
will focus on discussion of the issues raised in the reading. Students will be expected to bring
one relevant and current article from the popular media (i.e., newspapers, magazines) to each
class session.
Middle third of the semester
Faculty in the minor will present talks on topics relevant to their own academic interests.
Students will have the opportunity to ask questions, and will be encouraged to connect with
faculty members whose interests are congruent with their own. Students will write a brief
reaction paper for each presentation.
Final third of the semester
Students will begin to focus on their individual areas of interest. Each student will share with the
class a proposal for their specific topic and a plan for coursework in the minor. Classmates will
provide feedback on the appropriateness and relevance of the chosen topics and make suggestions
for the refinement of course plans.
Reading
During the first third of the semester, students will read a book that broadly addresses current
issues in science and society. Some recent possibilities are:
Easton, T. A. (2005). Taking sides: Clashing views in science, technology, and society. New
York: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.
Koslowsky, R. K. (2006). A world perspective through 21st century eyes – the impact of science
on society. Victoria, British Columbia: Trafford Publishing.
In the middle third of the semester, students will be assigned a selection of timely and relevant
articles from professional journals and the popular media. The specific articles assigned will be
suggested by the guest speakers whose talks will comprise the middle section of the course, and
will change each semester in order to address the most current issues, trends, and controversies in
Science and Society.
In the final third of the semester, students will work individually to develop a brief, annotated
bibliography of books and articles that will inform their topic choice and enhance their
anticipated coursework in the minor.
Graded Work
20% Exam on background reading
20% Exam on faculty presentations and assigned articles
20% Detailed topic proposal, including course plan for the minor
15% Annotated bibliography
10% Contributed articles (5)
10% Reaction papers (5)
5%
Class participation
*
SCSO is being used as a placeholder for a designation to be determined. For fall 2007, this
course will be listed as CHSS200.
Sample Syllabus
Perspectives on Science and Society (SCSO* 400)
2007
Fall
Course Description
SCSO 400, Perspectives on Science and Society, is the capstone course for students choosing the
interdisciplinary minor in Science and Society. This one-credit course is designed to provide a
context in which students can integrate material from the courses they chose to complete the
minor. In the process, they will learn about the interests and experiences of other students in the
minor, expanding their breadth of knowledge in this important and timely area of study. The
course will culminate in student presentations and papers, which will serve as an opportunity for
students to share their work with faculty in the program and the university community.
During the early part of the semester, class sessions will prepare students to work on their
individual presentations and research papers. Topics may include, for example, the effective use
of PowerPoint and creating annotated bibliographies.
The next several weeks will be devoted to group discussions of presentation and paper outlines,
as well as background reading on each student’s topic.
The last half of the semester will consist of student presentations, which will be reviewed by
classmates according to a clearly defined grading rubric made available to students early in the
semester. The audience will receive participation credit for their brief reviews. On the day of
their presentation students will turn in short research papers detailing the information in the
presentation, accompanied by annotated bibliographies.
Reading
At the beginning of the semester, each student will be asked to supply a text (e.g., a journal
article, book chapter), no more than 10 pages in length, which they think best describes their
specific area of focus. All students will complete these readings to prepare for the preliminary
presentations.
Graded Work
30%
30%
10%
10%
10%
*
Presentation
Paper
Submission of a reading for classmates
Presentation and paper outlines
Participation
SCSO is being used as a placeholder for a designation to be determined.