Provocation on the Core of STS
Stephen Hilgartner
Cornell University
1. STS has a core.
• The theoretically-informed and empiricallygrounded study of the social aspects of
knowledges and technologies, including their
(selective) production, evaluation, spread,
uptake, use, and destruction; their role in
constituting and undermining particular forms
of social order; and their normative and
political dimensions.
2. STS is its own field and should work
to emerge fully as an independent
discipline.*
*But individual scholars often have multiple
identities involving other fields and there is
nothing wrong with that.
“Of” models
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Anthropology of S&T
History of . . .
Sociology of . . .
Philosophy of . . .
Politics of . . .
Etc. of . . .
3. STS should try to move up the
gradient of institutional strength.
• Isolated individual scholars in “of” fields
• STS programs or centers (that don’t control
faculty lines)
• Departments (that control faculty lines)
4. The intellectual content of the
core is a dynamically changing body
of scholarly work, practices, and
sensibilities collectively defined by the
community.
Cornell STS Introductory Grad Courses
• Introduction to Science & Technology Studies
• Qualitative Methods for Studying Science
Cornell STS Grad Courses
(partial list)
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Historiographical Approaches to Science
History of Technology
Information Technology in Sociocultural Context
Inside Technology
Making People through Expert Knowledge
Philosophy of Science
Public Engagement in Science
Science, Race, and Colonialism
Science, Technology, and Gender
Social Theory for Science Studies
Studying Emerging Technology
5. STS should recognize that the
degree of its intellectual
coherence is comparable with that
of other more established disciplines.
ASA Sections
Sociologists at Cornell
by Department
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Development Sociology
Graduate School of Management
Human Development
Industrial and Labor Relations
Natural Resources
Nutrition
City and Regional Planning
Policy Analysis and Management
Science and Technology Studies
Sociology
Departmental Affiliations of Cornell
PhD Graduates
(faculty appointments only)
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Business School
Business, Government and International Economy
Communication Studies
Community and Environmental Sociology
Consortium for Science Policy and Outcomes
Criminology, Law, and Society
History
History of Medicine
History of Science
Journalism and Media Studies
Public Policy
Science & Technology in Society
Science & Technology Studies
Sociology