STS 1000 Level Courses
STS 1000 – Introduction to Technical Communications for Non-Native Speakers
Instruction in communication for students whose first language is not English. Specialized instruction in academic/content area communications as well as personal expression in a variety of settings will enable students to complete academic programs in a more efficient and timely manner. After completion of STS 1000, students must complete STS 1500 by the end of their first year of residency in the SEAS.
Instructor: Catherine Baritaud
Days and Times:
STS 1000-001, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
STS 1500 - Science, Technology, and Contemporary Issues
This course introduces students to contemporary issues involving science, technology, and engineering as well as the core ideas of STS. Emphasis is on three ideas: a) engineering is a social endeavor; b) technology shapes and is shaped by society; and c) technologies are sociotechnical systems. The course also teaches writing and public speaking, skills needed in engineering.
STS 1500 – Science, Technology, and Contemporary Issues: Considering the Future through Fiction
Topic Description: Based on the premise that engineers (through engineering practice) both imagine and build the future, this course begins by examining a variety of fictional predictions and imaginative depictions of the future. These accounts are explored to try to understand what is presumed about the role of technology in constituting societies, social arrangements, social relationships, and ways of life. A major theme of the course is to understand how technology shapes and is shaped by society. The course asks: What is technology? What is engineering? How are technology and society intertwined? How do we otherwise make meaning of the technologies we create? Equipped with a view of engineering as a socio-technical, somewhat experimental endeavor, several of the major challenges of the 21st Century are examined, including global access to water and agricultural production; human health, reproduction and fertility; warfare and national security; energy; sustainability, and virtuality. The course ends by asking how aspiring engineers might engage their moral imaginations to address the challenges of the 21st Century, that is, to build a desirable future.
Register for lecture and one discussion section:
Instructor:
Rosalyn Berne
Lecture Section Schedule:
STS 1500-100-LEC Tuesdays, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Discussion Section Schedule:
STS 1500-101-DIS – Thursdays, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
STS 1500-102-DIS – Thursdays, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM
STS 1500-103-DIS – Thursdays, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
STS 1500-104-DIS – Thursdays, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
STS 1500-105-DIS – Thursdays, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM
STS 1500-106-DIS – Thursdays, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
STS 1500-107-DIS – Thursdays, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
STS 1500-108-DIS – Thursdays, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
STS 1500-109-DIS – Thursdays, 5:00 PM – 6:15 PM
STS 1500-110-DIS – Thursdays, 5:00 PM – 6:15 PM
STS 1500-111-DIS – Thursdays, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
STS 1500-112-DIS – Thursdays, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM
STS 1500-113-DIS – Thursdays, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
STS 1500-114-DIS – Thursdays, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
STS 1500-115-DIS – Thursdays, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
STS 1500 - Science, Technology, and Contemporary Issues: Engineering the Future – A Global Endeavor (on-line sections)
Topic Description: Engineers may work in a specific office in a specific city, but their professional activities are increasingly part of global endeavors, whether it is as part of a multi-national corporation, work for a government entity with global presence, or companies that create large-scale systems that will have regional and global impacts. This course will pursue an understanding of technology across cultures as it intersects with visions of “the common good.” Instead of doing so in the confines of a classroom with walls, we will do so by engaging students from different countries in live simulation activities and discourse to explore examples and case studies from multiple countries. We will address central questions such as how to technology and society shape each other, how is technology used to engender a vision of human flourishing, what are system-level ethical considerations for practicing professionals, and how do we develop cultural exchanges for effective collaborations on large-scale technological systems. This course section is an online section of STS 1500 that includes students who are off-Grounds in Virginia and Germany. All students in this section will be expected to participate fully in an online, synchronous format and should be prepared with the necessary equipment including a reliable internet connection, laptop or computer, and headset with microphone.
Instructor: Stephanie Moore
Days and Times:
STS 1500-200-LEC & STS 1500-202-LEC, Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM
STS 1500-201-LEC & STS 1500-203-LEC, Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
STS 2000 Level Courses
STS 2160 – Intellectual Property, Engineering, and Society
Introduces the fundamentals and history of U.S. copyright and patent law and examines its impact on technological innovation, technological creativity, business strategy, public welfare in the U.S. and developing nations, and global competitiveness. Prerequisites: STS 1500 or equivalent.
Register for one the lecture and one discussion section:
STS 2160-100-LEC
Instructor:
Bryan Pfaffenberger
Days and Times: Mondays, 3:30 – 4:45 PM
Discussion Section Schedule, Choose one:
STS 2160-101-DIS, Wednesdays, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
STS 2160-102-DIS, Wednesdays, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
STS 2160-103-DIS, Wednesdays, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM
STS 2201-001-LEC – Technology in World History
Surveys how cultures have developed technology from the earliest times to the end of the twentieth century. Includes both western and non-western cultures and explores how different cultures have used technology to produce economic abundance, social order, and cultural meaning. No technical or scientific expertise required. Prerequisites: STS 1500 or equivalent.
Instructor: W. Bernard Carlson
Days and Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
STS 2500 – Science and Technology in Social and Global Context
This course invites students to explore the implications of STS core concepts within a specific topical or disciplinary area, drawing out the implications of STS 1500 in depth. The course explores the social and global context of engineering, science and technology. Although writing and speaking skills are emphasized, more attention is given to course content and the students' analytical abilities. Prerequisites: STS 1500 or an equivalent STS course.
Each section of this course is taught with a special topics focus:
STS 2500-001-LEC – Science and Technology in Social and Global Context: Entrepreneurship & Financing for Technology Ventures
Topic Description: The course will present basics of marketing and finance so that the student will know how to define a business concept. The course will also provide practical experience in pitching the concept to investors, building on training in public speaking in the early part of the course. The core purpose of the course is to help prepare the student to either start a business in the future or to be capable of evaluating a business being started and its likelihood of success. One of the goals of the course is to prepare students for a business world where written and spoken communication is essential to success. A second goal of the course is to prepare students to participate in the Engineering School’s e-concept competition and the University’s wider UVA Cup e-concept competition. Restrictions: Engineering Business Minor students who have already completed COMM 2010.
Instructor: Letitia Green
Days and Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
STS 2500-002-LEC – Science and Technology in Social and Global Context: Technology and Policy: Where Intent Meets Process
Topic Description: In this course, we will explore four case studies illustrative of the potential disharmony between intent and process. In each case, the action is a public policy initiative with scientific or technological dimensions, where good intentions either led to unwelcome collateral consequences, or the process of implementation failed to fulfill the intent of the policy.
Instructor: David Slutzky
Days and Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
STS 2500-003-LEC – Science and Technology in Social and Global Context: Global Environmental History
Topic Description: How have people shaped the earth’s ecology? This course will answer that question by examining the interaction between human beings and their environments from human origins to the present day, with an emphasis on events since the agricultural revolution about 12,000 years ago. We are interested both in how people shaped the world around them, and in how the natural world shaped human experience. We will examine the role of culture, social systems, and technology in mediating the relationship between people and nature. The course will capitalize on visits to countries during the voyage to illustrate course material.
Instructor: Edmund Russell
Days and Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
STS 4000 Level Courses
STS 4110 – The Business of New Product Development
Provides overview of business considerations required to commercialize new products. Included is an understanding of the business structure, processes, vocabulary, product lifecycle, organizational capabilities and financial/analytical tools, as well as the challenge of leadership in meeting diverse expectations of internal and external stakeholders. Taught with lectures, case studies and experiential projects. Prerequisites: Business Minor & Fourth year standing or instructor permission.
Note: This course does not count towards STS requirements. It fulfills a requirement for the Engineering Business Minor.
Register for one of two sections:
STS 4110-001-LEC
Instructor: Michael King
Days and Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
STS 4110-002-LEC
Instructor: Michael King
Days and Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
STS 4500 – STS and Engineering Practice
This course engages students with the idea that success in posing and solving engineering problems requires attention to the social dimensions of professional endeavors and practice. STS theories and methods are applied to student thesis projects. Requirements for the thesis portfolio are explained, and students produce a prospectus for the senior thesis project. Prerequisites: STS 2500 or an equivalent.
STS 4500 – STS and Engineering Practice: TBA
Topic Description: TBA
Instructor: Catherine Baritaud
Days and Times:
STS 4500-004-LEC, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
STS 4500-008-LEC, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
STS 4500 – STS and Engineering Practice: Cases from History and Today
Topic Description: Drawing from a range of readings, this course examines the primary influences that shape engineering, its work, and its products. We also look at the influences of technology on society. The readings prepare students to develop their STS research papers for completion in STS 4600.
Instructor: John K. “Jack” Brown
Days and Times:
STS 4500-013-LEC, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
STS 4500-012-LEC, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
STS 4500 – STS and Engineering Practice: TBA
Topic Description: TBA
Instructor: Joanne Cohoon
STS 4500-006-LEC, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
STS 4500-007-LEC, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM (Produced Students)
STS 4500 – STS and Engineering Practice: Bad Habits: A Sociotechnical Systems Perspective
Topic Description: Why do people drive while texting or smoke despite scientific evidence demonstrating the risks associated with these behaviors? Does it make sense to blame our bad habits on technology or expect technology to play a significant role in minimizing the damage they cause? Are bad habits “natural” to human beings? This version of STS 4500 will use bad habits as a case study in the complex roles that science and technology play in posing problems and formulating solutions.
Instructor: Kathryn Neeley
Days and Times:
STS 4500-014-LEC, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
STS 4500-015-LEC, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
STS 4500 – STS and Engineering Practice: Case Studies in Technology and Society
Topic Description: This version of STS 4500 investigates relationships between technology and society using contemporary and historical case studies, including primary sources. From the cases and applicable theories, students will learn to integrate relevant social factors into their technical work.
Instructor: Peter Norton
Days and Times:
STS 4500-001-LEC, Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
STS 4500-002-LEC, Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM
STS 4500-003-LEC, Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:00 PM – 6:15 PM
STS 4500 – STS and Engineering Practice: Global Environmental History
Topic Description: This course is intended for students who are writing environment-related senior theses or who have a strong interest in history and the environment. It will help students place contemporary issues in their historical and global context by examining the interaction between human beings and their environments from human origins to the present day, with an emphasis on events since the agricultural revolution about 12,000 years ago. We are interested both in how people shaped the world around them, and in how the natural world shaped human experience. We will study the role of culture, social systems, and technology in mediating the relationship between people and nature.
Instructor: Edmund Russell
Days and Times:
STS 4500-017-LEC, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
STS 4500 – STS and Engineering Practice: TBA
Topic Description: TBA
Instructor: TBA
Days and Times:
STS 4500-005-LEC, Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM
STS 4500-009-LEC, Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:00 PM – 6:15 PM
STS 4500-010-LEC, Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
STS 4500-011-LEC, Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
STS 4500-016-LEC, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM
STS 4600 – The Engineer, Ethics, and Professional Responsibility
This course focuses on ethical issues in engineering. The key theme is that ethics is central to engineering practice. The professional responsibilities of engineers are examined as well as broader issues as they affect and are affected by engineering practice. Students produce an STS Research paper linked to their technical thesis project and complete all of the requirements for the senior thesis. Prerequisites: STS 4500.
Instructor: TBA
Days and Times:
STS 4600-001-LEC, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
