The STEM in Society minor develops strategic and critical thinking capabilities to better understand how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as medicine, impact the human experience - past, present, and future. It provides a broad perspective of the STEM fields, to include how advances are developed, how they fit into the wider context of society and culture, and how historical contexts have in turn shaped advances in these fields.
The skills and competencies gained from this minor are useful to those seeking work in the tech and health care industries, as well as fields like international development and public policy or in non-profits, the government, or think tanks.
Policies
Eight credits of coursework must be unique to the minor and students must earn a minimum grade of 2.00 in all courses applied to the minor. For policies governing all minors, see AP.5.3.4 Minors.
Minor Requirements
Total credits: 15
Required Course
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 315 | STEM and Society: A History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| Total Credits | 3 | |
Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 12 credits from any of the following courses | 12 | |
| Historical | ||
| Biology and Society (Mason Core) | ||
| Great Ideas in Science (Mason Core) | ||
| Freshman/Sophomore Seminar in Global History | ||
| History of Aviation (Mason Core) | ||
| The Digital Past (Mason Core) | ||
| Medicine and Health | ||
| Humans, Disease, and Death (Mason Core) | ||
| Scientific Racism and Human Variation (Mason Core) | ||
| Medical Anthropology | ||
| Global Health (Mason Core) | ||
| Health and Environment | ||
| Social Determinants of Health | ||
or SOCW 445 | Social Determinants of Health | |
| Global Health and Development | ||
| Ethical Issues in Global Health | ||
| Environment | ||
| Environment and Culture | ||
| Environmental Issues and Solutions Around the World (Mason Core) | ||
| Global Warming: Weather, Climate, and Society (Mason Core) | ||
| Politics of Climate Change Governance | ||
| Geographic Approaches for Sustainable Development | ||
| Global Environmental Ethics (Mason Core) | ||
| Science and Technology | ||
| Zombies | ||
| Work, Technology, and Society: An IT Perspective (Mason Core) | ||
| Problem Solving and Leadership in STEAM | ||
| Science in the News (Mason Core) | ||
| Digital Futures | ||
| IT in the Global Economy | ||
| How Science Works (Mason Core) | ||
| Philosophy of the Natural Sciences | ||
| Topics in Philosophy of Technology | ||
| The Darwinian Revolution in Modern Thought | ||
| Big Data, Technology, and Society | ||
| Policy | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Policy | ||
| Energy Policy | ||
| Global Nutrition and Food Security | ||
| Nutrition Policy | ||
| Intellectual Property, Regulatory Concepts and Product Development | ||
| Special Topics Courses (with permission of minor director when topic is related to STEM in Society) | ||
| Issues in Anthropology: Social Sciences (Mason Core) | ||
| Issues in Anthropology | ||
| Special Topics in Engineering | ||
| Special Topics in Global and Community Health | ||
| Topics in Global Affairs | ||
| Global Affairs Capstone (Mason Core) | ||
| Topics in Global History (Mason Core) | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Nutrition and Food Studies Capstone | ||
| Special Topics in Sociology | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |