Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ

Do you want to learn how to put your STEM knowledge to use in the real world after you graduate? Are you curious why science is done in one way and not another? Are you interested in how new technologies might be developed more imaginatively? Then ST&S is for you.

What is ST&S?

ST&S studies the relationships between science, technology, and society. Just knowing facts about science and technology doesn't always tell you what to do - especially when it comes to messier topics where STEM interacts with society and culture. As COVID showed, what if some people don't listen to vaccine experts because they don't trust them? Can ordinary people shape the development of AI rather than surrender to Big Tech? When new discoveries get made, what happens when scientists disagree, and who gets listened to?

To answer these questions, ST&S uses interdisciplinary approaches to study science and technology in action. Our courses study such topics as digital surveillance and information manipulation; environmental degradation and climate change; ethics and genomics; pharmaceutical governance; and sustainable food production.

Why get a degree in ST&S?

Distinguish your degree: York Science is the only place in Canada that offers Major and Minor programs in Science, Technology, & Society within a Faculty of Science. As an ST&S student, you'll learn about scientific knowledge and how it's organized, how technology changes, how innovation happens, and how STEM interacts with politics. This is done by combining STEM with tools from the social sciences, humanities, and cultural studies. By engaging with multiple perspectives, you'll understand how to work between disciplines. This will help you make better decisions and prepare you for life after you graduate.

Study Science and Technology in Action: A degree in ST&S helps you convey the real-life impact and social repercussions that science and technology have on different groups in society and vice versa. For instance, sometimes a new technology (e.g. Discord) is invented for one reason (gaming), but then gets used for different reasons (business or classroom communication). Learn why this happens.

Stand For Science: A degree in ST&S means you'll better understand the rise of 'anti-science' movements, misinformation about issues like vaccines and climate change, and how such problems can be tackled through better forms of communication.

Support Science, Technology, and Social Justice: You'll learn to see science and technology not only as forms of knowledge and invention, but also as human practices and forms of culture. That means studying not only discoveries and successful innovations, but also controversies, failures, and unfairness. Knowing about these can help you make the world a better place.

Our requirements for a Major or Minor are designed to be flexible. We have three Minor Options: Life Sciences and Society, Technology, Innovation and Society, and Earth, Sustainability and Society. See the ST&S program website to learn more and learn how ST&S can help you see new possibilities.

What can you do with an ST&S Degree?

Our past students now work in software engineering, UX, project management, technical writing, health policy, game design, business systems, and finance. Others have gone on to study teaching, medicine, business, and law. Most importantly, by learning about relationships between different disciplines – and understanding the interactions between society, technology, and science - our graduates can see where future careers will be.

Quick Links

• Program Details
• Your Resources
• Requirements & Deadlines
• Program Page
• Request More Information