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This is a free online course offered by the Saylor Foundation.

'This course will introduce you to the field known as Science and Technology Studies (STS). STS is an interdisciplinary field that examines how science and technology shape societies, cultures, and the environment and how social, cultural, and environmental factors shape the development of science and technology. These rich connections are most easily seen in areas such as the Internet and other digital technologies; the biological sciences (including biotechnology, genetics, and genomics); medical sciences and technologies; energy sciences and technologies; and ecological and environmental sciences. STS also studies the history of science, focusing on how social and cultural values and interests have shaped science and technology.

This course begins with an introduction to STS and continues by examining the nature of science according to various philosophical perspectives. In the process, you will be introduced to key terms necessary for understanding those perspectives. When you have finished this course, you will be able to explain developments in science and technology in terms of their interactions with social, cultural, environmental, and other issues. This course will also prepare you for the STS major by introducing its core components: the philosophy of science, history of science, history of technology, science and ethics, and science policy.'

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