Building an STS of Practice & the Practice of STS

• In Event: What STS Can Do: Innovations and Alternatives for STS Practice – II

Abstract

Biology has its doctors, physics its engineers, sociology its social workers. What about STS? In a time of ethical lapses, replication crises, and unintended consequences on the one hand and fake news, mistrust of expertise, and politically motivated attacks on science on the other, the need for public, practicing STS(s) has never been greater. Established in the wake of the technological disruptions and moral dilemmas posed by WWII and its aftermath, today STS is increasingly regarded as the model for “Liberal education in the 21st Century” (AAC&U 2012). STS promises important broadening experiences for STEM students on the one hand and science-literacy to liberal arts majors on the other.

Somewhere between service teaching and radical pedagogy, STS questions the very distinction of “pure” and “applied.” Yet we have relatively few conversations about professional training in STS. What might a next generation of STS-in-practice look like? This paper reports on i) a comprehensive review of over 120 STS programs and curricular offerings in the US and abroad ii) a survey of the literature in STS and other disciplines around teaching applications and professional practice. We find that while programs offer a range of opportunities for students to apply STS approaches, there has been relatively little discussion at the disciplinary level about what an applied or professional practice of STS might or ought to look like. Based on our program and literature review, we offer some concrete suggestions for STS programs going forward.

Authors

• Zoe Nyssa, Purdue University

• Ian C. Lindsay, Purdue University

• Madisson Whitman, Purdue University