Science, Technology, and Society Studies, or STS, is an interdisciplinary field of academic teaching and research, with elements of a social movement, having as its primary focus the explication and analysis of science and technology as complex social constructs with attendant societal influences entailing myriad epistemological, political, and ethical questions. As such it entails four interlinked tenets or concepts that transcend simple disciplinary boundaries and serve as a core body of STS knowledge and practice. Several useful introductions to the STS field are available (Sismondo 2004, Cutcliffe and Mitcham 2001, Volti 2001, Cutcliffe 2000, Hess 1997, Jasanoff, et al. 1995).

Basic Themes

The field of Science, Technology, and Society Studies covers several basic themes.

CONSTRUCTIVISM. First and foremost, STS assumes scientific and technological developments to be socially constructed phenomena. That is, science and technology are inherently human, and hence value-laden, activities that are always approached and...