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Course Code: GE 5

Descriptive Title: Science, Technology and Society

Course Description

STS is an essential course in the General Education curriculum for tertiary

education. The course deals with interactions between science and technology and
social, cultural, political, and economic contexts (CMO No. 20, series of 2013). It is an
interdisciplinary course hereby engages students to confront the realities of various
scientific issues and technological developments. Such realities pervade the personal,
the public, and the global aspects of our living and are integral to human development.
Scientific knowledge and technological development happen in the context of society
with all its socio-political, cultural, economic, and philosophical underpinnings at play.
This course is design to develop deep appreciation and critical understanding of the role
of science and technology in the society and will instil reflective knowledge in the
students that they are able to live the good life and display ethical decision making in
the face of scientific and technological advancement. This course includes mandatory
topics on climate change and environmental awareness.

Grading System

Each student shall be assessed on the following:

Class Participation 10%

Activities 15%

Quizzes 20%

PreMid/Prefi Exam 25%

MidTerm/Final Exam 30%

100%
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Learning Outcomes

At the end of the semester, the students must be able to:

1. articulate the impacts of science and technology on society, specifically Philippine

society;

2. explain how science and technology affect society and the environment and its role
in nation-building;

3. analyze the human condition in order to deeply reflect and express philosophical
ramifications that are meaningful to the student as a part of society;

4. define and demonstrate the impact of social media on the students‟ life and
Philippine society in general;

5. imbibe the importance of science and technology in the preservation of the

environment and the development of the Filipino nation;

6. critique human flourishing vis-à-vis the progress of science and technology such that
the student may be able to define for himself/herself the meaning of the good life;

7. foster the value of a healthy lifestyle toward the holistic and sustainable development
of society and the environment;

8. creatively present the importance and contributions of science and technology to

society;

9. examine shared concerns that make up the good life in order to come up with
innovative and creative solutions to contemporary issues guided by ethical
standards; and

10. illustrate how the social media and information age impact their lives and their
understanding of climate change.
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Module 1 General Concepts and Historical Developments

Topics:

Lesson 1 Introduction to Science, Technology and Society

Lesson 2 Historical Antecedents of Science and Technology

Lesson 3 Intellectual Revolutions and Society

Lesson 4 Science and Technology and Nation Building

LESSON 1 INTRODUCTION TO SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY

This section introduces Science, Technology and Society (STS) as a field of

study. After defining science and technology, the lesson traces the historical roots of
STS as an academic field. It also enumerates emerging dilemmas that reinforce the
importance of the study of STS in an age of scientific progress and technological
development.

I. Objectives

At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. discuss the general concepts related to science and technology;

2. explain the scope of the study of STS; and
3. Demonstrate preparedness and readiness in the study of STS.

Engage

Instructions: On the space provided, write TRUE if the statement is correct or False if
it is not.

___________1. Science is a methodological way of acquiring knowledge.

___________2. Technology is the use of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.

___________3. Science and Technology can be dangerous.

___________4. Science, Technology and Society (STS) is the study of how science
and technology shape and are shaped by social influences.

___________5. STS deals with the historical development of science and technology
but does not cover their philosophical underpinnings.
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___________6. The study of STS primarily concerns students of science and

technology programs, and not non-science students as much.

___________7. STS is an important area of study because science and technology

permeate every aspect of everyday life.

___________8. Science and technology are not crucial factors in nation building.

___________9. History cannot teach people about evaluating present-day science and
technology.

___________10. STS draws from other disciplines, such as history, sociology,

philosophy, economics, political science and international relations and
science policy.

Explore

1. How does Science and Technology influence the people nowadays?

2. What are the challenges and drawbacks posed by the dynamism and immensity
of scientific and technological progress to the ways humans live?

Explain

Science is our most effective way of understanding the natural world. All science
involves some form of observation or experiment, and some sort of theorising about
how to explain the evidence collected. Science comes from the Latin word scientia,
meaning “knowledge”. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines science as 'systematic,
organized knowledge', and this systematic nature sets science apart from other types of
understanding. In addition, science is concerned with evidence and with theory.
Scientific evidence often comes from experiments, though some sciences, such as
astronomy and geology, do not do experiments. To explain the evidence, theories are
put forward, and further evidence is often sought, to see whether the theory accords
with additional observations. The exact relationship between theory and evidence is
extremely complex, and at this stage we simply note that science involves both. For
those interested in the nature of science, Alan Chalmers (1982) has written a good
introduction, dealing with the ideas of important philosophers of science such as
Popper, Kuhn and Feyerabend.

Technology is even more difficult to outline than science. It comes from a Greek
root word techne, meaning “art, skill or cunning of hand” Many people regard
technology as simply applied science. In their view, scientists produce knowledge and
then technologists turn it into important products and devices, such as computers and
spacecraft. In our view, this approach is too narrow. As we shall see in this book,
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science did not begin to be systematically incorporated into our production systems until
the middle of the nineteenth century. If technology is simply 'applied science', we would
have to conclude that there was no technology before that. In fact, quite complex and
sophisticated technologies were needed to build the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall
of China, and the ancient irrigation systems of India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Such
knowledge was based on craft rather than science, with knowledge being slowly
accumulated and applied (often through trial and error) and passed on from one
generation to the next.

Broadly, we regard technology as a body of skills and knowledge by which we

control and modify the world. More and more, technology is being influenced by
scientific knowledge, with spectacular results. Technology has always been important in
human affairs. Military technology, such as the bow and arrow and the armour worn by
knights, has enabled kings to carve out huge empires. The technology of shipbuilding
and navigation enabled Britain to conquer a quarter of the world. We should also notice
that, from this viewpoint, medicine is a technology. It enables doctors to intervene in the
human body through drugs or surgery.

A key point in Science, Technology and Society studies is that these activities
are not isolated. They are all carried out in social, political and economic contexts.
Therefore, if we are to understand what is happening in the modern world, we must
understand how science influences the larger society. We must also understand how
the larger society influences science and technology.

In addition, there is another way in which the word society can be applied to
science and technology. Scientists and technologists do not work in isolation. They work
in universities, firms or research groups, and the functioning of these groupings is also a
legitimate focus of study. Questions about ethics and conduct within these groupings,
how they should be financed and how they are best organized, are also matters which
researchers in Science, Technology and Society can ask about.

As problems in science and technology continue to rise and become more

observable, the need to pay attention to their interactions with various aspects of human
life, e.g., social, political and economic becomes even more necessary. How the
different aspects of society shape and influence the progression and further
development of science and technology is the area of concern of a relatively new
academic discipline called Science, Technology and Society.

Science, Technology and Society (STS) is a relatively young field that combines
previously independent and older disciplines, such as history of science, philosophy of
science and sociology of science. As an academic field, STS, according to Harvard
University’s Kennedy School (2018), traces its roots from the interwar period and the
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start of the Cold War. It was during this period when historians and scientists found
interest in the interconnections of scientific knowledge, technological systems and
society. The rise of STS as an academic field resulted from the recognition that many
schools today do not really prepare students to respond critically, reflectively and
proactively to the challenges posed by science and technology in the contemporary
world.

In general, STS applies method drawn from history, philosophy and sociology to
study the nature of science and technology and ultimately judge their value and place in
society. As an interdisciplinary field, the emergence of STS was a result of questions
about science and technology’s dynamic interaction with various aspects of society and
thus was viewed as a socially embedded enterprise. Thus, as the Kennedy School
effectively encapsulates, STS seeks to bridge the gap between two traditionally
exclusive cultures – humanities (interpretive) and natural sciences (rational) – so
humans will be able to better confront the moral, ethical and existential dilemmas
brought by the continued developments in science and technology.

Elaborate

Listed below are the ten emerging ethical and policy issue dilemmas compiled by
the John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology and Values of the University of Notre
Dame for 2018. Choose one emerging dilemma in science and technology and
research about the nature of dilemma and answer the questions below.

1. What is the emerging ethical dilemma all about?

2. What factors or events led to this dilemma?
3. What are the societal implications of this dilemma?
4. Why is it important to question the moral and ethical issues surrounding
innovations in science and technology?
5. In the face of this dilemma, why is it important to study STS?

10 Emerging ethical dilemmas and policy issues in science and technology (2018)

1. Helix – a digital app store designed to read genomes

2. BlessU-2 and Pepper – first robot priest and monk
3. Emotion-Sensing Facial Recognition – a software being developed to assess
your reactions to anything such as shopping and playing games.
4. Ransomware – a way of holding data hostage through hacking and requiring
a ransom to be paid.
5. Textalyzer – a device that analyses whether a driver was using his or her
phone during an accident
6. Social Credit System – a system of scoring citizens through their actions by
placing them under constant surveillance
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7. Google Clips – a hands-free camera that lets the user capture every moment
effortlessly
8. Sentencing Software – a mysterious algorithm designed to aid courts in
sentencing decisions
9. Friendbot – an app that stores the deceased’s digital footprint so one can still
“chat” with them
10. Citizen App – an app that notifies users of ongoing crimes or major events in
a specific area

Evaluate

1. Paste a magazine or newspaper cut-out of any photograph that depicts an issue

or problem in science and technology. Then answer the following questions.
a. What is the issue or problem depicted in the photograph?
b. How does this particular issue or problem impact the well-being of humans
today?
c. Why is it important for people to study and learn about STS as an academic
field, especially in addressing the issue or problem depicted in the
photograph?
2. On a bond paper, create a slogan that reflects your view of science and
technology. Be creative. You can use any art materials to make it visually
appealing and impactful