0 or 3 credits
Fall 2025 Distance Learning Lecture HonorsScienceUpper DivisionVariable Title
Science and technology are deeply intertwined with the distribution of costs and benefits in human society, underscoring the need for critical perspectives. This project-based course will examine the social and ethical implications of science and technology using interdisciplinary methodologies/approaches. Students will have the opportunity to address questions such as: How have particular scientific discoveries and technologies emerged or evolved? How have they shaped society, and how has society shaped science and technology? How have science and technology compounded social inequalities (race, class, gender), and how can they be changed to reduce inequalities? Topics that will be explored will vary each semester.
Learning Outcomes1Discuss examples of scientific and technological changes and the costs and benefits for individuals and specific societies.
2Describe ethical implications of technological and scientific developments.
3Explain how social factors have shaped the development and application of science.
4Explain how social factors have shaped the development science and technology, including tools and strategies by which societies promote, constrain, or otherwise influence scientific and technical innovation.
Prerequisites
made by Purdue students.