Prerequisite:  Completion of STS1500 and STS2XXX or their equivalents (approved by the SEAS Undergraduate Dean)

General: STS4500 engages students with the idea that success in posing and solving engineering problems requires attention to the social dimensions of professional endeavors and practice.  Among other things, the course will focus on the environmental, social, and political dimensions of early-stage engineering practice.   Attention will be paid to invention, design, problem definition, and the selection of problem-solving approaches.  STS theories and methods will be applied to undergraduate thesis projects. 

Goals: This course helps to satisfy a number of ABET outcomes, most importantly an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility; an ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing; a knowledge of contemporary issues; and the ability to engage in life-long learning.  After taking STS4500, you should be able to

• explain why success in posing and solving engineering problems requires attention to the social dimensions of engineering practice
• provide examples showing how the failure to pay attention to the social dimensions of engineering practice may affect engineering outcomes
• define the problem(s) to be studied in your technical and STS research papers in light of the social dimensions of engineering practice
• employ concepts, theories, and methods drawn from STS or related disciplines to lend analytical rigor to all of the above.