Master of Arts in Science and Technology Studies

About this programme

The transdisciplinary field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) emerged in the 1970s out of growing concern about the social and political effects of scientific and technological developments. Engaging with the human dimensions of science and technology, STS uses methods from a variety of perspectives associated with the humanities and social sciences. Faculty in our MA program come from English, Geography, History, Philosophy, Sociology, the School of Journalism, and the Faculty of Education. Topics for STS study include: how laboratories work, how to understand the development of scientific practices and technological objects in social context, examination of the ethics of science and technology, analysis of expertise and authority of science in democracies, understanding relations between science and public policy, and exploring representations of science and technology. For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website The Science and Technology Graduate Program is one of only two such programs in Canada, and the first to be housed in an Arts faculty. We have more than twenty full-time faculty in the program, with internationally recognized scholars who are committed to teaching and research. The small size of our program means that each student receives full attention and supervision. In addition, students benefit from our STS Colloquium Series which features prominent scholars from around the world. Our past visitors include: Lorraine Daston, Evelyn Fox Keller, Bruno Latour, Stephen Shapin, Isabelle Stengers, and many more.