Major Requirements and Policies

STARTING POINT 1 of 3: All Wesleyan students should disregard any information about major requirements they find on WesMaps. Ignore the field that reads “Fulfills a Major Requirement for” because it is misleading; this is a data field that the Registrar uses to pre-populate any student’s courses in the process known as Major Certification. The webpage you are reading now and any STS major advisor (not WesMaps) are the only sources of accurate information about which courses do and do not count towards the STS major.

STARTING POINT 2 of 3: JOIN THE STS MAJORS’ COMMITTEE!
STS is one of the largest majors at Wesleyan. Because nearly 80% of STS majors are joint-majors and we do not offer a course that every major must take (e.g., a junior colloquium), we are also one of the more heterogenous and diffuse majors on campus.

To foster community, establish traditions, and build culture among majors, the College of STS supports a student-led STS Majors’ Committee that works closely with faculty, the Chair, and the College’s Administrative Assistant to plan social and intellectual events for STS majors, participate in hiring new faculty, and give voice to student’s experience in the major. Participation is 100% voluntary, flexible, and strongly encouraged. Email/visit the Chair to volunteer!

STARTING POINT 3 of 3: COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR STS ADVISOR
All STS majors are assigned a faculty advisor from the core (not affiliated) faculty in the College. You and your advisor must form an important institutional relationship that helps administer you through the major and towards Commencement. The bureaucratic roles of your major advisors are a) to offer you counsel on your course selections, finalize your schedules during pre-registration, and b) provide administrative and social support for you through the junior and senior years. Each advisor will set up a system for communicating with you and meeting with you in person—these are the moments when we offer our advice as advisors.

We encourage all majors to be mindful of the administrative deadlines for which you are responsible and be attentive and responsive to your advisor and help them in their efforts to advise and support you. Students can find many of the administrative forms that they need to access as students here. Majors and their faculty advisors should also consult Wesleyan’s Faculty & Student Advising Handbook for helpful information.

STS MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

The STS major has three components: (A) Science Courses, (B) STS Courses, and (C) an Area of Concentration. Each STS major is assigned an advisor who helps the student plan their course work across these three areas.

(A) Science Courses

All students are required to take a minimum of four 1-credit major track courses in a single science. The eleven (11) science majors that we have counted towards the STS major are: Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Physics, and Psychology. The laboratory courses associated with introductory science courses do not count toward our four-course requirement for the STS major.

For most students, these science courses must be completed in a single department, to enable them to get beyond the introductory level. For example, one cannot satisfy this requirement by taking one year of Chemistry and one year of Biology, but must take 4 courses in EITHER one. There are three kinds of exceptions to this policy.

First, students who do their science in Biology, MB&B, Neuroscience, or Psychology may take courses under more than one departmental designation, so long as all four of the courses that they count toward the STS major are cross-listed in one of those departments.

Second, there are some variations permitted for students who do their science courses in Astronomy or E&ES. Students who do their science courses in Astronomy or Physics may count Physics 113, 116, along with Astronomy 155 and either one upper-level ASTR course or one higher-level Physics credit toward the requirement. Students who do their science in E&ES may count a year of Chemistry, E&ES 197 or 199, and a 200-level E&ES course OR a year of Biology, E&ES 197 or 199, and an upper-level Biology course in Ecology or Conservation Biology.

Third, students who do their science courses in Computer Science should take COMP 211 and 212, and two other upper-level COMP courses (but MATH 228 can also count for one of these upper-level courses).

(B) STS Courses

All students are required to take a minimum of six credits in courses listed at the 200- or 300-level in the College, of which three must satisfy specific requirements in History of Science, Philosophy of Science, and Sociocultural Studies of Science and three additional courses in the program (including at least one 300-level seminar).

Among the six (6) required courses for the major that must be listed or cross-listed with an STS number, three (3) of these are subject to more specific constraints, and 3 are electives that can be fulfilled by any course listed or cross-listed in STS at the 200 or 300 level so long as the student takes at least one elective at the 300 level.

What are the general differences between a 200 and 300-level course in STS at Wesleyan? Generally speaking, a 200-level course is envisioned as a more introductory course with a lecture-format; a 300-level course envisioned as a more advanced course with a discussion-format. We also offer STS courses in experimental and laboratory formats, from time to time. Variations exist in professors’ allegiances to these general distinctions. Students are encouraged to read the course syllabus for information about the relevant expectations for course format and structure.

What is a core versus elective course in STS? The core courses in the history of science, philosophy of science, or sociocultural studies of science serve specific purposes for the major by providing important theoretical background in interdisciplinary science and technology studies and can only be satisfied by specific courses that the Chair has approved for these purposes. Not all courses cross listed between STS and History, Philosophy, Sociology or Anthropology will fulfill these core requirements. Every STS-numbered course that is designated as core may also be treated as an elective, but every elective STS course may not be designated as a core course. An updated list of the courses that satisfy the core courses and their rationale is maintained here.

HISTORY OF SCIENCE. (students are encouraged but not required to take a history course emphasizing the sciences they have studied for their science requirement). Courses that meet this requirement aim to provide students with a broader historical understanding of the sciences, medicine, and technology. They should attend specifically to questions of how to think historically about the sciences, medicine, and technologies, and/or and have some breadth to their thematic and/or temporal orientation. Many of the courses that meet these requirements are more specifically focused on one or more scientific fields, and students are encouraged but not required to enroll in a history of science course that coordinates with their own scientific background.

STS 221 History of Ecology
STS 254 Science in Western Culture
STS 253 Science and/as Literature in Early Modern England
STS 255 Seeing a Bigger Picture: Integrating Environmental History and Visual Studies
STS 259 Discovering the Person
STS 285 History of Science and Technology in Modern China
STS 287 Science in Modernity and After
STS 357 AI, Algorithms, and Power

PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE. Courses that meet this requirement are primarily focused upon the epistemic and conceptual norms that govern scientific inquiry and the ways these normative issues are taken up in scientific practice. These courses also often provide conceptual links between students’ science courses and their work in other areas of the program. Some of these courses are focused on normative concerns that are distinctive to particular scientific disciplines, such as psychology, the life sciences, or medicine and other health sciences.

STS 202 Philosophy of Science
STS 214 Humans, Animals, and Nature
STS 220 Human Nature
STS 286 Philosophy of Mind (Open to STS students whose science courses are in
Psychology)

SOCIOCULTURAL STUDIES OF SCIENCE. Courses that meet this requirement both address a wide range of scientific, medical, and or technological practices as social and cultural phenomenon and provide a theoretical background from interdisciplinary science studies for how to investigate such practices. These courses specify the ways that science, medicine, and technologies belong to and mutually interact with other social institutions or cultural practices.

STS 201 Critical Global Health
STS 205 Sciences as Social and Cultural Practices
STS 208 Technologies of Time
STS 210 Feminist Technoscience: Making Bodies, Bits, and Bombs
STS 215 Metabolism and Technoscience
STS 250 Sociology of Knowledge
STS 256 Race and Medicine in America
STS 262 Cultural Studies of Health
STS 265 Anthropology of Science

A second approved course in the History of Science (see above list) will also satisfy this requirement; and vice versa.

(C) Area of Concentration Courses

Option 1: Students may fulfill their area of concentration in a science by completing a major in that science (the first four courses satisfy their science requirement; the remainder count as their area of concentration).

Option 2: Students may fulfill their area of concentration by taking three courses in any of the following areas as specified below:

ANTHROPOLOGY: EITHER ANTH 101 OR one course the from "Crafting Ethnography" concentration within the department; two relevant upper-level electives, at least one of which must be at the 300-level. In planning this concentration with their advisor, students should note that ANTH 101 can be a pre-requisite for certain upper-level courses and plan accordingly.

FEMINIST, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY STUDIES: FGSS 209 and two other courses approved by the advisor. One FGSS Gateway course may normally be included in the concentration.

HISTORY: Students are encouraged to work with their advisor to devise a coherent concentration in History. The three courses for the concentration must include at least one Seminar (either a Sophomore Seminar, or an Advanced Seminar), and should normally be taken within a single field (e.g., AALA, United States, Europe, Intellectual, Gender, Religion, etc.). History concentrators must also include a second core course in the History of Science among their six required STS courses.

PHILOSOPHY (metaphysics and epistemology): PHIL 202 (Philosophical Classics II), one intermediate level "Mind and Reality" course, and a third course approved by the advisor.). 100-level courses do not count toward this concentration.

PHILOSOPHY (ethics and political philosophy): Three courses in ethics or political philosophy (numbered 211-230, 266-285 or 331-360). With permission of your advisor, a course in political theory in the Government Department may be counted toward this concentration.

RELIGION: Three courses, one each drawn from the Religion Department’s classification of courses as addressing “Method and Theory,” “Thematic Approaches,” and “Historical Traditions.” Other appropriate courses may be substituted with advisor’s permission. RELI 151 can count toward the concentration as a “Method and Theory” course.

SOCIOLOGY: SOC 151 and two additional courses approved by the advisor. Many students find it helpful to take some courses cross-listed with STS for their sociology concentration, but must then take other STS courses as electives for the Program. In planning this concentration with their advisor, students should note that SOC 151 can be a pre-requisite for certain upper-level courses and is not offered to juniors or seniors.

ALTERNATIVES: In consultation with the Chair and their major advisors, STS majors may pursue STS-oriented concentrations in a variety of area studies at Wesleyan: East Asian Studies, Indigenous Studies, African American Studies, African Studies, and Latin American Studies. These alternative areas of concentration should be thoughtfully designed by students and highly scrutinized by advisors and the College Chair.

STS MAJOR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

GRADING MODE
Students can count courses taken Cr/U towards their STS major. If a course has a ‘Student Option’ grading mode, that means that students can elect to take the course for a letter grade or credit/no credit. Different majors have different requirements with respect to how they treat Cr/U courses. STS allows students to count Cr/U courses towards their major with no cap on the number of courses designated that way.

TRANSFER CREDITS
Courses may be transferred from other institutions to replace one of the STS requirements, but we review these requests very stringently, and we only accept courses clearly equivalent in level and field to courses we would accept at Wesleyan. Students should consult with their advisor and the Chair and complete the Permission to Transfer Credit Form.

STUDY ABROAD
Many STS students participate in study abroad for a semester as a junior. Students may count seek to transfer a course taken while abroad toward their STS major. Students should first consult with their STS major advisor and the Study Abroad Office about their planned course of study while abroad. Follow the submission process for the Study Abroad Office, which will route your request to transfer a course to the Chair of STS, who will consider all requests to transfer credit through the electronic portal that is maintained by the Study Abroad Office.
The Chair will consider the course content, instructor, and university context to determine if the proposed course is clearly equivalent in level and field to an STS course class we would offer at Wesleyan. For a course to count towards your STS major, it must contain course content (readings, lectures, media) that are germane to STS and an instructor whose training is broadly aligned with STS or its trans-disciplines. Many institutions do not offer STS courses; some do. Generally, we encourage STS majors to seek credit for their areas of concentration because those courses are widely available in universities around the world.

CAPSTONE EXPERIENCES IN STS
The STS major offers two options for the capstone experience:
1) All 300-level seminars in the major may be designated as a capstone experience. These courses, on a wide range of topics, each with a term paper or other independent research component, provide many opportunities for what can become capstone projects, and students are encouraged to choose their seminar courses and their research topics in those courses with this possibility in mind.
2) Students may pursue Honors in STS by completing a two-semester senior honors thesis. Majors interested in undertaking a thesis will be expected to submit a thesis prospectus in the spring semester of their junior year. Candidates for Honors in STS must submit a thesis by the University’s April deadline, and must have maintained an average grade of 88.3 (B+) or better in Wesleyan courses that are cross-listed with the College of STS to earn Honors or High Honors. Theses submitted as a candidate for departmental Honors in STS must comply with all the regulations of the University Honors Program. For further information on Honors in STS, click here.

WHAT DOES NOT COUNT TOWARDS THE STS MAJOR?
Courses that are cross-listed between STS and the department hosting a student's area of concentration may be counted for either requirement, but not for both simultaneously.
First Year Seminars, Education-in-the-Field, individual tutorials, group tutorials, senior thesis credits, and other independent study formats are not accepted toward the required courses in the major.
We do not allow students to link their STS major to other linked-majors (like Environmental Studies or IDEAS) as a double-major because that means it is possible for the student to take fewer than four courses in a single science.