Scientific and Technological Literacy

The Scientific and Technological Literacy Program consists of interdisciplinary courses in the physical sciences, life sciences, and technology to be taken as part of the College core.

The program in scientific and technological literacy is supported by faculty of the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Physics. The program is coordinated by the Dean’s Office of the School of Arts and Science.

Objectives

The program in scientific and technological literacy was designed to:

bring students to an understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge and the appropriate application of scientific concepts, principles, laws and theories;
enable students to utilize the processes of science in solving problems, making decisions and furthering their understanding of nature and technology;
provide students with an understanding and appreciation of the joint enterprises of science and technology and their interrelationships with each other and with other aspects of society; and
cultivate within students an awareness and confidence to confront such scientific and technological issues as health, energy and the environment as active and informed participants in society.

The STL curriculum rests on the premise that, even though all cannot be expected to solve complex technical problems, everyone can and should be prepared to participate in the public debate, evaluate the available information, and advance the solution through intelligent questions and informed voting.

Science Core Requirements

All candidates for an undergraduate degree in the School of Arts and Science and the Hagan School of Business are required to complete a sequence of 2 courses in science. Students may use a sequence of courses Science, Technology, and Literacy, or BIO 101 -BIO 102 , or CHM 109 -CHM 110 , or PHY 101 -PHY 102 .

The STL sequence may be completed as follows, after taking STL 100 , the introductory course in matter, energy, life and systems, students choose one of the following: environment, health, energy, computer music, exercise science, or humans and the earth systems, and complete two 3 credit courses for a total of six credits. The courses are sequential and are to be taken in order.