Science & Technology in Society

Why Is There No Cure for Health? (Gen Ed 1079)

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2023

Given all our technological advances, why are we still not able to prevent preventable diseases, provide affordable healthcare for millions of people, and deliver cures for curable diseases?

 

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David M. Cutler

Around the world, billions of dollars are spent on health care treatments, public health initiatives, and pharmaceutical research and development. So why are we still not able to prevent preventable diseases, provide affordable healthcare for millions of people, and deliver cures for curable diseases? And what are the best ways to address these issues? Because these questions are so large, we will focus our discussion around questions like: What steps should be taken to address epidemics? How should the United States reform its health care system? And how should prescription drugs be produced and sold?... Read more about Why Is There No Cure for Health? (Gen Ed 1079)

Vaccines: History, Science, Policy (Gen Ed 1175)

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2022

Can vaccines solve the problem of infectious global pandemics?

 

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Galit Alter, Allan M. Brandt, and Ingrid Katz

Vaccination is among the oldest and most effective of medical interventions, yet paradoxically, it is also one of the most controversial. In its modern form, it has been used for centuries to prevent some of the most virulent infectious scourges of our time. Today, immunization is one of the most successful and effective interventions available to medicine and public health, reducing morbidity and mortality across the world.... Read more about Vaccines: History, Science, Policy (Gen Ed 1175)

Numbers in Policy and Society (Gen Ed 1173)

Semester: 

Spring

Offered: 

2022

How can we critically assess the data, models, and numbers used in making policy and hold to account those with the power to produce them?

 

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Sheila Jasanoff and Sam Weiss Evans

The ability to critically assess numbers, data and models and hold to account those with the power to generate them is a vital capability for every 21st century citizen. This course will give you an increased understanding of why some important ethical and political perspectives fail to enter into the design of the scientific and technical systems that permeate our societies.... Read more about Numbers in Policy and Society (Gen Ed 1173)

Understanding Darwinism (Gen Ed 1004)

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2021

How has our understanding of evolution evolved since Darwin?

 

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Andrew Berry

How does scientific knowledge develop, how is it shaped by history, and what effect does it have on society? An interdisciplinary exploration of Darwin's ideas and their impact on science and society, this course links the history of Darwin's ideas with the key features of modern evolutionary biology. We review the development of the main elements of the theory of evolution, highlighting the areas in which Darwin's ideas have proved remarkably robust and areas in which subsequent developments have significantly modified the theory.... Read more about Understanding Darwinism (Gen Ed 1004)

Confronting COVID-19: Science, History, Policy (Gen Ed 1170)

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2020


How do pandemics end?

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Allan M. Brandt and Ingrid Katz

We are living in a world radically reshaped by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This course will investigate the wide range of questions raised by the pandemic, its impact and significance. We will also examine how diseases raise fundamental issues for science, policy, and society.... Read more about Confronting COVID-19: Science, History, Policy (Gen Ed 1170)

AI, Computing and Thinking (Gen Ed 1187)

Semester: 

N/A

How can AI and Computing be integrated in our thinking for solving societal and scientific challenges?

 

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Petros Koumoutsakos

We define ourselves as Homo Sapiens –wise humans- distinguished by our problem solving capabilities, and our constant development of new technologies. One of our technologies, computers, possesses a dizzying capability of acquiring, transmitting and processing massive amounts of data. Harnessing this resource requires a new form of inquiry: Computing.... Read more about AI, Computing and Thinking (Gen Ed 1187)

What is Life? From Quarks to Consciousness (Gen Ed 1029)

Semester: 

N/A

Are we — wonderful, human us — really nothing more than complex constellations of interacting atoms?


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Logan S. McCarty and Andrew Berry

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This course views life through multiple lenses. Quantum physics involves uncertainty and randomness, and yet paradoxically it explains the stability of molecules, such as DNA, that encode information and are critical to life. Thermodynamics is about the universe's ever increasing disorder, and yet living systems remain ordered and intact.... Read more about What is Life? From Quarks to Consciousness (Gen Ed 1029)

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