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George Mason University

STEM in Society Minor

The STEM in Society minor develops strategic and critical thinking capabilities to better understand how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as medicine, impact the human experience - past, present, and future. It provides a broad perspective of the STEM fields, to include how advances are developed, how they fit into the wider context of society and culture, and how historical contexts have in turn shaped advances in these fields. 

The skills and competencies gained from this minor are useful to those seeking work in the tech and health care industries, as well as fields like international development and public policy or in non-profits, the government, or think tan

Course Catalog

Review admission and course requirements for this degree:

Minor Requirements

Required Courses

HIST 315STEM and Society: A History (Mason Core)

Electives

Select 12 credits from any of the following courses

Historical

BIOL 301Biology and Society (Mason Core) 
COS 301Great Ideas in Science (Mason Core) 
HIST 202Freshman/Sophomore Seminar in Global History 
HIST 378History of Aviation 
HIST 390The Digital Past (Mason Core) 

Medicine and Health

ANTH 363Humans, Disease, and Death (Mason Core) 
ANTH 365Scientific Racism and Human Variation (Mason Core) 
ANTH 381Medical Anthropology 
GCH 205Global Health (Mason Core) 
GCH 360Health and Environment 
GCH 445Social Determinants of Health 
or SOCW 445Social Determinants of Health
GLOA 388Global Health and Development 
PHIL 344Ethical Issues in Global Health 

Environment

ANTH 370Environment and Culture 
CEIE 100Environmental Issues and Solutions Around the World (Mason Core) 
CLIM 101Global Warming: Weather, Climate, and Society (Mason Core) 
EVPP 436Politics of Climate Change Governance 
GGS 307Geographic Approaches for Sustainable Development 
PHIL 243Global Environmental Ethics (Mason Core) 

Science and Technology

ANTH 314Zombies 
ANTH 395Work, Technology, and Society: An IT Perspective (Mason Core) 
COS 400Problem Solving and Leadership in STEAM 
INTS 301Science in the News (Mason Core) 
INTS 348Digital Futures 
IT 304IT in the Global Economy 
PHIL 271How Science Works (Mason Core) 
PHIL 371Philosophy of the Natural Sciences 
PHIL 345Topics in Philosophy of Technology 
PHIL 377The Darwinian Revolution in Modern Thought 
SOCI 391Big Data, Technology, and Society 

Policy

EVPP 361Introduction to Environmental Policy 
EVPP 432Energy Policy 
NUTR 318Global Nutrition and Food Security 
NUTR 440Nutrition Policy 
BENG 375Intellectual Property, Regulatory Concepts and Product Development 

Special Topics Courses (with permission of minor director when topic is related to STEM in Society)

ANTH 396Issues in Anthropology: Social Sciences (Mason Core) 
ANTH 399Issues in Anthropology 
ENGR 499Special Topics in Engineering 
GCH 494Special Topics in Global and Community Health 
GLOA 396Topics in Global Affairs 
GLOA 400Global Affairs Capstone (Mason Core) 
HIST 387Topics in Global History (Mason Core) 
INTS 375Special Topics 
INTS 475Special Topics 
NUTR 495Nutrition and Food Studies Capstone 
SOCI 395Special Topics in Sociology 

* The programs and services offered by George Mason University are open to all who seek them. George Mason does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic national origin (including shared ancestry and/or ethnic characteristics), sex, disability, military status (including veteran status), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, pregnancy status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. After an initial review of its policies and practices, the university affirms its commitment to meet all federal mandates as articulated in federal law, as well as recent executive orders and federal agency directives.