Faculty

Director

Jessica Pfeifer
B.A., Wesleyan University, 1991; Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, 1999

Human Context of Science and Technology Committee

Suzanne Braunschweig
B.S., Towson University, 1988; Ph.D. Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University, 1993

Nicholas Bonneau
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame

Eric Brown
B.A., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1993; M.A., Princeton University, 1999

Andrea Kalfoglou
B.A., University of Virginia, 1991; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 1999

Wayne Lutters
B.A., Connecticut College, 1992; M.S., University of California, Irvine, 1995; Ph.D., 2001

Carole McCann
B.A., Temple University, 1978; Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz, 1987

Deborah Rudacille
B.A., Loyola College, 1980; M.A., Johns Hopkins University, 1998

Tim Topoleski
B.S., Cornell University, 1981; M.S., 1984; Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1990

Mirjam Voerkelius
B.A., Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, 2011; M.A., University of California, Berkeley, 2013; Ph.D., 2018

Courses in this program are listed under HCST.

For students in the humanities and social sciences, the Human Context of Science and Technology Certificate  complements the student’s major and provides a core of foundational courses in one of the areas of science or engineering that will provide the technical background allowing them to integrate humanistic and scientific learning. The program provides students in the sciences and engineering with a broad-based education that will equip them to understand the cultural setting and societal impact of their future work.

To assist students in their future careers, whether in business, engineering, education, writing or in the arts, the certificate provides a bridge connecting the cultural life of the humanities and the sciences. In an era when individuals change careers with some frequency, it also provides avenues into a number of different areas of knowledge.

Career and Academic Paths

This program is suitable for and accessible to students of all abilities, particularly those with serious interests in both the humanities and the sciences. Sometimes the choice may be a matter of emphasis. Does a student want to be a physicist with an interest in archaeology, or an archaeologist with training in physics? Sometimes the choice is more dramatic. If a student is interested in biology, would he or she be better served by pursuing an M.D., or a degree in the new field of medical humanities? Sometimes the choice may be more market-driven. With the current high demand for teachers of mathematics and science in elementary and secondary schools, students who excel in the skills of communication so essential to the humanities might be drawn to complete more years of training in science and technology-related fields than they otherwise might have. It is also true that in the Baltimore-Washington area, with its emphasis on public affairs, students with both technical and humanistic knowledge are often preferred by employers over those students whose education is more limited. In short, HCST is important to any individual who wishes to understand the human dimensions of science and technology, or the technical and scientific dimensions of his or her humanity.

Programs

• Human Context of Science and Technology Certificate

Courses

• HCST 100 - The Human Context of Science and Technology (3)
• HCST 100H - Introduction to the Human Context of Science and Technology (4)
• HCST 400 - Independent Study in Human Context of Science and Technology (3)
• HCST 499 - Advanced Topics in the Human Context of Science and Technology (3)