HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ARTS and SCIENCES

General Education: Science

I. Course Title: Science, Technology and Society (9STS)

II. Course Credit: 3 Units

III. Prerequisite: NONE

IV. Textbook: Science, Technology and Society. Dr. Qiunto. C & E Publishing. 2019

V. Requirements:
Quizzes, Activities and Reflection papers, Active participation in group and/or individual
discussion/exercises/workshops, Research output, Major Examinations

Course description:

The course deals with interactions between science and technology and social, cultural, political, and
economic contexts that shape and are shaped by them. (CMO No.20, series of 2013)

This interdisciplinary course engages students to confront the realities brought about by science and
technology in society. Such realities pervade the personal, the public, and the global aspects of our living
and are integral to human development. Scientific knowledge and technological development happen
in the context of society with all its socio-political, cultural, economic, and philosophical underpinnings
at play. This course seeks to instill reflective knowledge in the students that they are able to live the
good life and display ethical decision making in the face of scientific and technological advancement.

This course includes mandatory topics on climate change and environmental awareness.

Program Learning Outcomes Common to All

Upon completion of the course, the students should be able to:

1. Engage in lifelong learning and be cognizant of the need to keep abreast of the
developments in the specific field of practice (PQF level 6 descriptor)
2. Effectively communicate orally and in writing using both English and Filipino
3. Work effectively and independently in multidisciplinary and multi-cultural teams (PQF
level 6 descriptor)
4. Recognize professional, social, and ethical responsibility
5. Appreciate “Filipino historical and cultural heritage” (based on RA 7722)

Page 1
 Course Learning Outcomes:

1. Articulate the impacts of science and technology on society, specifically Philippine

society
2. Explain how science and technology affect society and the environment and its role in
nation-building
3. Analyze the human condition in order to deeply reflect and express philosophical
ramifications that are meaningful to the student as a part of society
4. Define and demonstrate the impact of social media on the students’ life and
Philippine society in general
5. Imbibe the importance of science and technology in the preservation of the
environment and the development of the Filipino nation
6. Critique human flourishing vis-à-vis the progress of science and technology such that
the student may be able to define for himself/herself the meaning of the good life
7. Foster the value of a healthy lifestyle toward the holistic and sustainable
development of society and the environment
8. Creatively present the importance and contributions of science and technology to
society
9. Examine shared concerns that make up the good life in order to come up with
innovative and creative solutions to contemporary issues guided by ethical standards
10. Illustrate how the social media and information age impact their lives and their
understanding of climate change

Course outline:
MIDTREMS FINALS
- Historical antecedents in which social The human person flouring in terms of science
considerations changed the course of science and technology
and technology Technology as a way of revealing
Human flourishing
- In the World: The Good Life
Ancient, Middle and Modern Ages When technology and humanity cross
Science and Technology in the Philippines Why the future does not need us?
Intellectual revolutions that defined society Climate Change and the Energy Crisis
a. Copernican Environmental Awareness
b. Darwinian
c. Freudian
Science and technology and nation building
a. The Philippine government S&T agenda
Major development programs and personalities
in S&T in the Philippines

GRADING SYSTEM:

Page 2
Grading Scheme: 70% Class Standing & 30% Major Examination(s)

Formula:

CSM- Class Standing Midterms ME- Midterm Examination

CSF- Class Standing Final FE- Final Examination

Final Grade = 70% (CSM) + 30% (ME) + 70% (CSF) + 30% FE)

50% Passing

REFERENCES:

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY Required Readings and Other Materials

• Anderson, Philip W. “More is Different—One More Time,” in More is Different: Fifty Years of
Condensed Matter Physics, ed. N. Phuan Ong and Ravin N. Bhatt, Princeton University Press, 2001.
• Balakrishnan, Janaki and B V Sreekantan, eds. Nature’s Longest Threads: New Frontiers in the
Mathematics and Physics of
Information in Biology, World Scientific, 2014.
• Caoli, Olivia. “A History of Science and Technology of the Philippines,” in Analysis of Conditions for
National Scientific and
Technological Self-Reliance: The Philippine Situation, Quezon City: University of the Philippines, 1986.
• Dayrit, Fabian. “Sustainable Development: An Evolving Paradigm for the 21st Century,” in Stellar
Origins, Human Ways: Readings in Science, Technology, and Society, ed. Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng,
Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2011.
• Ecker, David J. Germ Catcher, Scientific American, 2014.
• Floridi, Luciano. The Fourth Revolution: How the Infosphere is Reshaping Human Reality, Oxford
University Press, 2014.
• Feynman, Richard. “The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: What Is and What should be the role of
scientific culture in modern society” in The Best Short Works of Richard Feynman, pp. 97–115, Perseus
Books,1999.
• Gripaldo, Rolando. “The Concepts of the Public Good: A View from the Filipino Philosopher” in The
Making of a Filipino
Philosopher and Other Essays, pp. 82-100, National Bookstore, 2009.
• Heidegger, Martin. The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays, HarperCollins, 1982.
• Hickel, Jason. “Forget ‘developing’ poor countries, it’s time to ‘de-develop’ rich countries,” The
Guardian, Online:
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/sep/23/developing-
poor-countries-de-develop-rich- countries-sdgs.
• Lehrer, Jonah. How We Decide, Mariner Books, 2010.
• Maboloc, Christopher Ryan. “Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing” in Ethics and Human Dignity, 15-
23, Rex Bookstore, 2010.
• McNamara, Daniel J. in “A Return to the Beginning,” in Stellar Origins, Human Ways: Readings in
Science, Technology, and

Page 3
Society, ed. Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng, Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2011.
• Rodriguez, Socorro M. “Philippine Science and Technology: Economic, Political and Social Events
Shaping Their Development,”
1996
• Von Baeyer, Hans Christian, Information: The New Language of Science, Harvard University Press,
2005.

Suggested Readings

• Agro-ecology: What it is and what it has to offer? Is this the future of farming?
• Alan Turing: The Enigma” (Andrew Hodges and Douglas Hofstadter)
• Aristotle, Nichomachean ethics, Book VI and Book X
• Article: “Environmental Impacts of Nanotechnology and Its Products” (Zhang et. Al Proceedings of
the 2011 Midwest Section
Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education, 2011)
• Article: “Nanoethics: The ethical and Social Implications of Nanotechnology” (Patrick Lin and Fritz
Allhoff, Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2007)

Prepared by:

Ms. Kawinya Tayag-Manzon

Math-Science Coordinator

Page 4