STS 121: Science, Technology and

Society

Lesson 1
Introduction to STS

Objective • Defining science, technology and society

s:
• Determining the relationship between science, technology and society.

To set off in learning this course, let first reflect on the the three terms that encompass the
course: Science, Technology and Society. How do we understand these terms?

Activit Give a short definition of the terms below. Write your response in the space
y:
provided in each sphere.

Scienc
e:

_
_
_
_
_

Technolog Societ
y: y:
_ _
_ _
_ _
_ _
_ _

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 STS 121: Science, Technology and
Society

Analysi From the activity, are these three spheres connected to each other?
s:

Do they relate to each other in just one direction? Both directions?

Abstraction: Science is a systematized body of knowledge. Key to the definition is the word
“systematized”. That is to say that it follows a process. The scientific method allows
new knowledge to be gathered in a systematic manner. This process or system that
science follows is embodied in the scientific method:
1. Ask a Question
2. Gather information
3. Make a hypothesis (a possible answer/guess)
4. Test the hypothesis
5. Analyze the results
6. Make a conclusion

Technology is the application of this knowledge or applied science. You might think that
technology is about the smartphone that you have or simply anything that needs to have electricity
running through it. Technology is an action taken to meet a human need. The question now is
how society reacts to science and technology.

Activit Complete the table below. Identify 3 human needs and the technology made to
y:
meet that need.

Human need Technology that solves the need

1 1

2 2

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 STS 121: Science, Technology and
Society

3 3

Media Get to know more about technology by watching the video below.
:
Title: This video is titled: How technology becomes nature | Koert Van Mensvoort
| TEDxGhent
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXJB4Ync82c

Where does society fit? Well, at its core is a three letter word: you. Yes, you. You are the
society in all of this. The dictionary defines society as a community, nation, or broad grouping of
people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests. This
community starts with you. To clarify, society is not made by one person but by many as long as
there is a commonality of activity and interest between a group of persons, then they can be called
a society.
The students of this class. The students in a course. The students in a school. The purok,
barangay and city that you live in. The users of a technology. Common activity and interest is what
it means to be a society.
From the definitions, science is a systematized body of knowledge. Technology is the
application of this knowledge or applied science. Knowledge from technology can be used to
further refine technology and further refine the body of knowledge. The question now is how
society reacts to science and technology. Consider the image below:

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 STS 121: Science, Technology and
Society

Here we see a committee is constituted to supervise genetic recombination technology

generated from the science of Genetics. Knowledge gained in the use of the technology can be
further used to inform society if indeed the technology is useful or not, needed or not, good or
not.
Check the example below.

Fish
Biolog
y

Philippine Aquaculture
Fisheries
Code of
1998
The Fisheries Code was made to regulate the growing field of aquaculture which in turn
was born from the studies on fish. However, aquaculture is not only focused on fish but also other
aquatic animals such as mollusks and shrimp. Studying how to produce more of these edible
aquatic animals will lead to increasing the aquaculture technology.
Is the relationship between these three spheres made clear to you? Consider the
assessment in the next page.