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Life Sciences and Health

Life Sciences image

This concentration covers topics such as genetics, biotechnology, bioethics, medical ethics, mental and physical illnesses, public health, patients’ rights, body politics, and various other domains in which new knowledges and technologies produce and are produced by societal phenomena.

STS Concentration Area Requirements

  • 4 (BS) or 8 (BA) Socio-cultural courses from the approved course list for the selected concentration area including 3 Concentration Core courses
  • 4 (BA) or 8 (BS) Technical courses from the approved course list for the selected concentration area

  • A cohesive overall theme, or two, that articulate how your Concentration Core and Sociocultural courses help you to critically examine your Technical courses.

50+ units; 12 course minimum. Note that the 50-unit requirement may require taking additional courses and that approved courses may not be approved for your specific concentration, if your curriculum does not achieve the above requirements as a whole.

Don't forget the Major Requirements : As for all concentrations, students will need to fulfill the Program Core course requirement (26+ units; 8 course minimum with grade C minimum). 

Socio-Cultural Courses (4 BS/8 BA)

STS Sociocultural Courses

  • Provide historical, social, cultural and/or political context for specific areas of science and technology in each concentration

  • May include STS Program Core or Concentration Core courses not used to fulfill those requirements

  • Electives must be part of a cohesive plan approved by the STS Associate Director

  • See major requirements for more information

Title
Instructor
Quarter
Day, Time, Location

Flewellen, A. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
50-52H

Kohrman, M. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
12:00 PM
1:20 PM
McCullough 115

Hansen, T. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM

Maitra, A. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
40-42A

Garcia, A. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
50-52H

ANTHRO 167
Units:
5

Crane, E. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
40-42A

Luhrmann, T. (PI)
Mason, D. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM

He, Y. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
500-106

Altman, R. (PI)
Magnus, D. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday
4:30 PM
5:50 PM

Boehm, A. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday
11:30 AM
12:50 PM

Li, X. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
200-002

Victoria, K. (TA)
Passmore, M. (TA)
Sellfors, B. (TA)
Epifantseva, S. (TA)
Haviland, C. (TA)
Frank, Z. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
200-002

Montague, D. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
10:30 AM
11:20 AM
Shriram 108

2025 - 2026
Spring

Wednesday
1:30 PM
4:20 PM

Diver, S. (PI)
Paez Pulido, V. (TA)
Shirhatti, V. (TA)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday
11:30 AM
1:20 PM
320-109

Lepp, H. (TA)
McFarland, D. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Raikes102

LaFromboise, T. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Wednesday
1:30 PM
4:20 PM
ANKO 108

Kantor, R. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
200-305

Butler-Wall, A. (PI)
Deb, A. (TA)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday
4:30 PM
5:50 PM
Littlefield 107

GENE 104Q
Units:
3

Greely, H. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday
11:30 AM
12:50 PM

Snyder, M. (PI)
Trotsyuk, A. (TA)
Nag, R. (SI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Thursday
4:30 PM
6:20 PM
Li Ka Shing Center, room 130

Schiebinger, L. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
200-124

Proctor, R. (PI)
Depew, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday
9:00 AM
10:20 AM

Schiebinger, L. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
200-203

HISTORY 203C
Units:
5

Proctor, R. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday
9:30 AM
12:20 PM
200-217

Proctor, R. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday
1:30 PM
4:20 PM
200-201

HUMBIO 2B
Units:
5

Pritchard, J. (PI)
Saperstein, A. (PI)
Salmeen, A. (GP)
Mejia Cubillos, J. (PI)
Preston, K. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:20 AM
320-105

Salmeen, A. (GP)
Rossin-Slater, M. (PI)
Baker, L. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:20 AM
320-105

HUMBIO 4B
Units:
5

Kurina, L. (PI)
Frank, M. (PI)
Salmeen, A. (GP)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:20 AM

HUMBIO 113
Units:
3

Preston, K. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Tuesday Thursday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM

Nation, J. (PI)
Crane, D. (PI)
Baldwin, A. (TA)
Pulice, T. (TA)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
9:30 AM
11:20 AM
Lathrop 180

HUMBIO 174
Units:
3

Magnus, D. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
420-040

Lipsick, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
9:00 AM
10:20 AM
320-220

Bloom, G. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Tuesday
1:30 PM
4:20 PM

Donaldson, K. (PI)
Barry, M. (PI)
Mairal, A. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Wednesday
1:30 PM
4:20 PM
Li Ka Shing Center, room 101

Pietzsch, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Friday
9:30 AM
11:20 AM

Merrell, S. (PI)
Bruce, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Wednesday
9:30 AM
12:20 PM

POLISCI 231R
Units:
5

Tang, A. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Wednesday
1:30 PM
4:20 PM
Lathrop 017

PSYCH 30
Units:
4

Grill-Spector, K. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday
4:30 PM
5:20 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center 201

Trounce, M. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
12:30 PM
2:20 PM
School of Medicine Room

Damore, S. (PI)
Burke, K. (PI)
De Leo, G. (PI)
Luby, S. (PI)
Weir, D. (TA)
Washingtonhigh, J. (TA)
Dunlop, J. (TA)
Evers, E. (TA)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Hewlett Teaching Center 201

Chan, A. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Tuesday Thursday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM

Char, D. (PI)
Martinez, N. (PI)
Hollander, S. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:20 PM
Lathrop 018

Sato, K. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
12:00 PM
1:20 PM
200-013

Sato, K. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Tuesday Thursday
12:00 PM
1:20 PM
160-315
Concentration Core (CC) Courses: 3 required for BA/BS

STS Concentration Core courses

CC, formerly Foundational

 

  • Are specifically designated sociocultural courses directly relevant to the chosen STS concentration 
  • Provide students with tools to critically engage with the knowledge and skills they are learning in their technical courses
  • Cannot be double-counted with student’s choice of Program Core courses
  • Cannot be substituted or petitioned
Title
Instructor
Quarter
Day, Time, Location

Kohrman, M. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
12:00 PM
1:20 PM
McCullough 115

ANTHRO 167
Units:
5

Crane, E. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
40-42A

Luhrmann, T. (PI)
Mason, D. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM

He, Y. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
500-106

Li, X. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
200-002

Victoria, K. (TA)
Passmore, M. (TA)
Sellfors, B. (TA)
Epifantseva, S. (TA)
Haviland, C. (TA)
Frank, Z. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
200-002

Lepp, H. (TA)
McFarland, D. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Raikes102

Schiebinger, L. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
200-124

Proctor, R. (PI)
Depew, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday
9:00 AM
10:20 AM

Schiebinger, L. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
200-203

Proctor, R. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday
1:30 PM
4:20 PM
200-201

POLISCI 231R
Units:
5

Tang, A. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Wednesday
1:30 PM
4:20 PM
Lathrop 017

Sato, K. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
12:00 PM
1:20 PM
200-013

Sato, K. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Tuesday Thursday
12:00 PM
1:20 PM
160-315
Technical Courses (4 BA/8 BS)

STS Technical Courses

  • Courses involving lab work, engineering problems, coding, or other technical work in science, technology, or medicine

  • Help build technical knowledge and skills relevant to the chosen concentration

  • Students seeking the B.S. degree take more of these

  • The majority of Technical Electives should be a sequence (or two sequences) of increasingly advanced levels. In general, introductory courses with little technical content will not be approved. 

  • At least one sequence should be accompanied by either Concentration Core or Sociocultural Electives that allow you to examine and analyze its context and social consequences

Title
Instructor
Quarter
Day, Time, Location

Shi, R. (PI)
Rajaendran, Y. (TA)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Wednesday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
STLC 105

Shi, R. (PI)
Cardenas, V. (TA)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Wednesday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
STLC 105

Shi, R. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Wednesday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM

Hekmat-Scafe, D. (PI)
Maltzman, N. (TA)
El Ayoubi, L. (TA)
Cyert, M. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
STLC115

Hekmat-Scafe, D. (PI)
Cyert, M. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Lathrop 014

Diaz, A. (TA)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
STLC 119

Hekmat-Scafe, D. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday
1:30 PM
2:20 PM

BIO 82
Units:
4

Khalfan, W. (PI)
Simon, M. (PI)
Bergmann, D. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
STLC 111

Gozani, O. (PI)
Khalfan, W. (PI)
Frydman, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
12:00 PM
1:20 PM
STLC 111

BIO 102
Units:
4

Nguyen, A. (PI)
Luo, L. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday Friday
11:30 AM
12:20 PM
STLC 111

BIO 139
Units:
3

Feldman, J. (PI)
Simon, M. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
STLC 118

Palacios, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday Friday
9:30 AM
10:50 AM

Dirzo, R. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Friday
2:30 PM
3:20 PM

Nguyen, A. (PI)
Sapolsky, R. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday Friday
2:30 PM
4:20 PM

BIO 161
Units:
4

O'Connell, L. (PI)
Golde, C. (TA)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday
1:30 PM
5:00 PM
Departmental Room

BIOE 42
Units:
4

Huang, K. (PI)
Thiam, H. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Friday
2:30 PM
4:20 PM
Beckman Center B060

Engel, A. (PI)
Hernandez-Lopez, R. (PI)
Zhao, C. (TA)
Lee, H. (TA)
Situ, Y. (TA)
King, S. (TA)
Gu, A. (TA)
Sanchez Flores, R. (TA)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday
4:30 PM
5:20 PM
Departmental Room

Brophy, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday
9:30 AM
10:20 AM
Departmental Room

Engel, A. (PI)
Bintu, L. (PI)
Endy, D. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday Friday
1:30 PM
2:20 PM

BIOE 101
Units:
3

Covert, M. (PI)
Talwar Bhatia, R. (TA)
Kwan, A. (TA)
Saqib, H. (TA)
Magni, L. (TA)
Fowler, A. (TA)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday Friday
9:30 AM
11:20 AM
300-300

BIOE 103
Units:
4

Deisseroth, K. (PI)
Engel, A. (PI)
Fischbach, M. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM

Venook, R. (PI)
Boahen, K. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
CODAB90

CHEM 31A
Units:
5

Schwartz Poehlmann, J. (PI)
Brown, N. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday Friday
10:30 AM
11:20 AM
STLC 114

CHEM 31B
Units:
5

Schwartz Poehlmann, J. (PI)
Liu, X. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday Friday
10:30 AM
11:20 AM
STLC 114

Burns, N. (PI)
Du Bois, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday Friday
10:30 AM
11:20 AM
STLC 111

Brennan, M. (PI)
Kool, E. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday Friday
10:30 AM
11:20 AM

Brennan, M. (PI)
Xia, Y. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday Friday
11:30 AM
12:20 PM
STLC 114

Kanan, M. (PI)
Wu, Y. (SI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday Friday
9:30 AM
10:20 AM

Markland, T. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday Friday
11:30 AM
12:20 PM

Tarpeh, W. (PI)
Yang, V. (TA)
Crago, C. (TA)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:20 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center 102

CS 105
Units:
3-5

Atluri, A. (GP)
Murakami, Y. (GP)
Young, P. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday Friday
1:30 PM
2:20 PM
260-113

CS 106A
Units:
3-5

Parlante, N. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday Friday
11:30 AM
12:20 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center 200

CS 106A
Units:
3-5

Parlante, N. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday Friday
12:30 PM
1:20 PM
Hewlett Teaching Center 200

CS 106A
Units:
3-5

Sahami, M. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday Friday
2:30 PM
3:20 PM

Young, P. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
STLC 111

Young, P. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday Friday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM

EE 102A
Units:
4

Kahn, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Wednesday Friday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
420-040

EE 102B
Units:
4

Pauly, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM

Dunn, A. (PI)
Kong, R. (TA)
Wick, C. (TA)
Bansal, V. (TA)
Sattely, E. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday
11:30 AM
12:50 PM
Mitchell Earth Sciences B67

Snyder, M. (PI)
Kundaje, A. (PI)
Bahmani, A. (SI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Tuesday Thursday
4:30 PM
6:20 PM
Alway Building, Room M106

Talbot, W. (PI)
Sherlock, G. (PI)
Salmeen, A. (GP)
Baker, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
9:30 AM
10:20 AM
320-105

HUMBIO 3A
Units:
5

Talbot, W. (PI)
Salmeen, A. (GP)
Fuller, M. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
9:30 AM
10:20 AM
320-105

HUMBIO 4A
Units:
5

Fisher, P. (PI)
Parikh, V. (PI)
Salmeen, A. (GP)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
9:30 AM
10:20 AM

Sainani, K. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday
11:30 AM
1:20 PM
School of Medicine Room

HUMBIO 151R
Units:
3

Salmeen, A. (GP)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Tuesday Thursday
12:00 PM
1:20 PM

OSPAUSTL 10
Units:
3

Palumbi, S. (PI)
Browne, N. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Smith, T. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

OSPAUSTL 32
Units:
3

Ovsyanikova, E. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

PHYSICS 21
Units:
4

Raghu, S. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Tuesday Thursday
9:00 AM
10:20 AM
STLC 114

Khemani, V. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Lathrop 282

Yao, J. (TA)
Grill-Spector, K. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday
3:30 PM
5:20 PM

Peterson, C. (PI)
Hou, T. (TA)
Xu, Y. (TA)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
200-203

Fan, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday Friday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
420-041

Taylor, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Winter

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
9:30 AM
10:20 AM
Hewlett Teaching Center 201

Schramm, T. (PI)
Howes, M. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday Friday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM

Palacios, J. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Spring

Monday Wednesday Friday
9:30 AM
10:50 AM

Lu, S. (TA)
Chen, X. (TA)
Walther, G. (PI)

2025 - 2026
Autumn

Monday Wednesday Friday
10:30 AM
11:20 AM
Gates B1
Not Currently Offered Courses

These courses are approved for one or more the STS concentrations but are not offered this academic year. You may find tabbing back to previous academic years in Explore Courses is helpful to see when courses have been offered historically. STS does not determine when courses in other departments will be offered as course offerings are at the discretion of the departments who own them.

 

Title

AMSTUD 156H
Tagged for:
Life Sciences and Health Socio-Cultural, Life Sciences and Health Core

ANTHRO 41
Tagged for:
Innovation and Organization Socio-Cultural, Life Sciences and Health Socio-Cultural, Core Social Science and Humanities, Innovation and Organization Core, Core Social Science and Humanities - Global, Life Sciences and Health Core

ANTHRO 116
Tagged for:
Life Sciences and Health Technical, Politics and Policy Technical, Social Dynamics of Data and Information Technical

ANTHRO 367
Tagged for:
Innovation and Organization Core, Innovation and Organization Socio-Cultural, Life Sciences and Health Core, Life Sciences and Health Socio-Cultural, Politics and Policy Core, Politics and Policy Socio-Cultural

BIO 109A
Tagged for:
Life Sciences and Health Technical

BIO 127
Tagged for:
Life Sciences and Health Technical

BIOE 279
Tagged for:
Social Dynamics of Data and Information Technical, Life Sciences and Health Technical

COMPMED 87Q
Tagged for:
Life Sciences and Health Technical

CSRE 41A
Tagged for:
Innovation and Organization Socio-Cultural, Life Sciences and Health Socio-Cultural, Core Social Science and Humanities, Innovation and Organization Core, Core Social Science and Humanities - Global, Life Sciences and Health Core

EARTHSYS 128
Tagged for:
Catastrophic Risks and Solutions Technical, Life Sciences and Health Technical

EE 169
Tagged for:
Communication and Media Technical, Innovation and Organization Technical, Life Sciences and Health Technical, Social Dynamics of Data and Information Technical

GENE 223
Tagged for:
Life Sciences and Health Technical

HISTORY 243D
Tagged for:
Life Sciences and Health Socio-Cultural, Catastrophic Risks and Solutions Socio-Cultural, Catastrophic Risks and Solutions Core, Life Sciences and Health Core

HUMBIO 51
Tagged for:
Life Sciences and Health Technical

ITALIAN 244
Tagged for:
Social Dynamics of Data and Information Core, Communication and Media Core, Life Sciences and Health Core, Social Dynamics of Data and Information Socio-Cultural, Communication and Media Socio-Cultural, Life Sciences and Health Socio-Cultural, Catastrophic Risks and Solutions Socio-Cultural, Catastrophic Risks and Solutions Core

ITALIAN 344
Tagged for:
Social Dynamics of Data and Information Core, Communication and Media Core, Life Sciences and Health Core

OSPSANTG 85
Tagged for:
Life Sciences and Health Technical, Nature and Environment Technical

STS 51D
Tagged for:
Politics and Policy Socio-Cultural, Innovation and Organization Core, Core Social Science and Humanities, Politics and Policy Core, Life Sciences and Health Socio-Cultural, Life Sciences and Health Core, Innovation and Organization Socio-Cultural

STS 190
Tagged for:
Innovation and Organization Socio-Cultural, Life Sciences and Health Socio-Cultural, Politics and Policy Socio-Cultural, Life Sciences and Health Core, Politics and Policy Core, Catastrophic Risks and Solutions Socio-Cultural, Catastrophic Risks and Solutions Core, Innovation and Organization Core, Communication and Media Core, Communication and Media Socio-Cultural