STS
Program in Science, Technology, and Society
MIT's doctoral program in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS) is widely recognized as one
of the best of its type in the world. Co-sponsored by STS, the
Anthropology Program, and the History Faculty, it is a flagship
program in the humanities at MIT. When it was created in 1988, it
was the first new doctoral program approved by the MIT Faculty in
over 20 years, and remains one of only two MIT doctoral programs in
the humanities (the other is in philosophy).
The HASTS graduate program is deeply interdisciplinary. On one
level, it seeks to integrate the perspectives of history and the
social sciences in understanding the technological world. It goes
further, however, by seeking to integrate both these with the study
of science and engineering. For example, faculty and students in
the HASTS program collaborate with other MIT faculty and students
in the Engineering Systems Division and in the Health Sciences and
Technology degree program.
Obviously it is impossible for any program to cover the full range
of problems raised by the multiple interactions of history, social
studies, science, and technology. As you will see from other parts
of this website (especially Faculty, Calendar, and Connections),
the HASTS program has developed particular strengths primarily
dependent upon the research interests of various faculty
members.
The educational philosophy of the program assumes that it is the
responsibility of doctoral students to take the initiative to use
the resources of HASTS, and of MIT more generally, to develop their
own approach to STS studies. The most successful students show a
high degree of initiative in doing this and enjoy the relatively
open-ended nature of the HASTS program.
The faculty members associated with the HASTS program, for their
part, assume the responsibility of teaching the graduate courses;
discussing and evaluating student performance; working closely with
individual students in tutorials, reading classes, and dissertation
preparation; making sure that students make good progress in their
studies with appropriate practical support to deal with financial,
employment, and career issues; admitting new students; and
assessing the overall effectiveness of the program.
The HASTS program is administered by STS on behalf of the three
collaborating units.
For more information about the HASTS program, including a list of students, faculty, research areas, and admissions, please visit the HASTS website, http://web.mit.edu/hasts/, or contact the STS Academic Administrator:
Karen Gardner
E-mail: kgardner@mit.edu
Phone: 617-253-9759
Mailing address:
MIT - Program in Science, Technology, and Society
77 Massachusetts Avenue, E51-185
Cambridge, MA 02139