SCHOOL OF TEACHER EDUCATION AND LIBERAL ARTS

General Luna Road, Baguio City Philippines 2600

Telefax No.: (074) 442-3071 loc 274 Website: www.ubaguio.edu E-mail Address: ste@ubaguio.edu

First Grading Topic Outline

LEARNING ENGAGEMENT 1
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: An Overview
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS: A Glimpse

Section 1: Introduction to STS: An Overview

Section 2: Historical Antecedents: A Glimpse
Section 3: Intellectual Revolution

Section 4 . Science and Technology in Nation Building

INTRODUCTION

Science, technology and society (STS), is an offshoot of science studies. It is also referred
to as science and technology studies. It tackles how social, political, and cultural values influence
scientific research and technological innovation, and how these, in turn, affect society, politics
and culture. It also delves on the contemporary world and how modern scientific knowledge
breeds new inventions and discoveries which give us a glimpse of what the future promises for
humanity.

Our immense knowledge about science and technology serves a strong fundament that
makes the intertwining relationship of the ancient civilization and the modern society visible and
through the lenses of the present world that we can take a quantum leap of projecting the
wonders of the post-modern world.

As we come across into the different settings of the study, we will become adept
dissecting the social and cultural facets of modern science and technology with the social,
political, economic, and cultural landscapes of change and development.
 Science Technology and Society (STS) teaching and learning modules intend to provide a
spark for rekindling students’ interest in learning science. Moreover, these modules seek to instill
among the students of valuing the relevance of science in everyday life.
STS is a multidisciplinary scientific field which embodies a thorough understanding of
relevant issues about climate change and the genesis of nanotechnology as it makes
revolutionary advances across medicine, communications, robotics, agriculture and human
evolution.

COURSE TITLE AND DESCRIPTION

This module is a learning package for the course SCITES1 – SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY, offered as general education course in Science to be taken by
the students across all programs.
This course discusses how science has influenced human society and vice-versa. It
examines the interaction between the human quest to understand the natural world and how this
understanding has fashioned society and its development.
Moreover, the course offers the students a taste of interdisciplinarity - the weaving
together – of two or more disciplines to come up with a deeper understanding of the course in
particular and the world in general. Its three units contain discussions on history, philosophy and
science.

ABOUT THE MODULE

This module was designed to adopt the blended learning approach in teaching STS to the
students via online and distance learning.
Learning Engagement1 of the module deals with an overview of what Science and
technology is on various perspectives. It also presents the historical development of science and
technology from the ancient to the modern civilization.
Learning Engagement 2 of the module is about science, technology, and society and the
human condition. It presents some philosophical thoughts on the impact of science and
technology towards living a good life.
Learning Engagement 3 are special topics that are relevant to the living condition of the
present society. The module deals with the flourishing virtual society, advancement in gene
therapy, the status of Philippine biodiversity, the wonders of nanoworld and the global issue on
climate change.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
There is no pre-requisite assigned for the course.
Your attendance in the online learning sessions is a basic requirement in which university
policy on tardiness and absences are applied.
Various assessment tools are employed in the course to gauge your level of
understanding and comprehension within the duration of the online learning sessions throughout
the term.
And as a culmination of their understanding of the course, the students are required to
generate a scientific research related to science and technology which merely tackles present
issues coexisting with the human society and the environment.
It is hoped that by the end of the course, students have instilled appreciation of the
different contributions of science and technology in various facets of their lives without
compromising the integrity of their environment

WEEK 1:
Learning Engagement 1
SCIENCE AND T ECHNOLOGY: An Overview
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS: A Glimpse
Introduction

Science may not be a magic wand that can create miracles but it makes wonders beyond
expectations.
 Technology on the other hand is almost a perfect masterpiece that reflects the ingenuity
of the human minds.
Both are essential for man to live and exist. Science and technology have enabled man to
look further than our planet. It had shrunk the world and put it on our hands. It has defied borders
among nations yet it has forged inequality among people.
Science and technology made a great influence on our daily lives. Science and
technology made a great impact to the society. Science and technology created a great advantage
on world affairs. And the impact intensifies as time flies.
Science and technology have evolved to supremacy that it became the elixir and oasis of
man’s existence.
It is through science and technology that we are becoming more capable without realizing
that we become more dependent on it. Co-dependency may be mutual yet we are being posed by
the thought that we could not live without it anymore.
The question is - are humans dependent on science and technology? or
is science and technology dependent on humans?
For most, science and technology had dispersed pieces of heaven, but
for some it disposed bits of hell.

Section 1: Introduction to STS: An Overview

Desired learning Outcomes

At the end of this session, the students must have:

1. discussed various perspectives related to science and technology;

2. explained how knowledge in science and technology transformed society;
3. assessed how discoveries and inventions related to S & T that influenced the society in
the different facets of their lives.

Lesson Proper
Definitions of Science

Science is any system of knowledge that is concerned with the

physical world and its phenomena and that entails unbiased
observations and systematic experimentation. In general, a science
involves a pursuit of knowledge covering general truths or the
operations of (Source: creation.com)
fundamental laws. (britannica.com)
Science (from the Latin word scientia, meaning "knowledge"), is a
systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations
and predictions about the universe. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science)
Science is the concerted human effort to understand, or to understand
better, the history of the natural world and how the natural world works, with observable

Source: googleusercontent.com

physical evidence as the basis of that understanding1. It is done through observation of natural
phenomena, and/or through experimentation that tries to simulate natural processes under
controlled conditions.

Science from an Individual Perspective

In most cases, people collect information to test new ideas or to disprove
old ones. Scientists become famous for discovering new things that change how we think about
nature, whether the discovery is a new species of dinosaur or a new way in which atoms bond.
Many scientists find their greatest joy in a previously unknown fact (a discovery) that explains
something problem previously not explained, or that overturns some previously accepted idea.
 That's the answer based on noble principles, and it probably explains why many people
go into science as a career. On a pragmatic level, people also do science to earn their pay checks.
Professors at most universities and many colleges are expected as part of their contractual
obligations of employment to do research that makes new contributions to knowledge. If they
don't, they lose their jobs, or at least they get lousy raises.
Scientists also work for corporations and are paid to generate new knowledge about how
a particular chemical affects the growth of soybeans or how petroleum forms deep in the earth.
These scientists get paid better, but they may work in obscurity because the knowledge they
generate is kept secret by their employers for the development of new products or technologies.

Science from the Societal Perspective

If the ideas above help explain why individuals do science, one might still wonder why
societies and nations pay those individuals to do science. Why does a society devote some of its
resources to this business of developing new knowledge about the natural world, or what has
motivated these scientists to devote their lives to developing this new knowledge?
One realm of answers lies in the desire to improve people's lives. Geneticists trying to
understand how certain conditions are passed from generation to generation and biologists
tracing the pathways by which diseases are transmitted are clearly seeking information that may
better the lives of very ordinary people. Earth scientists developing better models for the
prediction of weather or for the prediction of earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions are
likewise seeking knowledge that can help avoid the hardships that have plagued humanity for
centuries. Any society concerned about the welfare of its people, which is at the least any
democratic society, will support efforts like these to better people's lives.
Another realm of answers lies in a society's desires for economic development. Many
earth scientists devote their work to finding more efficient or more effective ways to discover or
recover natural resources like petroleum and ores. Plant scientists seeking strains or species of
fruiting plants for crops are ultimately working to increase the agricultural output that
nutritionally and literally enriches nations. Chemists developing new chemical substances with
potential technological applications and physicists developing new phenomena like
superconductivity are likewise developing knowledge that may spur economic development. In a
world where nations increasingly view themselves as caught up in economic competition,
support of such science is nothing less than an investment in the economic future.
Another whole realm of answers lies in humanity's increasing control over our planet
and its environment. Much science is done to understand how the toxins and wastes of our
society pass through our water, soil, and air, potentially to our own detriment. Much science is
also done to understand how changes that we cause in our atmosphere and oceans may change
the climate in which we live and that controls our sources of food and water. In a sense, such
science seeks to develop the owner's manual that human beings will need as they increasingly, if
unwittingly, take control of the global ecosystem and a host of local ecosystems.
Lastly, societies support science because of simple curiosity and because of the
satisfaction and enlightenment that come from knowledge of the world around us. Few of us
will ever derive any economic benefit from knowing that the starlight we see in a clear night sky
left those stars thousands and even millions of years ago, so that we observe such light as
messengers of a very distant past. However, the awe, perspective, and perhaps even serenity
derived from that knowledge is very valuable to many of us.
Likewise, few of us will derive greater physical well-being from watching a flowing
stream and from reflecting on the hydrologic cycle through which that stream's water has passed,
from the distant ocean to the floating clouds of our skies to the rains and storms upstream and
now to the river channel at which we stand. However, the sense of interconnectedness that
comes from such knowledge enriches our understanding of our world, and of our lives, in a very
valuable way. In recognizing that the light of the sun and the water of a well are not here solely
because we profit from their presence, we additionally gain an analogy from which we can
recognize that the people in the world around us are not here solely to conform to our wishes and
needs. When intangible benefits like these are combined with the more tangible ones outlined
above, it's no wonder that most modern societies support scientific research for the improvement
of our understanding of the world around us.

Science and Change

If scientists are constantly trying to make new discoveries or to develop new concepts
and theories, then the body of knowledge produced by science should undergo constant change.
Such change is progress toward a better understanding of nature. It is achieved by constantly
questioning whether our current ideas are correct. As the famous American astronomer Maria
Mitchell (1818-1889) put it, "Question everything".

(Source: asianscientist.com)

The result is that theories come and go, or at least are modified through time, as old ideas
are questioned and new evidence is discovered. In the words of Karl Popper, "Science is a
history of corrected mistakes", and even Albert Einstein remarked of himself "That fellow
Einstein . . . every year retracts what he wrote the year before". Many scientists have remarked
that they would like to return to life in a few centuries to see what new knowledge and new ideas
have been developed by then - and to see which of their own century's ideas have been discarded.
Our ideas today should be compatible with all the evidence we have, and we hope that our ideas
will survive the tests of the future. However, any look at history forces us to realize that the
future is likely to provide new evidence that will lead to at least somewhat different
interpretations.
Some scientists become sufficiently ego-involved that they refuse to accept new
evidence and new ideas. In that case, in the words of one pundit, "science advances funeral by
funeral". However, most scientists realize that today's theories are probably the future's
outmoded ideas, and the best we can hope is that our theories will survive with some tinkering
and fine-tuning by future generation
The notion that scientific ideas change, and should be expected to change, is sometimes
lost on the more vociferous critics of science. One good example is the Big Bang theory. Every
new astronomical discovery seems to prompt someone to say "See, the Big Bang theory didn't
predict that, so the whole thing must be wrong". Instead, the discovery prompts a change, usually
a minor one, in the theory. However, once the astrophysicists have tinkered with the theory's
details enough to account for the new discovery, the critics then say "See, the Big Bang theory
has been discarded". Instead, it's just been modified to account for new data, which is exactly
what we've said ought to happen through time to any scientific idea. (gly.uga.edu)

Definitions of Technology

(Source: encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.c
Etymology The word technology comes from1)two Greek words,
transliterated techne and logos. Techne means art, skill, craft, or the way,
manner, or means by which a thing is gained. Logos means word, the
utterance by which inward thought is expressed, a saying, or an
expression. So, literally, technology means words or discourse about the
way things are gained.
Contemporary Lately, technology has come to mean something different. In one respect,
Usage the term has come to mean something narrower -- the above definition
would admit art or politics as means of gain, yet though those activities
are permeated by technology now, most of us would not consider them to
be examples or subsets of technology. In another respect, this definition
is too narrow, for when most of us speak of technology today, we mean
more than just discourse about means of gain.
Working In this essay I will refer to technology in five different senses. Following
Definitions are some working definitions.
the technological First, technology is the rational process of creating means to order and
process transform matter, energy, and information to realize certain valued
ends. The significance of this definition will become clearer below.
technological Second, technology is the set of means (tools, devices, systems, methods,
objects procedures) created by the technological process. Technological objects
range from toothbrushes to transportation systems.
technological Third, technology is the knowledge that makes the technological process
 knowledge possible. It consists of the facts and procedures necessary to order and
manipulate matter, energy, and information, as well as how to discover
new means for such transformations.
a technology Fourth, a technology is a subset of related technological objects and
knowledge. Computer technology and medical technology are examples
of technologies.
the technological Finally, technology is the system consisting of the technological process,
system technological objects, technological knowledge, developers of
technological objects, users of technological objects, and the worldview
(i.e., the beliefs about things and the value of things that shape how one
views the world) that has emerged from and drives the technological
process. (engr.oregonstate.edu)

(Source: https://cdn1.byjus.com/wp-conten 1)

Nine Inventions from the 21st Century That Are Still Shaping Our World Today
Source: Donovan Alexander
interestingengineering.com

The 21st century has been an exciting time for those of us who dabble or are simply
interested in the realms of technology. If you were born in any of the previous decades, you have
had the opportunity to bear witness to some of the most
important innovations and advancements in human
history.
1. SOCIAL MEDIA
Ok, let’s start with the more obvious and controversial one, social media. You might have
grown tired of seeing your friends' countless posts or the constant threats to your own privacy
but at one point
(Source: alexsl/iStock)
Social media held a truly exciting promise, to connect people across the world. Tools like
Friendster and MySpace entered the scene in 2002 and 2003 respectively, opening the doors for
the eventual giant Facebook.
Social media is everywhere. There is a good chance that you read this post from our
social media page. Social media does connect people and businesses across continents, is a hub
for both great and useless information, and has even been a stage for major political movements.
Just to put everything into scale, there are currently 7.5 billion people on this planet and
2.89 billion of them can be found on some sort of social media platform. Social media is going to
be around for a while.

2. MULTI-USE ROCKETS

Hate him or love him, Elon Musk has made some

tremendous contributions to our planet. His
company SpaceX has gone on to develop rockets
that can be recovered and reused for other launches.
It was in 2017 when SpaceX became the first to use
one of these rockets again for another mission.
(Source: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-c 1)

3. THE CAPSULE ENDOSCOPY

 All thanks to massive advancements in light-emitting electrodes, image sensors, and
optical design in the 90s, the capsule endoscopy was able
to be created. First used in 2001, the technology uses a
tiny wireless camera the size of a common pill.
This allows doctors to explore and examine the
human body, specifically the
digestive system, to identify any potential
Internal bleeding, inflammation, or cancerous tumors.
(Source: CHUYN/iStock 1)

4. BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY
The idea of a blockchain did not first appear in 2008. In fact, Stuart Haber and W. Scott
Stornetta first envisioned the idea in 1991. However, it was not until the emergence of Bitcoin in
2008 when blockchain technology truly became relevant. People around the world are excited
about blockchain as it has the potential to change industries outside of the cryptocurrency world.
From car-sharing to cloud sharing,
blockchain technology offers greater
transparency increased efficiency and
speed, improved traceability, and enhanced
security just to name a few benefits.

(Source: https://miro.medium.com/max/974/ 1)

5. BITCOIN AND
CRYPTOCURRENCIES
Remember last year when you could not go
one day without seeing or hearing about
cryptocurrencies? Bitcoin’s unprecedented
rise in value force the world to pay attention
to these decentralized tools. There were previous attempts to create cryptocurrencies in the late
90s, but it was the mysterious Mr. Nakamoto and his creation of Bitcoin that would go on to
become a staple of culture.
(Source: pcmag.com 1)

Cryptocurrencies are already changing the way we conduct financial transactions offering
a transparent, secure, and decentralized way to conduct business.
6. MOBILE OPERATING
SYSTEMS
Imagine where you would be
without that smooth and easy to use
operating systems found on your
phone. Whether you love Android or
Apple’s iOS, operating
systems change your mobile device’s
interface for the better, opening the
doors to
Better user experiences and
(Source: hocus-focus/iStock 1)
greater technological advances.

7. 3D PRINTING
One of our personal favorites, 3D printing has a lot of hype around it because of its
potential to disrupt everything from the food industry to the aerospace industry. In fact, there are
a lot of examples of how that has already begun. Now, 3D printing is not completely new to the
21st century.

(Source: https://pegus.digital/wp-content 1)
8. GENE EDITING / CRISPR

The fascinating thing about gene editing is that it has played a big role in various aspects
of science fiction before coming into fruition. Back in 2012, researchers from the University of
California, Berkeley and a separate team from Harvard, as well as the Broad Institute,
independently discovered the power of the bacterial immune system known as clustered
regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats or CRISPR.
(Source: https://factbasedhealth.com/wp-c 1)

9. THE INTERNET OF THINGS

This is probably another buzzword that you hear thrown

around a lot. Originally conceived towards the end of 1999 by
Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy, we would go on to see the
real application of IoT in our consumer devices and appliances in
the 21st century. Yet, the IoT has the potential to unlock the

“fourth industrial revolution”

driving innovation in places
like artificial intelligence and
robotics.
(Source: 4x-image/iStock 1)
 Synthesis

Assessment

I. Cite the advantage and disadvantage of the given inventions of the 21st Century. Two (2) points
for every sensible and realistic answer.

INVENTIONS ADVANTAGE DISADVANTAGE

1. Social Media BULLET FORM

2. Multi-use Rockets
3. The Endoscopy Capsule
4. Blockchain Technology
 5. Bitcoin and
Cryptocurrencies
6. Mobile Operating
Systems
7. 3D Printing
8. Gene Editing/CRISPR
9. The Internet of Things
Reference: 4 POINTS/APA FORMAT | TOTAL:40 POINTS | FG WEEK 1

II. Essay:
Guide Questions:
o Cite one (1) problem related to science and technology that is faced by the human
race today.
o Come up with two (2) scientific solutions for the problem.
o Are the solutions proposed ethical? How can we manage then ethical dilemmas in
science and technology?

Example:
Problem: Population Explosion
2 Scientific Solutions:
SOLUTION: VASECTOMIZE ALL THE MALES; is the solution ethical?
*be direct to the point

Criteria for the essay:

Numeric
Rating Evaluation Criteria
An important main idea is clearly stated.
17-20 Supporting details are relevant and convincing.
How the evidence supports the main idea is clear, reasonable, and explained in
detail.
A main idea is stated.
14-16 Supporting details are mostly relevant.
How the evidence supports the main idea is mostly clear and reasonable.
Some explanation is given.
A main idea is not stated or is not correct.
Supporting details are not relevant or are missing.
10-13 How the evidence supports the main idea is not clear, not reasonable, and/or not
explained
*A deduction of 1 point for every item not observed.

Reference: www.learningsciences.com/bookresource
Performance Assessment © 2015 Learning Sciences International