0

SCIENCE
TECHNOLOGY
& SOCIETY
Department of Environmental Science
College of Science
Tarlac State University

Instructional Modules
(Midterm Coverage)
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY (STS)
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Course Science, Technology, and Society

Developers This instructional material has been developed by:

The Faculty of the Department of Environmental Science

College of Science, Tarlac State University
Lucinda Campus

Engr. Bertrand Aldous L. Santillan

Department Chairperson
balsantillan@tsu.edu.ph

Dr. Rita E. Pulmano

repulmano@tsu.edu.ph

Dr. Alma M. Corpuz

amcorpuz@tsu.edu.ph

Prof. Victor M. Serrano

vmserrano@tsu.edu.ph

Mr. Wesley C. Gagarin

wsgagarin@tsu.edu.ph

Ms. Geraldine R. Gamoso

grgamoso@tsu.edu.ph

Should you wish to contact the department, please call during work hours:
606-8178 loc. 178 Tuesday to Friday 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM

Purpose and This instructional material has been developed for the purpose of higher learning of
Disclaimer Science, Technology, and Society (Agham, Teknolohiya, at Lipunan), one of the eight (8)
core courses in the General Education of the Higher Education Curriculum stipulated in the
Commission of Higher Education (CHED) Memorandum Order No. 20, s. 2013.

All the contents of this material are for educational purposes only. Authors/owners of
articles, notes, and/or images included in this material with or without their permission are
properly cited in honor of intellectual property and copy rights. Parts which are originally
written or made by the department faculty should be properly cited in case they will appear
in other materials.

This instructional material is intended for Tarlac State University students.

INSTRUCTIONAL MODULES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY (STS)

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Course This interdisciplinary course engages students to confront the realities brought about
Description 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 can 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.

Course Outline General Concepts and STS Historical Development

A. Historical antecedents in which social considerations changed the course of
science and technology
B. Intellectual revolutions that defined society
C. Science and technology and nation-building

STS and the Human Condition

D. The Human Person flourishing in terms of science and technology
E. The Good Life
F. When technology and humanity cross
G. Why the future does not need us

Specific Issues in STS

H. The Information Age
I. Biodiversity and the healthy society
J. The nano world
K. Gene therapy
L. Climate Change
M. Energy Crisis
N. Environmental Awareness

Brief The course deals with interactions between science and technology and social, cultural,
Explanation of political, and economic contexts that shape and are shaped by them, specific examples
the Course throughout human history of scientific and technological developments.

The course is designed to enable students to appreciate, in broad terms, the societal
impact of developments in science and technology at the global and national level. This
includes a review of the history of science and technology globally – from the prehistoric
era all the way to today’s advances in sciences and technology – and similarly in the
Philippines, including science policy. The historical survey, which is grounded on an
understanding of basic science concepts, will examine how these developments have
affected the course of human society: politically, economically, and socially (including
culturally).

The second part of the course focuses on current issues arising from the application of
science and technology, how such applications relate to ethical and political decisions
in both the public and private sector, and their effects (positive and negative) on society
and life in general. Examples of issues that can be taken up are:

• Climate Change
• Food Security
• The environment and natural resource management
• Biotechnology including genetic engineering
• Medical ethics (human experimentation)
• Health policy
• Neurobiology
• The revolution in ICT
• Intellectual property rights over patents and discoveries from
bioprospecting
• Weapons of mass destruction
• Impact assessment of technology

The course entails a variety of readings, group discussions, and research, culminating
in a presentation of findings regarding a particular issue.

INSTRUCTIONAL MODULES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY (STS)

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Table of Contents
Page No.
Parts of the Module 4

Middle Term
General Concepts and STS Historical Development
Week 1 Historical antecedents in which social considerations changed the course 5
of science and technology

Week 2 Intellectual revolutions that defined society 14

Week 3 Science and technology and nation-building (Part I) 21

Week 4 Science and technology and nation-building (Part II) 28

STS and the Human Condition

Week 5 The Human Person flourishing in terms of science and technology (Part I) 37

Week 6 The Human Person flourishing in terms of science and technology (Part II) 42

Week 7 The Good Life 46

Week 8 When technology and humanity cross 51

Week 9 Mid-term Examination 58

Final Term
Week 10 Why the future does not need us (Part I)

Week 11 Why the future does not need us (Part II)

Specific Issues in STS

Week 12 The Information Age

Week 13 Biodiversity and the healthy society (Part I)

Week 14 Biodiversity and the healthy society (Part II)

Week 15 The nanoworld

Gene therapy

Week 16 Climate Change

Week 17 Energy Crisis

Environmental Awareness

Week 18 Final Examination

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PARTS OF THE MODULE

This collection of STS modules is divided into 16 topics to be taken on a weekly basis suggestively. Each
module is composed of 12 parts described below. Read each part understandably and note carefully of
any instruction. As a student, you are expected to follow instructions as they will become part of the
faculty’s assessment of your learning in this subject.

Week This part shows the number order that the topic should be taken from the start of
classes. There are 18 class weeks in a regular semester, 16 of which are devoted to
the study of the topics and the remaining two (2) are devoted to summative
assessments. Our university administers only two summative assessments per
semester: midterm examination and final examination. Dividing the semester equally
into these two assessments will give nine (9) weeks of classes before each
examination is administered.

Title This is the name of the topic to be discussed, a phrase that summarizes the lesson in
the topic.

Topic Letter This is an alphabet letter that indicates the order of the topic from the outline of topics
prepared by the faculty in this subject. Beside this letter is the title, in parenthesis, of
the chapter or division on which the topic belongs. This is included so that you can
keep track of the topic organization in this subject.

Duration This indicates the optimum number of hours within the specified week that you are
prescribed to devote in studying the topic.

Overview This part is a short paragraph that serves as a ‘mini warm-up’ upon engaging in the
topic. It states the expectations, what that part of the module contains. It serves like
an abstract in a study.

Objectives This part contains a short list of important goals that you should aim to achieve in
accomplishing the activities prepared by the faculty for the topic. Take note that these
goals serve as basis in the assessment of your learning in the topic.

Activity This contains the things that you should do, mentally and/or physically, to learn about
the topic. The activity has been carefully selected and prepared for you to appreciate
the topic, but not compromise the quality of your learning.

Discussion This is generally the bulk of the module. It contains the concepts, insights, and
reflections of the faculty on the topic. This is the part where transfer of knowledge
happens between the faculty and the student (you). It is advised that you carefully read
and take the discussion into heart. In case you need further discussion, you can
contact the faculty by texting the phone number that will be provided for you.

Synthesis It is comprised of short paragraphs that summarize the discussion. It includes the final
word, or key ‘takeaway’ messages, regarding the topic lesson.

Evaluation This part assesses your learning with respect to the objectives of the lesson.
Coordinate with your assigned faculty on how you will submit your answers.

Enrichment This is an extended activity for your further learning and appreciation of the topic.

References It contains the list of articles, books, and various communication media from where
the lessons were derived.

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WEEK 1

Title Historical antecedents in which social considerations changed the course of

science and technology

Topic Letter A (General Concepts and STS Historical Development)

Duration 3 hours

Overview Welcome to STS. As a first topic, it is important to give you a background in science,
technology, and society. In this topic, you will learn the definitions of these three big words
and a bit of their history. You will also identify some scientific discoveries and inventions
that have (or can have) a direct impact on you as a student in your respective course. You
will also note that paradigm shifts happen in history which is caused by developments in
science and technology.

Objectives At the end of this topic, you should be able to:

1. Describe science, technology, and society and their interactions.

2. Discuss how scientific and technological developments affect society.
3. Identify paradigm shifts in history brought by science and technology.

Activity Below is a timeline table of inventions and discoveries chronologically listed from
prehistory to the present day1. Browse through the list and search for as much as possible
all those inventions or discoveries that you think are relevant to your course. You can
follow an example given after the timeline table.

Date Invention or discovery Present Invention

Prehistory
4–5 billion years ago Sun starts to produce energy Solar cells
10 million years ago Humans make the first tools from stone, wood, antlers, Tools and machines
and bones
1–2 million years ago Humans discover fire Biofuels; Candles
10,000 BCE Earliest boats are constructed Ships and boats
8000–9000 BCE Beginnings of human settlements and agriculture Water
6000–7000 BCE Hand-made bricks first used for construction in the Middle Brick (ceramics)
East
Ancient times
4000 BCE Iron used for the first time in decorative ornaments Iron and steel
3500– 5000 BCE Glass is made by people for the first time Glass
3500 BCE Humans invent the wheel Wheels and axles
3000 BCE First written languages are developed by the Sumerian Digital pens; Typewriters
people of southern Mesopotamia (part of modern Iraq)
~2500 BCE Ancient Egyptians produce papyrus, a crude early version Paper
of paper
c1700 BCE Semites of the Mediterranean develop the alphabet Digital pens
600 BCE Thales of Miletus discovers static electricity Electricity
400BCE– 300BCE Chinese experiment with flying kites Airplanes
~300– 200 BCE Chinese invent early magnetic direction finders. Compasses
~250 BCE Archimedes invents the screw pump for moving water and Tools and machines
other materials
c.50 BCE Roman engineer Vitruvius perfects the modern, vertical Turbines
water wheel
62 CE Hero of Alexandria, a Greek scientist, pioneers steam Steam engines
power
105 CE Ts'ai Lun makes the first paper in China Paper
27 BCE–395 CE Romans develop the first, basic concrete called pozzolana Steel and concrete
Middle Ages
700–900 CE Chinese invent gunpowder and fireworks Bullets; Fireworks
1450 Johannes Gutenberg pioneers the modern printing press, Printing
using rearrangeable metal letters called movable type
16th century
1530s Gerardus Mercator helps to revolutionize navigation with Satellite navigation
better mapmaking
1590 A Dutch spectacle maker named Zacharias Janssen Microscopes
makes the first compound microscope
17th century
~1600 Galileo Galilei designs a basic thermometer Thermometer
1609 Galileo Galilei builds a practical telescope and makes new Space telescopes
astronomical discoveries

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mid-17th century Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and Robert Hooke independently Microscopes
develop microscopes
1643 Galileo's pupil Evangelista Torricelli builds the first Barometers
mercury barometer for measuring air pressure
1687 Isaac Newton formulates his three laws of motion Motion
18th century
1701 English farmer Jethro Tull begins the mechanization of Tractors
agriculture by inventing the horse-drawn seed drill
1703 Gottfried Leibniz pioneers the binary number system now Computers
used in virtually all computers
1769 Wolfgang von Kempelen develops a mechanical speaking Speech synthesizers
machine: the world's first speech synthesizer
1770s Abraham Darby III builds a pioneering iron bridge at a Bridges
place now called Ironbridge in England
~1780 Josiah Wedgwood (or Thomas Massey) invents the Pyrometers
pyrometer
19th century
1800 Italian Alessandro Volta makes the first battery (known as Batteries
a Voltaic pile)
1801 Joseph-Marie Jacquard invents the automated cloth- Programmable
weaving loom. The punched cards it uses to store patterns computers
help to inspire programmable computers
1803 Henry and Sealy Fourdrinier develop the papermaking Paper
machine
1806 Humphry Davy develops electrolysis into an important Electrolyzers
chemical technique and uses it to identify a number of
new elements
1827 Joseph Niepce makes the first modern photograph Photography.
Digital cameras
1830s William Sturgeon develops the first practical electric motor Electric motors
1830s William Henry Fox Talbot develops a way of making and Digital cameras.
printing photographs using reverse images called Photography
negatives
1839 Charles Goodyear finally perfects a durable form of rubber Rubber
(vulcanized rubber) after many years of unsuccessful
experimenting
1840s Scottish physicist James Prescott Joule outlines the theory Energy; Great physics
of the conservation of energy experiments
1840s Scotsman Alexander Bain invents a primitive fax machine Fax machines
based on chemical technology
1849 James Francis invents a water turbine now used in many Turbines; Water
of the world's hydropower plants
1850s Henry Bessemer pioneers a new method of making steel Iron and steel
in large quantities
1850s Louis Pasteur develops pasteurization: a way of preserving Pasteurization
food by heating it to kill off bacteria
1860s Frenchman Étienne Lenoir and German Nikolaus Otto Car engines
pioneer the internal combustion engine
1860s James Clerk Maxwell figures out that radio waves must Radio
exist and sets out basic laws of electromagnetism
1860s Fire extinguishers are invented Fire extinguisher
1861 Elisha Graves Otis invents the elevator with built-in safety Elevators
brake
1867 Joseph Monier invents reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete
1868 Christopher Latham Sholes invents the modern typewriter Typewriters
and QWERTY keyboard
1876 Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone, though the Telephones
true ownership of the invention remains controversial
even today
1870s Thomas Edison develops the phonograph, the first CD players;
practical method of recording and playing back sound on MP3 players
metal foil
1877 Thomas Edison invents his sound-recording machine or Record players;
phonograph—a forerunner of the record player and CD Sound
player
1877 Edward Very invents the flare gun (Very pistol) for sending Flares
distress flares at sea
1880 Thomas Edison patents the modern incandescent electric Incandescent lamps
lamp
1880s Thomas Edison opens the world's first power plants Power plants
1880s Charles Chamberland invents the autoclave (steam Autoclaves
sterilizing machine)
1880s Carrie Everson invents new ways of mining silver, gold, Copper
and copper
1883 George Eastman invents plastic photographic film Digital cameras;
Plastics
1884 Charles Parsons develops the steam turbine Steam turbines
1885 Karl Benz builds a gasoline-engined car Car engines
1888 Friedrich Reinitzer discovers liquid crystals LCD screens and
displays
1888 John Boyd Dunlop patents air-filled (pneumatic) tires Pneumatics

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1888 Nikola Tesla patents the alternating current (AC) electric Electric motors;
induction motor and, in opposition to Thomas Edison, Induction motors;
becomes a staunch advocate of AC power Power plants
1899 Everett F. Morse invents the optical pyrometer for Pyrometers
measuring temperatures at a safe distance
1890s French brothers Joseph and Louis Lumiere invent movie Projection TV
projectors and open the first movie theater
1890s German engineer Rudolf Diesel develops his diesel Diesel engines
engine—a more efficient internal combustion engine
without a sparking plug
1894 Physicist Sir Oliver Lodge sends the first ever message by Radio
radio wave in Oxford, England
1895 German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen discovers X rays X rays
1898 Nikola Tesla invents remote, radio control Remote control
20th century
1901 The first electric vacuum cleaner is developed Vacuum cleaners
1903 Brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright build the first engine- Airplanes; Jet engines
powered airplane
1905 Albert Einstein explains the photoelectric effect Photoelectric cells
1906 Willis Carrier pioneers the air conditioner Air conditioners
1906 Mikhail Tswett discovers chromatography Chromatography
1907 Leo Baekeland develops Bakelite, the first popular Plastics
synthetic plastic
1907 Alva Fisher invents the electric clothes washer Washing machine
1906 Frederick Gardner Cottrell develops the electrostatic Electrostatic
smoke precipitator (smokestack pollution scrubber) precipitators
1908 American industrialist and engineer Henry Ford launches Cars
the Ford Model T, the world's first truly affordable car
1909 German chemists Fritz Haber and Zygmunt Klemensiewicz pH meters
develop the glass electrode, enabling very precise
measurements of acidity
1912 American chemist Gilbert Lewis describes the basic Lithium-ion batteries
chemistry that leads to practical, lithium-ion rechargeable
batteries (though they don't appear in a practical,
commercial form until the 1990s)
1912 Hans Geiger develops the Geiger counter, a detector for Geiger counters
radioactivity
1916 Robert Hutchings Goddard, an American physicist, Space rockets
publishes influential ideas on building space rockets
1919 Francis Aston pioneers the mass spectrometer and uses it Mass spectrometers
to discover many isotopes
1920s John Logie Baird develops mechanical television Television; LCD TV
1920s Philo T. Farnsworth invents modern electronic television Television; LCD TV
1920s German engineer Gustav Tauschek and American Paul OCR
Handel independently develop primitive optical character
recognition (OCR) scanning systems
1920s Albert W. Hull invents the magnetron, a device that can Magnetrons;
generate microwaves from electricity Microwave ovens
1921 Karel Capek and his brother coin the word "robot" in a play Robots
about artificial humans
1921 John Larson develops the polygraph ("lie detector") Forensic science
machine
1928 Thomas Midgley, Jr. invents coolant chemicals for air Air conditioners;
conditioners and refrigerators Refrigerators
1928 The electric refrigerator is invented Refrigerators
1930s Peter Goldmark pioneers color television Television; LCD TV
1930s Laszlo and Georg Biro pioneer the modern ballpoint pen Digital pens
1930s Wallace Carothers develops neoprene (synthetic rubber Kevlar; Nomex;
used in wetsuits) and nylon, the first popular synthetic Nylon; Wetsuits
clothing material
1930s Arnold Beckman develops the electronic pH meter pH meters
1938 Chester Carlson invents the principle of photocopying Photocopiers
(xerography)
1938 Roy Plunkett accidentally invents a nonstick plastic Gore-Tex;
coating called Teflon Nonstick pans
1939 Igor Sikorsky builds the first truly practical helicopter Helicopters
1945 Arthur C. Clarke conceives the idea of the communications Satellites
satellite, a space-based signal "mirror" that can bounce
radio waves from one side of Earth to the other
1947 John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley Amplifiers;
invent the transistor, which allows electronic equipment Electronics;
much smaller and leads to the modern computer Transistors
revolution
1949 Bernard Silver and N. Joseph Woodland patent barcodes— Barcodes
striped patterns that are initially developed for marking and barcode scanners
products in grocery stores
1950s Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow invent the maser Lasers
(microwave laser). Gordon Gould coins the word "laser"
and builds the first optical laser in 1958
1950s Percy Spencer accidentally discovers how to cook with Microwave ovens
microwaves, inadvertently inventing the microwave oven
1954 Indian physicist Narinder Kapany pioneers fiber optics Fiber optics

INSTRUCTIONAL MODULES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY (STS)

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1955 US electrical engineer Eugene Polley invents the TV Remote control
remote control
1957 Soviet Union (Russia and her allies) launch the Sputnik Satellites
space satellite
1957 Lawrence Curtiss, Basil Hirschowitz, and Wilbur Peters Endoscopes
build the first fiber-optic gastroscope
1958 Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce, working independently, Integrated circuits;
develop the integrated circuit Transistors
1959 IBM and General Motors develop Design Augmented by Computer graphics
Computers-1 (DAC-1), the first computer-aided design
(CAD) system
1962 Nick Holonyak invents the LED (light-emitting diode) while Diodes and LEDs
working at General Electric
1963 Ivan Sutherland develops Sketchpad, one of the first Computer graphics
computer-aided design programs
1964 IBM helps to pioneer e-commerce with an airline ticket E-commerce
reservation system called SABRE
1965 Frank Pantridge develops the portable defibrillator for Defibrillators
treating cardiac arrest patients
1966 Stephanie Kwolek patents a super-strong plastic called Kevlar
Kevlar
1966 Robert H. Dennard of IBM invents dynamic random access Computer memory
memory (DRAM)
1969 World's first solar power station opened in France Solar cells; Energy
1969 Astronauts walk on the Moon Space rockets
1960s Douglas Engelbart develops the computer mouse Computer mouse
1960s James Russell invents compact discs CD players
1973 Martin Cooper develops the first handheld cellphone Cellphones
(mobile phone)
1973 Robert Metcalfe figures out a simple way of linking Computer networks;
computers together that he names Ethernet. Most Internet
computers hooked up to the Internet now use it
1980s Japanese electrical pioneer Akio Morita develops the Sony CD players; MP3 players
Walkman, the first truly portable player for recorded music
1981 Patricia Bath develops laser eye surgery for removing Lasers
cataracts
1981 Fujio Masuoka files a patent for flash memory—a type of Flash memory
reusable computer memory that can store information
even when the power is off
1989 Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web World Wide Web
1994 American mathematician John Daugman perfects the Iris scans
mathematics that make iris scanning systems possible
1994 Israeli computer scientists Alon Cohen and Lior Haramaty VoIP
invent VoIP for sending telephone calls over the Internet
1995 Broadcast.com becomes one of the world's first online Streaming media
radio stations
1995 Pierre Omidyar launches the eBay auction website E-commerce
21st century
2001 Apple revolutionizes music listening by unveiling its iPod MP3 players
MP3 music player
2001 Bram Cohen develops BitTorrent file-sharing BitTorrent
2001 Scott White, Nancy Sottos, and colleagues develop self- Self-healing materials
healing materials
2007 Amazon.com launches its Kindle electronic book (e-book) Electronic books
2007 Apple introduces a touchscreen cellphone called the Cellphone touchscreens
iPhone
2010 Apple releases its touchscreen tablet computer, the iPad Computer touchscreens
2010 3D TV starts to become more widely available. 3D Television
2015 Supercomputers (the world's fastest computers) are now a Supercomputers
mere 30 times less powerful than human brains
2016 Three nanotechnologists win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry Nanotechnology
for building miniature machines out of molecules
2019 Google claims to have achieved "quantum supremacy"— Quantum computers
with a quantum computer that calculates faster than a
conventional one

Example

Course: BS Environmental Science

Relevant inventions and discoveries in history for my course:

Date Invention or discovery Present Invention

4–5 billion years ago Sun starts to produce energy Solar cells
8000–9000 BCE Beginnings of human settlements and agriculture Water
1530s Gerardus Mercator helps to revolutionize navigation with Satellite navigation
better mapmaking
1590 A Dutch spectacle maker named Zacharias Janssen Microscopes
makes the first compound microscope
~1600 Galileo Galilei designs a basic thermometer Thermometer
….. …. …..

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Discussion What is Science?

The dictionary (Merriam-Webster) defines science as a study of the natural world based
on facts learned through experiments and observation. The word ‘science’ came from the
Latin word Scientia, meaning ‘knowledge.’ A widespread definition of science states that
it is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable
explanations and predictions about the world.

Scale, branches, and hierarchy of Science (Wikipedia, 2015).

What is Technology?

Technology is the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of human life
or to the change and manipulation of the human environment (Encyclopedia Britannica).

Science and technology (S&T) are two independent fields, but they work together in a
‘brains and hands’, ‘mind and action’, ‘knowledge and application’, ‘theory and practice’
partnership.

What is Society?

Society is a large group of people who live together in an organized way, making decisions
about how to do things, and sharing the work that needs to be done (Cambridge
Dictionary). The word ‘society’ was derived from the Latin word Socius, meaning
‘companionship or friendship’. Sociology is the field that studies society. It formally
defines society as a group of people in the same geographical territory, sharing a
common culture, social structure, and laws. For example, the people in the Philippines
can be collective called the Filipino society.

What then is Science and Technology and Society (STS)?

STS is where the fields of Science, Technology, and Sociology meet. The integration of the
three is shown by the following framework:

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Three-way interaction of science, technology, and society (Ihueze et al., 2015).

The field of science provide data for innovation in technology, but technological
development requires more scientific knowledge. Technology improves the quality of life
in the society, but societal progress is highly dependent on technological advancement.
Societal needs are accommodated by science, and scientific discoveries help improve the
quality of life.

History of STS

It is not known whether science and technology created society, or that society created
S&T. But history has it that the three emerged almost indistinctly. The earliest record of
the existence of S&T was in ancient Mesopotamia (presently a region shared by Iraq,
Kuwait, Turkey, and Syria), which is the same place that the earliest civilization was also
recorded, and they both happened between 600 BC to 1400 AD. It was in ancient Greece
that science was first recognized as a distinctly separate field from human, artistic
philosophy. Science was originally called ‘natural’ philosophy by the Greeks, the
philosophy that concerns nature. Later, historical records show that the ancient China
and India have developed their own S&T which proliferated in the entire Asian continent.
In the Middle East, the development of S&T gave the Golden Age of Islam. Worldwide,
there came an ‘Age of Great Scientific Revolution’ in 1400–1700 AD. This day, we can
see that S&T have become so vast, from the study of the smallest matter on Earth up to
the gigantic extraterrestrial bodies in the universe. Meanwhile, human societies on Earth
continue to expand.

The timeline table in the Activity was originally a long list (10 pages) of scientific
discoveries and inventions, but it was trimmed down to 3½ pages to fit in this module.
But take note, if we would have to list down every discovery and invention in the world
since the beginning of time up to this modern day, we could have 10,000 pages, or more!

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, there were only a few records of S&T during the pre-
colonization period, making it hard to say if our country had flourished its own indigenous
S&T during that time. However, the remnant proofs that we still have today, such as the
rice terraces in the Mountain Provinces, folkloric medicines, to name a few, suggest that
our ancient Filipinos had their own S&T. On the other hand, we have strong historical
records that our S&T proliferated through our educational systems (Caoili, 1986),
beginning from the Spanish colonization when our country started producing scientist-
turned doctors, one of whom is our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

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Paradigm Shifts

While STS is a unification of three fields (science, technology, and society), the unification
actually experiences paradigm shifting. Consider the following infographic that shows how
in a span of about 50 years, technology has great evolved, causing impact on the
development of social businesses.

Evolution of technology timeline (by Emily Kesselman at Feathered Hat Studios).

If not readable, please visit image @ www.digitaltrike.com/the-evolution-of-technology

Notice how technology evolves every decade. In the 1960-70’s, technology in business
only has minimal impact so that during this period, businesses focus more on price
margins and profit. In the 1980-90’s, new technology was slowly being integrated in
businesses so that companies tend to improve client communication. In the 2000-10’s,
social media technology boomed, thus requiring businesses to formulate new strategies
as business focus shifted to more customer satisfaction and building potential clients.
Take note that this paradigm shifting is true not only in business fields, but to other fields
as well such as in media communication, engineering, and education.

Synthesis Science, Technology, and Society are three interdependent yet interacting, interrelated
fields. The three have emerged simultaneously in history that since then have given much
of the quality of human life in general. The list of discoveries and inventions is endless,
changing the world since the beginning of time up to this modern day, and beyond. S&T
proliferated together with society; we can testify that here in our country. We can identify
paradigm shifts wherein S&T impacted much of society.

Evaluation (To be given by your professor.)

Enrichment Watch “Mankind: The History of All of Us” Episode 10 (Revolutions) in

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ci9q6 and reflect on how science and technology
impacted human history.

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References 1. Woodford, Chris. (2008/2019) Technology timeline. Retrieved from
https://www.explainthatstuff.com/timeline.html. [Accessed July 17, 2020]

2. Ihueze, Christopher Chukwutoo & Okpala, Charles & Okafor, Christian & Okonkwo,
Ugochukwu. (2015). Harnessing Science, Technology, and Innovations (STI) for Sustainable
Industrial and Economic Development. International Journal of Engineering and Management
Research. 5. 379-388.

3. McCllelan, James, and Dorn, Harold (2006). Science and Technology in World History. The
Johns Hopkins University Press.

4. Caoili, Olivia. (1986). A History of Science and Technology in the Philippines. Paper prepared
for the University of the Philippines Science Research Foundation in connection with its project
on "Analysis of Conditions for National Scientific and Technological Self-Reliance: The
Philippine Situation," June 1986.

5. Wilms, Todd. (2012 Jan 10). [Infographic]: The Evolution of Technology; Its Impact on the
Development of Social Businesses. Retrieved from
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[Accessed August 5, 2020]

INSTRUCTIONAL MODULES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY (STS)