  In the popular imagination, science and technology are often seen as fields
of knowledge production critical to social progress and a cooperative future.
This optimistic portrayal of technological advancement also features
prominently in internal discourses amongst scientists, industry leaders, and
STEM students alike. Yet, an overwhelming body of research, investigation, and
first-person accounts highlight the varying ways modern science, technology,
and engineering industries contribute to the degradation of our changing
environments and exploit and harm global low-income and marginalized
populations. By and large, siloed higher-education STEM curricula provide
inadequate opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to critically
analyze the historical and epistemological foundations of scientific knowledge
production and even fewer tools to engage with and respond to modern
community-based cases. Here, we describe the development of a humanities- and
social sciences-informed curriculum designed to address the theory, content,
and skill-based needs of traditional STEM students considering technoscientific
careers. In essence, this course is designed to foster behavior change,
de-center dominant ways of knowing in the sciences, and bolster self-reflection
and critical-thinking skills to equip the developing STEM workforce with a more
nuanced and accurate understanding of the social, political, and economic role
of science and technology. This curriculum has the potential to empower
STEM-educated professionals to contribute to a more promising, inclusive
future. Our framework foregrounds key insights from science and technology
studies, Black and Native feminisms, queer theory, and disability studies,
alongside real-world case studies using critical pedagogies.
