A Comparative Study of the "Science, Technology and Society" Curriculum in Iran and Universities from other Countries

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Master's degree, Department of Information Technology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Professor of Information Technology Department, Faculty of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

In the 1970s, social scientists and humanities tried to examine the impact of science and technology on the social, political, and cultural aspects of social life and societies which created common rounds for scientists to collaborate in different fields. This led to the emergence and growth of the field of "Science, Technology, and Society". The purpose of the present study is to examine the curriculum developed and implemented for "Science, Technology and Society" in selected universities and to recreate it in Iran universities. The research method is comparative based on Bereday’s model. The sample consisted of 5 universities from the United States, 3 from Europe, 1 from Asia, and 1 from Australia. In addition, 4 scientific institutions from Iran were selected thorough purposive sampling. The findings revealed significant differences regarding the content between Iran and universities from other countries. Finally, the research implications are recommended for policies in modification of the structure and content of this major in Iran.

Keywords


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