Majors will generally be admitted to the concentration at the beginning of their junior year. Admission requires a cumulative GPA of 3.3, and recommendation from a member of the HSS faculty with whom the student has studied. All concentrators are expected to complete a two term-senior honors thesis. In addition to HSS 400, Seminar in the History and Sociology of Science, which is required for all majors, concentrators take HSS 6, Controversies in Bioethics. An individual's program may include, in addition to the two required courses, up to twelve additional courses in the bioethics area.
Research is an important component of the concentration.
Students are advised to take at least one independent study course in HSS or the Bioethics area before the end of their junior year in order to be sure that they want to do a two-term honors thesis in their senior year and will do well at it. The honors thesis may be carried out in any department that offers an appropriate advisor for a bioethics-oriented project. For more information about the concentration contact Dr. Nathan Sivin, Undergraduate Chairman, History and Sociology of Science. Return to the section on Concentrations.