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Short abstract:

The paper will present an analysis of the integration of STS scholarship in Engineering Education, using ethnographic insights from the classroom as a case study to discern the challenges, outcomes, and possibilities of the introduction of STS scholarship to engineering students.

Long abstract:

Engineering education in India is one of the most sought-after degrees, next to Medicine. As of 2023, India has 5860 engineering colleges, with over 23 lakh students securing admission to various engineering colleges nationwide in 2023. (AICTE 2023). The market for engineering education in India is one of the largest in the world. Given these numbers, paying attention to the engineering curriculum and the context and networks of knowledge production in these institutions is crucial.

As a Ph.D. student researching this field, I found that my interlocutors perceived their scientific work in fragments, which at times were completely disassociated with the social and socio-technical realities. While the built environment of these institutions contributes towards this fragmented approach, a critical analysis of the curriculum along with viable methodologies to integrate STS scholarship, is imperative. This will not only help bridge the so-called gap between the Social and the Scientific in these institutes but also contribute towards producing more socially useful/good technologies that are sensitive to the larger context in which it is produced.

My paper presentation will discuss ethnographic insights from two STS courses offered to engineering students at two different universities, one public and one private. These courses are Gender and Technology and Environmental Sustainability: Policy Dilemmas and Technological Solutions. In doing so, I will trace how engineering students thought about their work and place in society differently after taking these courses and discuss possible suggestions for the integration of STS scholarship with engineering curricula.