UMass Boston

Science, Medicine & Society: Past & Present Minor

Explore The Societal Impact of Science & Medicine. 

Are you curious about how science and medicine have shaped our society? Do you want to explore the connections between the sciences and humanities? Consider the Science, Medicine & Society Minor program at UMass Boston. 

In this program, you’ll explore the growth, development, and impact of technical fields using disciplines from literature, philosophy, and more. This minor complements many majors and fields of study including pre-med or any health professions, science, or humanities. As a pre-med student, this program prepares you for entrance requirements for medical school.

Whatever your major, this program provides you with a background framework for understanding the complex scientific and medical systems that shape our everyday world.

Expand Your Studies

How To Apply/Declare

Current Undergraduate Students: Declare or change your minor by completing an Undergraduate Program Add/Change form.

Prospective Undergraduate Students: Apply for admission to UMass Boston by completing an application. Start by reviewing the first-year and transfer application pages for important information about requirements, deadlines, and application status checks. Use the links below to apply: 

Apply as a First-Year Student

Apply as a Transfer Student

Curriculum

Level One Courses (6 Credits)

Take two courses from the list below.

  • CLSICS 294 - Magic and Science in Greece and Rome 3 Credit(s)
  • HIST 150 - Food and Empire 3 Credit(s)
  • HIST 171 - Leeches to Lasers: Medicine and Health in the United States 3 Credit(s)
  • HIST 276 - This Land is Your Land: A Survey of American Environmental History 3 Credit(s)
  • HONORS 290 - Special Topics 3 Credit(s)

Level Two Courses (12 Credits)

Take four courses from the list below.

  • AFRSTY 404 - Race, Class, and Health Inequalities 3 Credit(s)
  • ANTH 263 - Environmental Anthropology 3 Credit(s)
  • ANTH 316 - Nutrition, Growth and Behavior 3 Credit(s)
  • ANTH 324 - A Biocultural Approach to War 3 Credit(s)
  • ANTH 357 - Culture, Disease, and Healing 3 Credit(s)
  • ANTH 358 - Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities 3 Credit(s)
  • ANTH 364 - Anthropology of Adolescence: Biocultural Interactions 3 Credit(s)
  • ASAMST 345 - Asian American Cultures and Health Practices 3 Credit(s)
  • ASIAN 371 - Environmental Issues in China 3 Credit(s)
  • COMM 330 - Health Communication 3 Credit(s)
  • COMM 345 - Environmental Communication 3 Credit(s)
  • ECON 381 - Economics of Global Health 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGL 268 - Outbreak! On Reading Narratives of Infectious Disease 3 Credit(s)
  • HIST 314 - Health and Healing in Early Modern Europe 3 Credit(s)
  • HIST 347 - Feast to Famine: Food in African History 3 Credit(s)
  • HONORS 210G - Honors Intermediate Seminar 3 Credit(s)
  • HONORS 295 - Honors Topics in the Natural Science 3 Credit(s)
  • HONORS 380 - Honors Colloquium 3 Credit(s)
  • HONORS 490 - Special Topics 3-6 Credit(s)
  • PHIL 220 - Environmental Ethics 3 Credit(s)
  • PHIL 222 - Moral Issues in Medicine 3 Credit(s)
  • PHIL 299 - Public Health Ethics 3 Credit(s)
  • PHIL 346 - The Philosophy of Science 3 Credit(s)
  • SOCIOL 367 - Drugs and Society 3 Credit(s)
  • SOCIOL 368 - Substance Use, Abuse, and Addiction 3 Credit(s)
  • SOCIOL 384 - Sociology of Health, Illness, and Health Care 3 Credit(s)
  • SOCIOL 386 - The Sociology of Mental Health and Illness 3 Credit(s)
  • HUMCTR 220 - The Life Cycle and the Environment 3 Credit(s)
  • PHIL 265 - Sanity and Madness 3 Credit(s)
  • SOCIOL 342L - Aging and Society 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 230G - Reproductive Rights and Wrongs 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 268 - Global Bodies: Sex, Families, and Reproductive Rights in Transnational Perspective 3 Credit(s)
  • WGS 343L - The Cultural Politics of HIV/AIDS 3 Credit(s)

Completion Requirements

Complete 18 credits from six courses, including two level one courses and four level two courses.

Pass/fail: No more than two courses taken pass/fail may be applied toward the minor.

Contact

Olivia Weissr, PhD, Program Director
McCormack Hall, 4th Floor, Room 645A
617.287.6865
Olivia.Weisser [@] umb.edu

Students rehearse orchestra playing flutes.

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Next Steps

Declare or Change Your Minor Request Info About UMass Boston Undergraduate Admissions