CST Courses

The CST is proud to be currently contributing to the Princeton University curriculum across 16 different departments and supporting 8 distinct distribution requirements. On this page, you will find courses the CST has helped lead and design that are offered on a recurring basis ("Active Offerings") or no longer a part of the curriculum ("Inactive Offerings").

Current Offerings

Technology and the Environment

FRS 114
Designation: SEN

Modern technology has pushed the boundaries of environmental and ecological limits to accommodate growing societal needs but it can also be a double-edged sword, posing new environmental challenges. In this seminar, students will explore how technologies have helped address challenges in water, energy, and food production, as well as examine sustainability solutions and methods to communicate quantitative information through data visualization. 

Body Builders: Living Systems as Art Media

FRS 127
Designation: SEN

This course explores the crossover collaborative of bioengineering and art, presenting the notion of bioengineering as an artistic practice. A creative portrayal has the potential to humanize this highly technical field.

Visualizing Nature: Techniques in Field Biology

FRS 129
Designation: SEL

Researchers use the power of observation to generate questions that have led to some of the most fascinating discoveries in nature. In this seminar, we will explore the process of scientific inquiry by investigating the many ways in which field biologists make observations and study organisms both in their natural environment and in the lab. (Click to read more about this course)

From DNA to Human Complexity

MOL 101 / STC 101
Distribution: SEL

This lecture and lab course acquaints non-biology majors with modern molecular biology focusing on topics of current interest to society. The course covers fundamental topics such as information storage and readout by DNA, RNA and proteins.

Climate: Past, Present, and Future

STC 102 / ENV 102 / GEO 102
Designation: SEN / SEL


Which human activities are changing our climate, and does climate change constitute a major problem? We investigate these questions through an introduction to climate processes and an exploration of climate from the distant past to today.

Physics for Future Leaders Section A

PHY 115 A / STC 115 A
Designation: SEN

What do future leaders of our society need to know about physics and technology? The course is designed for non-scientists who will someday become our influential citizens and decision-makers.

Physics for Future Leaders Section B

PHY 115 B / STC 115 B
Designation: SEL

What do future leaders of our society need to know about physics and technology? The course is designed for non-scientists who will someday become our influential citizens and decision-makers.

Musical Instruments, Sound, Perception, and Creativity

STC 204 / MUS 204
Distribution: LA / SEL

Musical instruments reside at the intersection of varied topics: sound, perception, embodiment, music theory, social values, and more; how has their design influenced the development of music and how might they be reinvented to spur new ideas?

Transformations in Engineering and the Arts

STC 209 / EGR 209 / MUS 209
Distribution Section A: LA
Distribution Section B: SEL

STC 209 examines 'transformations' within and between visuals, sound, structure and movement as art and engineering forms. The course explores generative art and design that leverages parallels and interplay between design processes in engineering and the arts. 

Storytelling with Technology for Performance

THR 210 / STC 210
Designation: LA / QCR

Telling stories through performance is human nature, but how can we use technology to enhance, frame, or reveal new perspectives on stories told? Students will learn about tools and techniques from design professionals, and will engage directly and collaboratively with technology to design experiences focused around live performance.

The Science of Roman History

CLA 247 / HUM 249 / STC 247 / ENV 247
Distribution: EC / SEN

Roman history courses usually cover the grand narratives based on the more traditional, literary evidence. Usually these courses leave no room for discussing how knowledge is created and the new and different methods for studying ancient history. 

Transformative Questions in Biology

STC 297 / HIS 297 / MOL 297 / HUM 297
Designation: SEN/HA

The course teaches core principles of the life sciences through a set of key questions that biologists have sought to answer over the past 200 years. 

Origami Engineering

CEE 345 / EGR 345 / STC 345 / MSE 345
Designation: N/A

This class acquaints the student with the state-of-art concepts and algorithms to design and analyze origami structures. 

Writing about Science

STC 349 / ENV 349 / JRN 349
Designation: SEN

This course teaches STEM & non-STEM majors how to write about research in STEM fields with clarity and a bit of flair.

Autonomous Fabrication and Robotics

CEE 374 / STC 374
Designation: N/A

An introductory course with several demonstration and hands-on components of fabrication with autonomous and robotic systems.

Diseases in Children: Causes, Costs, and Choices

MOL 460 / STC 460 / GHP 460
Designation: EM

Within a broad context of historical, social, and ethical concerns, a survey of normal childhood development and selected disorders from the perspectives of the physician, the biologist, and the bioethicist.

Past Offerings

Our Biased Brains: The Science of Cognitive Bias and Decision Making

FRS 124
Designation: SEN

We are constantly bombarded with streams of information. To avoid being overwhelmed, our brains have shortcuts that allow us to make sense of the world.

The Science and Art of Mapping the World

FRS 174
Designation: SEN

From modern navigation apps to ancient drawings of an Earth not yet fully explored, maps show the ways in which we understand and interact with our world. 

Reality R&D: Designing Speculative Futures

VIS 209 / ANT 281 / ARC 215 / STC 207
Designation: LA

Operating at the intersection of art, science and technology, this course investigates how scientific theories shape aspects of culture and society.

Forensic Anthropology and Urban Bodies Section A

ANT 309 A / STC 310 A / URB 309 A
Designation: SA

Forensic anthropology involves medico-legal cases where human remains have lost "personhood" (an individual cannot be identified due to decomposition or destruction of unique personal features).

Forensic Anthropology and Urban Bodies Section B

ANT 309 B / STC 310 B / URB 309 B
Designation: STL

Forensic anthropology involves medico-legal cases where human remains have lost "personhood" (an individual cannot be identified due to decomposition or destruction of unique personal features).

History of Contemporary Science

HIS 391 / STC 391
Designation: HA

More science has been done since 1970 than in the history of the world before that date--- combined.