STV 202Design and Society
- Units
- 0.50
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 3 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
The course uses design as a vehicle for examining technology and society interaction, particularly how we design, create, and choose technology. This course has been created to introduce students to various methods to help them view design and technology from a technology-society perspective. The overriding aims of the course are to (a) develop an ability to see through the eyes of others and promote thinking about technology in terms of users as well as producers or creators, (b) develop critical thinking skills, and (c) present design and the choice of technology as an activity involving societal and individual concerns rather than as a purely technical matter. The course does not require advanced technical knowledge and is open to students of all faculties.
Prerequisites
None listed.
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Reviewed on UW Flow
49% liked it80% easy29% useful
From 78 ratings and 17 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Weekly quizzes are very confusing and not well written. In terms of course content the material is easy to understand, in terms of evaluation and getting a good grade I'd say it's harder than some of the 300 level ECE courses I've taken. Getting a high mark (at least online) is a bit of a dice roll in this course.
Edit: Recently completed a weekly quiz by pressing CTRL-F and selecting the first multiple-choice option that came up and got an 80%, while some quizzes I read through everything and get ~60%. If you're looking for a course to take your CSE in, don't take this one, there are plenty of other options.Nov 2020 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
STV 202: Ruining friendships and destroying essay-writing confidence since 2016
Jun 2016 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
The content covered in this course was actually pretty interesting, especially as an engineering student. The first half of the course focuses on different designers and their philosophies (eg: Dieter Rams) and the second half of the course takes on a more social/moral approach to analyzing the way things are designed and the thought process that goes into them. It focuses on design in a variety of situations, not just items, but also things like urban planning and decision-making, which was quite eye-opening. Prof Shelley was pretty engaging and provided lots of time for class discussions, which was fun (provided that others in your class were also interested in the content). He's also…
Apr 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Listen, if you are thinking of taking any of the STV courses as a CSE list A elective, drop that thought right now. I'm serious. These courses are NOT easy, do yourself a favour, don't pick them. My friends in other STV courses are all agreeing to how their STV elective is tanking their grades, and me too. This course, STV 202, is a 6:30PM to 9:30 PM course. Weekly in class discussion, 10% total mark: EASY. 3 in class workshops of either guest speaker or watch a documentary, 15% total mark: EASY. 10 quizzes each due a day before weekly lecture, require textbook reading, 10% total mark: DIFFICULT. 2 video presentations, 20% total mark: FAIR. 3 midterm essays, each given 3 weekdays to…
Mar 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
if you enjoy writing and don't mind doing weekly readings, pretty doable to get 90+ with some effort
Feb 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
48 posts and comments in 39 threads mention STV 202, February 2013 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Spring 2024
HELP 2A mech eng elective 2 points, 1 comment
u/Big_Goose269: “Idk wtf to take, I'm considering STV202 but ik there's a couple STVs for 2nd years. I took CLAS104 in 1B I just want a bird elective pls.”
Fall 2023
STV 202 - Mandatory Classes? 1 point, 0 comments
u/Due_Wolverine8910: “For those taking STV 202, is going to lectures mandatory?”
Fall 2022
LOOKING FOR AN EASY 300-LEVEL ELECTIVE? JOIN STV 306 TODAY! (THEY'LL CANCEL US IF YOU DON'T) 23 points, 9 comments
“ARE YOU RUSHING TO ADD A FINAL COURSE BEFORE THE ADD/DROP DEADLINE? DO YOU WANT TO TAKE AN EASY, LOGICAL DISCUSSION-BASED COURSE? DO YOU LIKE SMALL CLASS SIZES WITH LIGHT WORKLOADS? …”
u/ononomaetopoeia: “uff this conflicts with another course i have (same exact lecture time) :( do you know if this will be offered in any other subsequent terms”
u/netnegativecarbon: “… The professor (whose name I cannot share due to Rule 1 of the sub) is very passionate about the field, and I walked away from STV 202 with a better understanding of the realities that come with the commodification of convenience and health. It was very mentally stimulating! P.S. …”
Winter 2022
STV 202 or 205? 0 points, 0 comments
u/Q-And-A-Session: “How was your experience with STV 202 or 205 and which one would you recommend taking? If anyone can post the grade breakdown that would be appreciated.”
Spring 2021
Mechanical engineering undergrad retrospective 201 points, 42 comments
u/doAbr00talroll: “… • STV202: I beat both portal games during lectures and finished with a very good (>80) grade. You have to write essays though. 2A, take an easy elective to save your average. • ME201: I found it really hard and the project was awful. …”
mirror mirror on the wall, who's the birdiest of them all? [serious, please help] 55 points, 21 comments
u/Dummy_Wire: “STV 202 is the only one of those I’ve taken, but it’s pretty easy. I took it in person during winter 2020, and it was wasn’t much work at all. I really took it easy and skipped a few lectures, and I still got 80%+ (which was good enough for me). …”
Winter 2021
STV 202 final grades? 4 points, 1 comment
u/csgodess: “Has anyone received their final grade on quest for STV 202?”
Fall 2020
Bird courses 5 points, 32 comments
“Hi guys I'm looking for any recommendations on bird courses I can take in the winter term. Preferably ones that need less work, but still get in the 90s, because my term is quite heavy. …”
u/This_aint_it_chief42: “STV202 was a gem”
Complementary Studies Requirements for Engineering Students List A 1 point, 3 comments
“Which course from List A would you guys say is the easiest. &x200B; https://preview.redd.it/5nz7iqe6k6r51.png?width=335&format=png&auto=webp&s=8e94037b30dc6e69dddcb865b44b47d45fe934f9 …”
u/shifutudi: “stv202”
Spring 2020
STV 202 1 point, 2 comments
u/UWboi123: “Has anyone taken STV 202 over the last term. I’m curious if the online version of the course is still bird or not?”
STV202 2 points, 0 comments
u/kxxstlx: “Anyone on here taking this course this term and would like to connect and help each other out? Also does anyone have a copy of an online textbook for this course?”
Winter 2020
STV 202 Syllabus 4 points, 0 comments
u/MagmaBomber: “Does anyone have the course syllabus for STV 202?”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
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