STSC 428 Genetics and Social Policy *NEW*
Cross-listed as HSOC 428
Offered:Fall 2009
Cowan W 2-5
Fulfills the HSOC and STSC Capstone requirement
As a capstone course for HSOC and STSC majors, this class will be focused less on reading and more on researching and writing a (roughly) 25-30 page paper.
The focal topic for the semester will be genetics and race. Race will be interpreted broadly to include populations that might be defined by geography, religion, or language, rather than by skin color and facial features.
Various social policies were once designed by people who had definitive views about the genetics of race. We will begin with some background reading about the beliefs of Social Darwinists (late 19th century), eugenicists (first half of the 20th century) and sociobiologists and human geneticists (second half of the 20th century)—and will then proceed to consider how this history affects current social concerns about genetic testing, personalized genomics and pharmacogenetics.
Part of every class meeting will be focused on how to choose a research topic, decide on a research method and locate appropriate sources. By mid-semester each student will need to have settled on all three (a topic, a method and sources), so that the research and writing can be completed by the end of the term.
Also by mid-semester, the syllabus will be shaped as much by the students as by me; each student will be asked to choose readings for discussion by the whole group, so class time can be used to help students conceptualize (and then re-conceptualize, as the research proceeds) their individual projects.
