AFRC230 - RACE, SCIENCE & SOCIETY

Topics vary. Recent courses offered include "Africana Urbanization," Race Relations in American Cities," and "Sociology of the Black Community." SPRING 2015: Race, Science and Society - What is the role of the life sciences in shaping our understanding of race? How has racial stratification influenced scientists and how have scientists constructed racial difference and helped to maintain or contest racial inequities in society? This seminar draws on an interdisciplinary body of biological and social scientific literature to explore the connections between race, science, and society in the United States from the eighteenth century to the current genomic age. After laying a historical foundation, we will focus on the recent expansion of genomic research and technologies that treat race as a biological category that can be identified at the molecular level, including race-specific pharmaceuticals, commercial ancestry testing, and racial profiling with DNA forensics. We will discuss the significance of this increase in race consciousness in genomic research and technology at a time when colorblindness and post-racialism are gaining popularity. Students will investigate further specific topics related to race, genetics, and biotechnologies in their research papers.