Center for Interdisciplinary Instruction
College of Letters and Science
3360 Life Sciences
Box 957221
Los Angeles, CA 90095-7221
Society and Genetics
310-267-4990
Program e-mail
The Human Biology and Society majors provide a rigorous interdisciplinary education in current issues at the intersection of human biology, genetics, and society where bridging the institutional divide between the life sciences and human sciences (humanities and social sciences) is necessary.
The teaching strategy emphasizes the value of synthetic, integrative thinking. Learning can best be organized synthetically around the sorts of knowledge and skills required to investigate and address such problems rather than by building up from the stepwise sequences of traditional disciplines. Preparation for the majors is centered on three areas of study that together prepare students to solve problems at the intersection of biology and society: genes and gene expression; human evolutionary biology; and society, diversity, and identity. The majors provide an important integrative space where different ways of knowing in the human and life sciences are explored, interrelated, and applied. Core and capstone courses emphasize problem-based learning about pressing issues that inextricably link society, culture, and biology, such as medical privacy rights, gene patents, regulation of stem cell research, and questions of race, gender, and identity.
Programmatically, the majors consist of required elements that develop critical thinking skills, knowledge, and excellence in written and spoken communication; and extracurricular involvement in academic research and corporate/community internship. The mission is to educate students who become leaders in diverse areas such as law, medicine, humanities, social sciences, and biological sciences, and to have them interact and work together to form a deep understanding of the issues at the intersection of human social systems, evolutionary biology, and genetics.
The minor in Society and Genetics provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to understand and probe the complex problems and possibilities presented by modern genetics, with special attention to their social context and content. Given the dynamic interaction between genetics and the social world in which it is embedded, the minor is of necessity multidisciplinary and emphasizes a collaborative cross-disciplinary approach to instruction in the core courses of the minor and exposure to a wide range of disparate scholarship through elective courses available in such areas as anthropology, biology, history, philosophy, public policy, and sociology.
