<p>Seminar, three hours. Exploration of intersection of politics and genetics in liberal democracies and totalitarian regimes. How genetics has been used to consolidate and undermine political authority, and how political authority has been employed to both promote and restrict genetics. Consideration of several historical episodes such as rise to power in Soviet Union of T.D. Lysenko, peasant agronomist who rejected Mendelism in favor of quasi-Lamarckian approach to genetics; participation of geneticists in creation of racial state in Nazi Germany; and debates over compulsory sterilization of mental defectives in U.S., Canada, and Europe from 1920s to 1940s. Contemporary cases such as controversies over genetically modified foods and regulation and governance of reprogenetic technologies, and rise of disease advocacy groups as important players in determining funding and direction of genetic research. Letter grading.</p>

Society and Genetics

Combining rigorous, inclusive pedagogy with opportunities for co-curricular activities—including research, internships, and community engagement—the College provides students with diverse learning experiences that helps them thrive, become critical thinkers, and transform society.

College of Letters and Science

The institute offers a rigorous interdisciplinary education at the intersection of human biology, genetics, and society, bridging the institutional divide between life and human sciences.

General Catalog

Politics of Heredity

SOC GEN 160

4 units