Genetics has often been co-opted to support racism. In this course, we will explore the historical and contemporary interaction between human genetics research and social conceptions of race. We will first review the sordid history of scientific racism and eugenics. We will then discuss what contemporary research says about genetic contributions to key traits and the ethical implications of such research. Lastly, we will cover the limitations and interpretation of commercial genetic ancestry testing. Students will leave the course better prepared to confront racist scientific misinformation.
Course Units
1
Instructor(s)
- Ryan Gutenkunst