Gender Issues in Science and Health (250-0-20)
Topic
Race, Gender, & Sexuality in Science & Anti-Scienc
Instructors
Ann Kathryn Wilkinson
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-435: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM
Overview of class
Topic: Race, Gender, & Sexuality in Science & Anti-Science.
Is race "real"? Do men and women have different brains? Is sexuality a choice (and should that matter)? This course examines the way these and other questions have been taken up in scientific discourse and how, in turn, scientific discourse has become a battleground in political disputes over trans rights, gender equality, and racial justice in the United States and beyond. We will approach race, gender, and sexuality as biosocial constructs, exploring their roles in debates about the relationship between biology and society, nature and culture, human similarity and difference, and knowledge and politics. Course modules will: contextualize how cultural understandings of human difference have shaped—and still impact--the development of Western science; examine contemporary scientific questions related to sex, gender, race, & sexuality, genetic diversity, medicine, technology, and the role of science in contemporary politics; explore how social inequalities can become embodied and produce biological effects; and interrogate the contemporary politicization and instrumentalization of scientific discourses related to race, gender, and sexuality, including by White supremacist, anti-trans, and anti-feminist movements.
Learning Objectives
• Critically evaluate claims about the biology of race/gender/sexuality.
• Analyze the significance of biological determinism in debates about social inequality.
• Demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of ethnic/racial and gender differences and inequities in U.S. society and beyond.
• Explain trends in the politics of science and dynamics of knowledge production with respect to race, gender, and sexuality, including by opposition and/or extremist movements.
Teaching Method
readings; lecture; films/videos; large group discussion; small group discussion; active learning exercises; problem sets; engaged/applied projects
Evaluation Method
attendance; class participation; weekly problem sets; discussion posts; final project
Class Materials (Required)
All course materials will be provided on Canvas.
Class Attributes
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area