First-Year Seminar (105-6-01)

Topic

The Science Behind Oppression

Instructors

Stephanie Nicole Knezz

Meeting Info

Technological Institute LG62: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

The Science Behind Oppression: Biased interpretations of scientific results have been used to justify racial and gender oppression for centuries. It was often argued that people of different races and different genders were fundamentally different, and as such their roles in society should differ as well. Today, many people reject the claim that race and gender have substantial effect on a person's abilities or capacity, but how did we get here? More importantly, how did science help facilitate these claims in the first place?

In this course, we will explore the role of science in historical oppression based on race and gender. We will identify key scientific studies and their subsequent legacy to reveal the precarious nature of scientific interpretation in the hands of biased individuals. We will discuss how power structures can infiltrate scientific integrity and propose safeguards to prevent this kind of infiltration in the future.

Class Materials (Required)

1. Title: Superior: The Return of Race Science
Author: Angela Saini
ISBN: 9780807028421
Approx. price: $12

2. Title: Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong-and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story
Author: Angela Saini
ISBN: 9780807010037
Approx. price: $12

Class Materials (Suggested)

None

Class Attributes

WCAS First-Year Seminar

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for First Year & Sophomore only