This course deals with some hard topics, but it also will provide you with a deep perspective on how science meets social and political issues in both positive and negative ways. It can be invaluable for you in navigating today's very challenging cultural and political landscape. In a world where there is a lot of heat and acrimony, we will be able to cut through much of that and have deeper, meaningful, and informed discussions. In addition, you will also find this class valuable in honing your ability to discuss and think about complex issues related to science.

The topic is timely. We will study the way people have thought about and understood race as a scientific concept. Our focus will be on Western, and especially American, ideas of race from the 18th century to the present. We will study what has come to be called scientific racism, a special form of racist thought that held great power. We will see how it changed over time, influencing major government policies in the US and elsewhere. We will explore how different fields of study ebraced or contested scientific racism, including physical anthropology, eugenics, genetics, and most recently genomics.

We will also look more deeply at the ways that racism has influenced the very practice of science. We will consider how scientists of color have struggled to succeed in institutions that have often been deeply resistent to their participation.

All in all, we will discover new ways of thinking about a crucial issue of our time.

This Canvas course is still under construction. The modules and assignments will be activated in due course.