ANTH 2225 - Genes and Society

The field of genetics has progressed by leaps and bounds over the past decade or so, to the point where genetic headlines regularly dominate the news. Further, as patients, consumers, and voters, we’re faced with a substantially increased role of genetics in our lives. This course aims to arm students with a deeper understanding of genetics specifically in the context of the ways it’s used in our society today. Students will actively work through topics of relevance using lectures, readings, and discussions. Moreover, students will connect primary scientific literature with stories in the popular media (news, podcasts, etc.). By the end of the course, students will be comfortable using genetics to describe variation among humans using evolutionary theory as well as understand the relative role of genetics in shaping modern human variation. In addition, students will be comfortable understanding and evaluating claims about genetics, both in the popular media and in the scientific literature