Anthropology 216SP - Science and Politics

Recent controversies over climate change, genetically modified organisms, and cloning raise questions about how scientific knowledge shapes governance and political life. Historical research into controversies over evolution and race remind us that these questions are not new. The political status of scientific claims presents a basic problem for Western democracies. Through attention to a series of controversies, this course examines the often-fraught relationship between modern science and politics. Are science and politics intrinsically at odds? How might anthropological studies of science help us cultivate more nuanced attention to the nexus of knowledge, justice, and democracy?

Prereq: Anthropology 105.