Genetic Ancestry Tracing- The Science of Race January 2009

Professor

Jennifer Hamilton

Course Number

SS-0176-1 (135760)

Course Description 

Where do you "really" come from? Western cultures have long been interested in tracing their ancestral origins or individual family trees through practices of genealogy. Genetic ancestry tracing (GAT) applies genetic technologies to these practices and has reinvigorated questions about human origins, relatedness, and the "reality" of race. Recently, the tracing of one?s ancestry through the genome has become a popular practice in the US and throughout the world. This course introduces students to the science behind these new technologies and explores some of their social, political, and economic implications. How and why do GAT technologies emerge when they do? What are some of the ethical dilemmas facing scientists as they collect genetic information from different groups throughout the world? How does GAT influence our ideas of race and relatedness? How have some groups used genetic ancestry tracing in legal contexts to make claims in the name of social justice? Course fees: $85.00 (DNA test). This course satisfies Division I distribution requirements. EXP, MCP, PRJ, PRS, REA, WRI

Progress

Completed