COURSE DESCRIPTION

The main idea is to look at the interplay between culture and biology (specifically human genetics) in the USA in the late 19th and early 20th Century through the evolution of two paradigms: American Culture and Human Genetics. The study of human genetics at the turn of the century was heavily influenced by what was called 'eugenics'. Eugenics, loosely defined, was the attempt to improve upon the biological heritage of humanity through selective breeding that included encouraging some, while discouraging other, groups to reproduce.

Giving eugenics its most positive spin, one could call it a kind of biological idealism. Unfortunately, it had dire consequences for humanity. The Nazi program to exterminate 'non-Aryans' (Jews, Gypsies, and Slavic peoples) was based on eugenic thinking. Less well known was the popularity, nay, the centrality of eugenic thinking in the USA in the period from 1890-1940. This was also a period of intensive cultural conflict and confusion in the USA, a period of massive immigration both from Europe and Asia that changed the cultural face of the nation, and a period of growing class disparities as the country experienced a rapid polarization into rich and poor in the decades following the Civil War. The growth and decline of the eugenics movement in this country parallels these structural changes in America and will be the central focus of the class. Anthropology was intimately involved in both the construction and deconstruction of the eugenics model.

The basic thesis of the course -open to challenge and revision- is that these periods mark different moments in the evolving cultural identity of the nation, and that in both cases, the nation responded not only culturally, but in a way, biologically to the challenge.

Such a course is by it's nature interdisciplinary in that it weaves History, Anthropology, Human Biology (in its emphasis on the implications of Darwin's theory of evolution on humanity) and Psychology (the early IQ testers were heavily involved) into a network of common vision and cooperation.

Where does the Anthropological focus come into play?
Virtually everywhere.

In the first part we explore some of the key figures in American Anthropology -especially the thinking of Boas, Kroeber, Hooton, Wissler, Hrdlicka- and their impact on developing Anthroplogy's approach to culture and race, then exploring possibilites of utilizing their thinking, not only as it applies to tribal societies, but to our nation-state. To what degree can we apply the term 'culture' to the American scene, what are the factors that distinguish culture as it is traditionally used by Anthropologists, to a modern nation state? (My tentative answer by the way, is that the concept has broad application despite the vastly different settings between, let's say, the Kung! and people living in the USA).

Having skethced out and anthropological approach to US culture, the course explores the specific factor of what might be called the US 'cultural identity' crisis. It is particularly interesting as the national identity has been over the past 200 years, constantly evolving, effected not only by immigration, but by economic, social and political trends as well. Over its long history, US culture appears to me as extraordinarily dynamic -something of a moving target. This makes it frustrating to capture in one sense, yet rich in potential in another.

The cultural crises in the 20th Century become a backdrop for talking about evolution of human genetics starting with Mendel and working its way up to the status and implications of the human genome project. I will look at Anthropology's role, at first fostering and then challenging racial stereotyping. Then later under the influence of new technologies and social concerns, Anthropology plays a major role after World War II to undermine racial inequality. The end is open ended. Where are we going culturally and biologically? What have we learned about some of the impacts of the environment on the gene pool? What positive role can the culture concept play in helping to address and bridge the race gap in America? What are the consequences of NOT looking at the cultural dimension of America's social problems?

1. Two 10 page papers, the subject of which must come from one of the questions in:
   Category A or B.

 

2. Successfully complete a mid-term and final exam.

 

3. Maintain a regular presence in the class room and complete short written assignments.

    

CATEGORY A:

1. Show how the scientific attitudes towards either Mental Illness or Crime evolved in the USA during the late 19th to early 20th Century, culminating in a eugenic approach.

    

2. Trace the evolution of the scientific attitudes towards racial differences or sexual roles in th USA from 1865-1918.

    

3. Explain how the crisis of cultural identity in the USA in the early 20th Century (1890-1930) influenced the Eugenics movement.

    

4. Compare the roles of Franz Boas and Earnest Albert Hooten (or Ales Hrdlicka) in the public debate over Eugenics in that period.

    

5. Explain how advances in Mendelian and the Population Genetics between 1900-1930 influenced the debate over Eugenics in that period.

    

6. Defend or Counter the following supposition:
   The Eugenics Movement in America essentially died out in the 1930's.

    

7. Explore the relationship between the US and German eugenics movements of the early 20th Century. Where did their interests coincide? Where did they diverge?

    

CATEGORY B:

1. Evaluate both the potential and the risks of the Genome Project.

    

2. Evaluate the role of Anthropology in the effort to counter racial discrimination in the post WWII era.

    

3. How have the genetic technologies developed since the end of WWII altered the eugenic debate in the nation.

    

4. Examine the post WWII biological historey of one of the following groups:
   Native Americans, Blacks, Hispanics.

   To what degree are the eugenic policies applied to these groups during this period?

    

5. Defend of Counter the following supposition:
   The Bell Curve by Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein, published in 1994, represents on a major scale the re-emergence of eugenic thinking within the fabric of American Culture.

    

6. Take any recognized genetic condition (Tays Sachs Disease, Sickle Cell Anemia, Downs' Syndrome); explain the evolution of the scientific community's attitude towards the condition; evaluate the most up to date treatment possibilities.