Course Resources Archive

The module offers an exploration and a critique, of historical and contemporary applications of biological sciences, to describe (and often prescribe) human social behaviour, identity and organisation.  It is particularly concerned with the construction of race, gender and other ‘biological’ categories, lending a scientific rationale to the allocation of limited and inferior political, social and economic rights.  The present status and influence of sociobiological, eugenic and Social Darwinist analyses are also considered.

The nature/nurture debate in the human sciences and its relevance to social organisation

Biological determinism and the construction of eg sex, gender, ‘race’, IQ, sexuality and deviance

The persistence of genetic determinism as an historical and present day account of human behaviour and its political implications

Eugenics and social policy - past, present and future

The social implications of mapping the human genome

A student passing this module should be able to:

1. Demonstrate awareness of biological claims and analogies used to rationalise particular socio-political projects and forms of social organisation
2. Show understanding of the persistence of biological determinist claims and of their implications for social organisation
3. Analyse  the normativity of scientific and pseudo-scientific discourses which construct categories of 'normality' and 'difference'
4. Demonstrate skills in constructing sound and logical arguments in oral presentation and writing

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.