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= **The Century of the Gene – Spring 2013** =

STSH 2410 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Meeting Times: M, R 2-3:50 Place: DCC 318

Prof. Michael Fortun Sage 5112 X6598 Office Hours: M, R 12-2; or by appointment. fortum@rpi.edu

Teaching assistants: Karin Patzke (patzkk@rpi.edu) and Guy Schaffer (schafe@rpi.edu)

This syllabus is subject to change; the most recent version (with hyperlinks) can always be found at centuryofthegene.wikispaces.com

This course details the scientific and social history of genetics, from Darwin and Mendel to the Human Genome Project. Special focus areas include: plant and animal breeding in the early twentieth century; eugenics movements in the U.S. and elsewhere; bacterial and fruit fly genetics; the development of molecular biology; the invention of recombinant-DNA technologies; the emergence of the biotechnology industry; the sociobiology controversies; genetics and evolutionary theory; and the Human Genome Project and contemporary genomics.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course you will:

• understand the key scientific developments, scientists, institutions, technologies, and social and political events that are a part of the history of genetics in the 20th century (restricted, for the most part, to the U.S. and Europe); • understand a number of different disciplinary approaches to genetics – historical, sociological, anthropological, and literary – their methodologies, and the kinds of knowledge they produce; • understand the complex, partial, plastic, yet real and analyzable relationships between scientific truths, available technologies, productive/misleading metaphors, and the local circumstances of history, culture, and politics.

**Course Requirements and Grading**
Each class session will consist of some combination of lecture, discussion of the assigned readings, and occasionally a video on that week’s topic. Your final grade will be determined as a combination of class attendance; annotations of lectures, readings, and/or films; and three in-class exams. These are described more fully below. There is no final exam. If you are fully present in mind and body, and engage actively with the course materials, you should do well in the class.

You final grade will be based on points accumulated through assignments and exams, based on a straight grading scale, i.e.: A: 94-100; A-:89-93; B+:86-88; B:82-85; B-:79-81; C+:76-78: C:72-75; C-:69-71; D 60-69

Each class session will consist of some combination of lecture, discussion of the assigned readings, and occasionally a video on that week ’ s topic. Your final grade will be determined as a combination of class attendance; annotations of lectures, readings, and/or films; and three in-class exams. These are described more fully below. There is no final exam. If you are fully present in mind and body, and engage actively with the course materials, history shows that you should do well in the class. You final grade will be based on points accumulated through assignments and exams, based on a straight grading scale, i.e.: A: 94-100; A-:89-93; B+:86-88; B:82-85; B-:79-81; C+:76-78: C:72-75; C-:69-71; D 60-69 __ Class attendance and lecture notes (18%): __ You should attend every class, coming to each meeting with the readings for that day completed, and your annotations printed out if you wish to receive credit for those readings (see below). You are also required to attend two films in the STS Film series with genetics-relevant themes; these are on Sunday afternoons, indicated in the syllabus below. You cannot earn an A with more than 2 unexcused absences. To get an excused absence, you must present an official university excuse, or do work comparable to attendance by writing an additional annotation of a reading or film (see next section). Use of laptops, iPads, cell phones, etc. is not permitted during class; IF YOU HAVE AN OPEN LAPTOP OR PHONE DURING CLASS YOU WILL BE CONSIDERED ABSENT. For taking notes during class, use a paper notebook or the lecture annotation sheets that we will distribute in class. You will accumulate points for this portion of your grade by handing in up to 18 sets of lecture notes, which are worth up to 1 point each. This is mostly a mechanism to focus your attention; studies clearly show that the physical act of taking notes on what is said, read, or seen increases memory, and ultimately learning, dramatically. They do not have to be neat or especially detailed, but should include the main points being presented in a way that makes sense to you, and will later help you study for the exams. The guidesheets we will distribute before each class will include sections such as:
 * 1) People: who are the main actors in this event in the history of genetics? Where and when did they work? What did they think and do? What were they famous, or infamous, for?
 * 2) Institutions: what institutions are involved in shaping these events? What priorities or interests did they have?
 * 3) Concepts: what concepts are being used, or invented, to understand biological and social forces? Where do they come from? What shapes them?
 * 4) Practices: what new things are the actors doing to make science happen, and change? What instruments do they use, and how do those instruments affect what can be seen, said, and known?

These guides are only prompts; if they work for you, great, but if you find it more helpful to take notes in another way, that ’ s also great. At the end of each class session you will hand in your notes to one of the teaching assistants (Patzke for last names beginning with A-K, Schaffer for last names beginning with L-Z); they will score and record them and return them to you at the next class meeting.

__Four reading and/or film annotations (32%):__ Over the course of the semester, you will annotate ANY COMBINATION OF ANY FOUR readings or films that are marked with an *A*. You may choose which films you want to annotate among those screened in class, or in the STS Film Series that will be announced later in the semester.

These will be graded on a scale from 1-8 points. Credit received will depend on complete coverage of the annotation questions, use of concrete examples from the reading or film to illustrate points, and good quality writing. Annotations can be in essay form, or can answer each question separately, but must be in complete sentences and/or paragraphs. It should be clear that you have moved beyond notes to some level of synthesis and analysis. Each annotation should be about 1000 words long; please indicate the word count at the top. These should be printed out and handed in to one of the teaching assistants (Patzke for last names beginning with A-K, Schaffer for last names beginning with L-Z).

The questions to be covered are as follows: 1. Title, author/director, and year? 2. What is the central argument or narrative of the reading or film? 3. What does the reading or film say about the development of genetics as a science, or about the social effects of genetics? 4. What parts of the reading or film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why? 5. What parts of the reading film were you not compelled or convinced by, or confused by? 6. Provide at least three quotes, or close paraphrases from a film, that are indicative of its main themes, concepts, or arguments. 7. What new question did this reading or film raise for you? (If you can then suggest how it might be answered, or actually find an answer for it and provide a reference, all the better. But the important thing is to FORMULATE THE QUESTION.)

ANNOTATIONS OF READINGS ARE DUE THE DAY FOR WHICH THAT READING IS ASSIGNED. ANNOTATIONS OF FILMS ARE DUE THE CLASS SESSION IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE SCREENING OF THE FILM (with the exception of the “Darwin” film). LATE ANNOTATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. You must turn in at least ONE by Monday, March 4. At least THREE are due by Monday, April 29. Annotations will be graded earlier as they come in.

Here is a model annotation that will give you a great idea of how to reach the top end of the scale

__ Three in-class exams (50%): __ These exams (about 40 minutes each) will be distributed throughout the semester as indicated in the syllabus. They are a mix of multiple choice questions, short answers, identifications, and brief essay-type responses. If you engage seriously with the course materials, take notes, and are engaged during class sessions, you should do well on the exams. If you have to miss an exam through an excused absence, you will be given a make-up writing assignment rather than a make-up exam.

**Academic Dishonesty Policy**
You should read the Rensselaer Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities so that you understand all the acts that constitute a violation of the Institute’s academic dishonesty policy. Plagiarism is the most frequent violation, sometimes because students are unfamiliar with what constitutes plagiarism. You should read the brief but thorough description found at Indiana University's plagiarism page ([|http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml]).

I have a policy of zero tolerance for plagiarism or any other act of academic dishonesty. If you commit any such act, you will – at minimum – receive an F for that assignment and be subject to RPI’s judicial process. Failure of the entire course is also within my rights as instructor.

**TEXTS**
The following texts should be purchased in the RPI bookstore: Evelyn Fox Keller, // The Century of the Gene // Simon Mawer, // Mendel’s Dwarf // Diane Paul, // Controlling Human Heredity: 1865 to the present //


 * WEEK 1 **

__ Jan 24 Introduction __ VIDEO on Darwin and evolutionary theory (Part 1)


 * WEEK 2 **

__ Jan 28 Humans and Animals, God and Nature __ VIDEO on Darwin and evolutionary theory (Part 2) * ** A ** *

READ:


 * Paul, Controlling Human Heredity, Chap. 2, “Evolutionary Anxieties,” pp. 22-39.

__ Jan 31 __ __ When Cousins Kiss: Darwin, Galton, and “Regression to the Mean” __

READ:
 * Simon Mawer, Mendel’s Dwarf, pp. 1-39
 * David J. Galton and Clare J. Dalton, "Francis Galton: and eugenics today," Journal of Medical Ethics 24(1998):99-105 @http://jme.bmj.com/content/24/2/99.full.pdf


 * WEEK 3 **

__ Feb 4 __ __ Mendel and //Pisum//: Hybridizing and the Business of Breeding __ VIDEO: On Mendel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NvESo3mG90 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dT7_Iz-h8k (start at 12:00)

READ:
 * Simon Mawer, Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics (selection) [[file:Mendel by Mawer.pdf]] * ** A ** *
 * Diane Paul and Barbara Kimmelman, "Mendel in America: Theory and Practice, 1900-1919", ([]) at MendelWeb * ** A ** *

__ Feb 7 __ __ Morgan and // Drosophila //__//:// __Splitting Embryology and Genetics__

READ:
 * Keller, The Century of the Gene, pp. 1-20.
 * Eric R. Kandel, Thomas Hunt Morgan at Columbia University: []
 * T.H. Morgan, "What Are 'Factors' in Mendelian Explanations?", American Breeders Association Reports 5: 365-368 [] * ** A ** *

Feb 11 __ Genetics and Eugenics in the U.S __.
 * WEEK 4 **

READ:
 * Paul, Controlling Human Heredity, Chaps. 1, 3, and 4, pp. 1-21, 40-71 * ** A ** *

__ Feb 14 __ __ Genetics and Eugenics in the U.S. (cont.) __ VIDEO: //Homo Sapiens 1900// * ** A ** *

READ:
 * Mawer, Mendel’s Dwarf, pp. 40-98. * ** A ** *


 * WEEK 5 **

__ Feb 18 __ __ No Class -- President's Day, meet TUESDAY__ __Feb 19__ __ Genetics and Eugenics in the U.S. (cont.) __ READ:
 * Paul, Controlling Human Heredity, Chaps. 5-6, pp. 72-114 * ** A ** *

__ Feb 21 ____ Abyss: Racial Hygiene in Germany __

Feb 24 Sunday 3 p.m. DCC 318 Study session (optional) with TAs -- bring your questions!! 4 p.m. DCC 318 STS Film Series -- // Bitter Seeds // ** *A ** *
 * WEEK 6 **

__ Feb 25 ____ How Genetics Became Molecular __ READ:
 * The One Gene/One Enzyme Hypothesis []
 * Norman Horowitz, [|"One-Gene-One-Enzyme: Remembering Biochemical Genetics," Protein Science 4(1995):1017-1019.]
 * Keller, The Century of the Gene, pp. 21-87 * ** A ** *

__ Feb 28 ____ How Genetics Became Molecular (cont.) __ EXAM #1


 * WEEK 7 **

__ Mar 4 ____ How Genetics Became Molecular (cont.) __ Paul, Chapter 7, pp. 115-135.

Review the units of four key mid-century experiments: [|Beadle and Tatum's]; [|Joshua Lederberg's]; [|Oswald Avery, McCarty, Mcleod's]; and [|Hershey and Chase's] (second part of Lederberg animation).

__ Mar 7 __ __ The "Race" to The Double Helix __ VIDEO: Life Story/The Double Helix ***A***

READ:


 * SPRING BREAK **


 * WEEK 8 **

__ Mar 18 ____ Honest Jim!? __ READ:
 * From The Double Helix: Max Perutz, M.H.F. Wilkins, and James D. Watson, “Three Letters to the Editor of Science” [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/pdf.png width="32" height="32" link="file:centuryofthegene2010/The_Double_Helix_pg207-212.pdf"]] [[file:centuryofthegene2010/The_Double_Helix_pg207-212.pdf|The_Double_Helix_pg207-212.pdf]]; and Andre Lwoff, “Truth, Truth, What is Truth (About How the Structure of DNA Was Discovered)?” [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/pdf.png width="32" height="32" link="file:centuryofthegene2010/The_Double_Helix_pg224-234.pdf"]] [[file:centuryofthegene2010/The_Double_Helix_pg224-234.pdf|The_Double_Helix_pg224-234.pdf]] * ** A ** *

__ Mar 21 Broken Codes and Spotted Dogmas __ READ:
 * Wikipedia entry on Barbara McClintock: []
 * Biographical narrative at The Barbara McClintock Papers: [](follow the links!) * ** A ** *
 * Brian Hayes, The Invention of the Genetic Code, American Scientist (Jan.-Feb. 1998) []
 * NIH web exhibit on Marshall Nirenberg, [] * ** A ** *
 * Essay marking the [|50th anniversary of the Jacob-Monod operon model]
 * RE-READ: Keller, The Century of the Gene, pp. 21-87 * ** A ** *

[March 22 is last day to drop a course.]


 * WEEK 9 **

__ Mar 25 __ __ A Different Kind of Race __ READ:
 * Interview with Steven J. Gould []
 * Interview with Evelynn Hammonds []
 * Jonathan Marks, [|"Folk Heredity,"] pp. 95-112 in //Race and Intelligence: Separating Science from Myth//, ed. Jefferson M. Fish (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Ehrlbaum Associates). * ** A ** *
 * Mawer, Mendel’s Dwarf, pp. 99-135

__ Mar 28 ____ A Different Kind of Race (cont.) __ __ (RDA Meetings) __ READ:
 * Mawer, Mendel’s Dwarf, pp. 136-168

__ Apr 1 Sociobiology __
 * WEEK 10 **

READ:
 * Wikipedia entry on Sociobiology []
 * Wikipedia entry for Stephen J. Gould []
 * Wikipedia entry for Richard Lewontin []

__ Apr 4 Sociobiology (cont.) __

READ:
 * C. George Boeree, Sociobiology [|http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/sociobiology.html]
 * E.O. Wilson, Science and ideology, Academic Questions 8 (1995) [] * ** A ** *
 * Val Dusek, SOCIOBIOLOGY SANITIZED: THE EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY AND GENIC SELECTIONISM DEBATES [] * ** A ** *


 * WEEK 11 **

__ Apr 8 Engineering Genetic Engineering __ READ:
 * Mawer, Mendel’s Dwarf, pp. 169-208
 * Marcia Barinaga, "Asilomar revisited," Science 287:1584-1585. []
 * Paul Berg, "Asilomar and Recombinant DNA" [] * ** A ** *

__ Apr 11 Jumpstarting the Biotech Industry __ EXAM #2 __ READ: __ Sheldon Krimsky, "From Asilomar to Industrial Biotechnlogy: Risks, Reductionism, and Regulation," Science as Culture 14:4 (December 2005), 309-323  * ** A ** *

READ:
 * Sally Smith Hughes, “Making Dollars Out of DNA,” Isis 92 (2001): 541-575 [] * ** A ** *
 * [[file:dollars out of DNA.pdf]]

__ Apr 14 (Sunday, 4 p.m.) __ STS Film Series -- //A Fierce Green Fire// ***A*** __ Apr 15 The Human Genome Project __
 * WEEK 12 **

READ:
 * Leslie Roberts, "Controversial from the Start," Science 291 (5507): 1182a []
 * Robert M. Cook-Deegan, Origins of the Human Genome Project, Risk 5 (1994). [|http://law.unh.edu/risk/vol5/spring/cookdeeg.htm] * ** A ** *

__ Apr 18 The Human Genome Project (cont.) __ Video [|"Cracking the Code"](2001) * ** A ** * http://video.pbs.org/video/1841308959/

READ: Mendel's Dwarf, 209-309


 * WEEK 13 ( **EARTH WEEK)

__ Apr 22 Contemporary Genetics: More or Less “Simple” Conditions __

READ:
 * Rayna Rapp, “Refusing Prenatal Diagnosis: The Meanings of Bioscience in a Multicultural World,” Science, Technology and Human Values 23:1 (Winter 1998): 45-70[|http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0162-2439%28199824%2923%3A1%3C45%3ARPDTMO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-] * ** A ** *
 * Cystic Fibrosis: What is it? []
 * Sickle Cell Anemia: What is it? []
 * Huntington Disease : What is it? []

__ Apr 25 Contemporary Genetics: Less or More “Complex” Conditions __ READ:
 * BEHAVIORAL GENETICS: An introduction to how genes and environments interact through development to shape differences in mood, personality, and intelligence[](Introduction, and Chapters 1-3 and 5-7) * ** A ** *
 * Marks, J. (2005) [|Anthropology and //The Bell Curve//.] In: W//hy America's Top Pundits are Wrong: Anthropologists Talk Back//, edited by C. Besteman and Hugh Gusterson (University of California Press, pp. 206-227) . [] * ** A ** *


 * WEEK 14 **
 * SUNDAY, APRIL 28 Review Session for Exam 3, DCC 318, 4 p.m. **

__ April 29 Mendel’s Dwarf __ READ:
 * Mawer, Mendel’s Dwarf, pp. 240-end * ** A ** *
 * Karen-Sue Taussig et al., "Flexible Eugenics" [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/pdf.png width="32" height="32" link="file:centuryofthegene2010/Flexible Eugenics.pdf"]] [[file:centuryofthegene2010/Flexible Eugenics.pdf|Flexible Eugenics.pdf]][[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/pdf.png width="32" height="32" link="file:centuryofthegene2010/Flexible Eugenics 2.pdf"]] [[file:centuryofthegene2010/Flexible Eugenics 2.pdf|Flexible Eugenics 2.pdf]][[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/pdf.png width="32" height="32" link="file:centuryofthegene2010/Flexible Eugenics3.pdf"]] [[file:centuryofthegene2010/Flexible Eugenics3.pdf|Flexible Eugenics3.pdf]][[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/pdf.png width="32" height="32" link="file:centuryofthegene2010/Flexible Eugenics4.pdf"]] [[file:centuryofthegene2010/Flexible Eugenics4.pdf|Flexible Eugenics4.pdf]] * ** A ** *

__ May 2 Genetic Revisions __ READ: >  * ** A ** * WEEK 15 May 6
 * EXAM #3 **
 * Keller, The Century of the Gene, pp. 87-148
 * Elly Hart, 'Why 23andme genetic testing is a waste of time and money," Gizmodo, April 7, 2011; []
 * Mike Fortun, "Genes in Our kNot," Handbook of Genomics and Society