Genetics, Pandemics, and Society in Edinburgh

The curriculum includes the following two classes:

History of Public Health

Ever since classical antiquity, people have sought to understand why epidemics happen. How does disease travel? What might explain why one person or group of people become sick and others do not? Does the state have a duty to protect the health of the public, even if that interferes with the rights of individuals? This history is vast, and students tend to learn about the triumphs and turning points that characterize the experience of Western societies, to the exclusion of other parts of the world. Rather than attempt to cover every possible topic, this class instead pursues a global history of epidemics in order to introduce students to the major shifts, themes and tensions that have animated historical scholarship about public health on a global scale. In particular, it will center the histories of Scotland, Britain and its empire, taking advantage of the rich history of scientific discovery in Edinburgh.

Genetics and Society

For well over a century now, genetics has powerfully shaped how we think about human difference. This class will explore the many ways in which studying our genomes and inheritance patterns has informed public understanding and policy on topics like race and ethnicity, disability, reproduction, rare disease, intelligence, sociality, delinquency, and personal identity in the United States. We will also see how social forces shape genetics research itself and discuss controversies surrounding gene patenting, forensic science, newborn screening, cloning, and genetic testing for disease, risk and ancestry. Throughout, we will adopt a comparative perspective by examining the way ideas about genetics and heritability have moved back and forth between the UK and U.S.

Instructors

Daniel Navon, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the UC San Diego Sociology Department. He teaches classes in the sociology of science and medicine, historical sociology, and qualitative methods. His 2019 book, Mobilizing Mutations: Human Genetics in the Age of Patient Advocacy, explores how genetics is reshaping medical classification, patient care, and personal identity. Before going to Columbia University to pursue a doctorate in sociology, he was a philosophy major at the University of Edinburgh.

Claire Edington, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the UC San Diego History Department where she teaches classes on the history of public health, the history of modern Southeast Asia, and the colonial and postcolonial studies of science and medicine. Her research examines the way medical experts, state institutions, and popular beliefs shaped the lives of marginalized people in Vietnam throughout the 20th century. She earned her doctorate from the Departments of Sociomedical Sciences and History from Columbia University in 2013.

You will earn 8 UC San Diego quarter credits for this program. This translates into ? U.S. semester credit hours.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visit the UC San Diego website for the Genetics, Pandemics, and Society in Edinburgh program.

Contact Tonia Pizer, UC San Diego Global Seminars Coordinator, by email or phone at 858.534.1123 with any questions regarding the program, its content, or requirements.