The Science of Race and Racism
The aim of this VIP is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of how scientific theory has been used to support the concept of race and justify racism, and how legitimate contemporary genetic analyses undermine racial arguments.
Students will be taught about the genetics of human diversity, including those phenotypes (e.g., skin colour, facial features) commonly deployed to categorize individuals into racialized groups, drawing attention to their arbitrariness and unrepresentativeness relative to the wider human genome.
Through a mix of lectures and class discussion, students will learn about the history of scientific racism, from its emergence in the Enlightenment and during European colonialism up to the present. We will also consider the topics of (a) race and health, (b) race and sporting performance, (c) race and intelligence, and (d) ancestry testing.
Having covered these basics, the focus will turn to what informed academics and students can do to promote public understanding of these issues. Students will work together in small teams with the goal to produce high-quality educational resources (e.g. blogs, articles, websites, podcasts, animations) that effectively communicate antiracist messages, while conveying the relevant science accurately. Current projects include: (i) videos and Instagram posts on race and sporting myths, (ii) posters and leaflets on race and health, (iii) antiracist teaching materials for primary and secondary schools, and (iv) a virtual uncomfortable (decolonized) natural history tour of the Bell Pettigrew Museum.
The VIP comprises a mix of lectures, group discussion, student presentations and collaborative teamwork. The project is led by and supported by supervisors and Ife Okafor-Yarwood.