SS.490.07 On the History of Science & the Origins of Race more

SS 490.07 North Hall 112 Pratt Institute Spring 2008 Thursday 9:30- 12:20 _____________________________________________________________________ B. Ricardo Brown Associate Professor of Cultural Studies Office: Dekalb 419 Office Hours: TBA. Phone: 1.718.636.3600 Email: BRBrownIII@earthlink.net URLs: http://www.geocities.com/brbgc _____________________________________________________________________ Course Description We often try to understand race as it confronts us today, either as a source of diversity and multiculturalism or as a social problem. This is not surprising given the fact that racism is a historical production and so today we still exist amidst its' vast accumulation. But racism presupposes the existence of Race, of something so essential to us that it is visibly manifested by our bodies, and these manifestations fall into a limited number of scientifically defined types. Race began as a scientific concept within the discourse of Natural History, but with far reaching connections to nationalism, sexuality, industrialism, and authoritarianism. To place our contemporary discussion of human variety into a historical context, this class will investigate the history of scientific discourses on race from Blumenbach’s classification of humanity into the five familiar races, to Gobineau’s Essay of the Inequality of Human Races, the Social “Darwinists”, and Dugdale’s classic study of degeneration The Jukes. Along the way, we will examine the debate on the origin of species, whether races represent different species of humans (the monogenesis/polygenesis dispute in Antebellum America), phrenology, intelligence testing, criminal anthropology, the culture of poverty, and degeneration. Throughout the semester, you will be prompted to apply what we are learning to the discussion of contemporary ideas and conflicts regarding race and racism. At the same time, these readings should encourage you to rethink your basic assumptions about authority and domination, and the relations of the production of scientific knowledge both in the past, and in our own time. _____________________________________________________________________ Course Requirements The requirements of the course are different for undergraduates and graduate students, see section of essay requirements below. Presentations and Commentaries Students are expected to give at least one presentation during the semester on the readings for the class. The presenter will prepare a two page typed commentary (approximately 650 – 700 words), which will be read or summarized in class. Copies will be distributed at the beginning of Science and the Origins of Race class (those presenting must see me immediately before class so that copies can be prepared or bring your own copies to class. Those not presenting should prepare a commentary on the readingss for the week (three pages or approximately 1000 words). At the end of the semester, each student should have a collection of 15-30 pages) and 1 three page presentation. The commentaries will be collected 3 times during the semester. Or to put it another way: If you are presenting a commentary: Prepare three typed pages to be read or summarized to the class (approximately1000 words). Meet me in my office immediately before class in order to make copies for the class. If you are not presenting a commentary: Prepare a 1-2 page (approximately 700 words) commentary on the reading and the in class commentary on the reading. The presentations and commentaries will account for 40 percent. Short Essay (Requirements for Undergraduates) A short essay (5-10 pages) will be due at the end of the course. The essay question will be distributed at the final class. Short Essay (Requirements for Graduate Students) NA Class Participation Education is not a one way street and we can not expect to simply passively receive knowledge unless we expect to live a passive life. Participation is mandatory and will be factored into the final grade. Absences and Lateness Persistent absences or lateness will result in a reduction of your final grade. Incompletes Incompletes will be granted only in accordance with the established policy of the college. The request must be made in advance of the last week of class. It must be made in writing. An incomplete is “available only if the student has been in regular attendance, has satisfied all but the final requirements of the course, and has furnished satisfactory proof that the work was not completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond control” (Pratt Institute Bulletin). If you do not turn in your paper on time, and you do not have an approved incomplete, you will fail the course. If you do not complete your work be the beginning of the next semester, I will not issue a change of grade except under the most extraordinary circumstances. _____________________________________________________________________ Readings The readings for the class will be drawn from a wide variety of sources. The primary texts that you will want to purchase for this course are: Gossett, Thomas. 1963. Race: the History of an Idea in America. Oxford University Press, 2 edition (July 21, 1997) ISBN: 0195097785 Gould, Stephen Jay. 1996. The Mismeasure of Man. 2nd. Revised Edition. New York, W.W. Norton. ISBN: 0393314251 Appleman, Philip, ed. 1979. Darwin: A Norton Critical Edition. New York: W.W. Norton, 3rd edition. ISBN: 0393958493 It is suggested that you also purchase: Mosse, George L. 1985. Toward the Final Solution: A History of European Racism. New York: Howard Fertig. ISBN: 0865274282 Suggested sources for purchasing the readings: Labyrinths Books http://www.labyrinthbooks.com The Advanced Book Exchange www.abebooks.com Barnes and Nobles www.bn.com Amazon http://www.amazon.com St. Marks Bookstop http://www.stmarksbookshop.com The Strand second-hand store on 12th street www.strandbooks.com _____________________________________________________________________ Outline of the Course of Study Week I. Introduction to the Course Week II. Race before Enlightenment: Natural History and the Classification of Nature Thomas Gossett, 1963. “Early Race Theories” from Race: the History of an Idea in America, pgs.317. Week III. The Question Concerning the Origin of Species and the “Regular Gradation in Man” Gavin De Beer. “Biology before Darwin” in Appleman, pgs. 3-10. Charles Darwin. “An Historical Sketch of the Progress of Opinion on The Origin of Species, Previously to the Publication of This Work” in Appleman, pgs. 19-27. Stephen J. Gould.”Age-old fallacies of thinking and stinking,” from The Mismeasure of Man, pgs.391-399. Stephen J. Gould. “Racial geometry,” and “The moral state of Tahiti – and of Darwin,” from The Mismeasure of Man, pgs. 401-412 Week IV. The Question Concerning the Origin of Species: The American School Monogenesis vs. Polygenesis Stephen J. Gould. American Polygeny and Craniometry before Darwin, from The Mismeasure of Man, pgs. 62-104. Thomas Gossett. 1963, “Nineteenth Century Anthropology” from Race: the History of an Idea in America Week V. The Origin Of Species and The Descent of Man Charles Darwin. “Recapitulation and Conclusions” from The Origin of Species, and The Dissent of Man in Appleman, pgs. 43-88, 108-131, 187-210. Cory Irene kim Week VI. The Sciences of Life and Man Thomas Gossett. “Race and Social Darwinism” from Race: the History of an Idea in America, pgs. 144-175. Inherit the Wind Week VII. Degeneracy Max Nordau. 1892. Degeneration, pgs. 1-40. Degenerate Art (Documentary Film in class) Week VIII. Criminal Anthropology Stephen J. Gould. “Measuring Bodies: Two Case Studies on the Apishness of Undesirables” from The Mismeasure of Man, pgs. 141-175. Amanda Schmidt Week IX. Thomas Gossett. “Teutonic Origins Theory,” and “Study of Language and Literature,” from Race, the History of an Idea, pgs. 84-143. Ali Week X. The Anthropologist (Documentary Film in class) Week XI. The First Americans? (Documentary Film in class) Week XII. The Germ-Plasm and Racial Destiny George Canguilhem. 1988 [1977]. “On the History of the Life Sciences Since Darwin,” from Ideology and Rationality in the History of the Life Sciences, pgs. 103-124. Week XIII. Eugenics Daniel J. Kevles. 1995, In the Name of Eugenics: Genetics and the Uses of Human Heredity, pgs. 3-20, 70-112, 129-148 Week XIV. The Floating Signifier Stuart Hall. Race, the Floating Signifier. Video Lecture Week XV. Copies of Commentaries Due (you will need to keep a copy for use in answering the essay question). Essay Question Distributed SYLLABUS ATTACHMENT ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Pratt Institute considers Academic Integrity highly important. Instances of cheating, plagiarism, and wrongful use of intellectual property will not be tolerated. • Faculty members will report each incident to the registrar for inclusion in students’ files. ·More than one report to the registrar during a student’s program of study at Pratt will result in a hearing before the Academic Integrity Board, at which time appropriate sanctions will be decided. These may include dismissal from the Institute. ·The nature and severity of the infraction will be determined by faculty members who can: ask students to repeat an assignment, fail students on the assignment, fail students in the course and/or refer the incident to the Academic Integrity Board. For more details about these procedures please see the Pratt Student Handbook, the Pratt Bulletins, and the pamphlet entitled Judicial Procedures at Pratt. CHEATING If students use dishonest methods to fulfill course requirements, they are cheating. Examples of this include, but are not limited to: • Obtaining or offering copies of exams or information about the content of exams in advance. • Bringing notes in any form to a closed book exam. • Looking at another student’s paper during an exam. • Receiving or communicating any information from or to another student during an exam. PLAGIARISM Plagiarism is a bit more complicated, but the rules of documentation and citation are very specific and are tailored to different academic disciplines. Types of plagiarism include: • Including any material from any source other than you in a paper or project without proper attribution. This includes material from the Internet, books, papers, or projects by other students, and from any other source. • Using your own work to fulfill requirements for more than one course • The extensive use of the ideas of others in your work without proper attribution. • Turning in work done by another person or a fellow student as one’s own. Please remember that all work must be the student’s own. If it is not, the source should be cited and documented appropriately. If there are aspects of this statement that are not understood, ask faculty members for help.