UCLA  Center  for  Society  and  Genetics
Course  Number:  SocGen  163
Spring  Quarter  2012
Mondays  2-­‐4:50pm
Location:  SPA  1284
Aaron  Panofsky
Assistant  Professor
Public  Policy  and  Center  for  Society  and  Genetics
Office:    1317  Rolfe  Hall
Phone:  310-­‐206-­‐9362
Email:  apanofsky@socgen.ucla.edu
Office  hours:  Tuesdays,  3-­‐5  pm  1317  Rolfe  Hall
The  old  “ivory  tower”  image  of  scientific  research—where  researchers  and  “lay  people”  rarely   meet  and  science  is  separated  from  its  “social  implications”—is  a  myth  that,  if  it  ever  seemed  true,   certainly  doesn’t  fit  the  world  today.  Headlines  every  day  reveal  intense  interactions  where  non-­‐ scientists  are  challenging  scientists’  authority  to  direct  research,  develop  technologies,  and  make
knowledge  claims  about  the  world.
This  class  focuses  on  the  ways  that  different  kinds  of  social  movements  have  engaged  science  and   technology.  It  focuses  on  examples  from  environmentalism  and  medical  research  to  find  examples   of  “popular  science”  where  scientists  and  non-­‐scientists  interact  in  surprising  ways:  1)  when  non-­‐ scientists  challenge  scientists’  authority  and  knowledge,  2)  where  scientists  act  like  a  social   movement,  and  3)  where  scientists  and  regular  people  work  together,  sometimes  cooperatively   and  sometimes  competitively,  to  generate  knowledge.
We’ll  be  concerned  especially  with  two  overarching  questions:  First,  to  what  extent  does  the   popular  engagement  represent  a  democratization  of  knowledge  and  making  science  more   democratically  accountable?  Second,  does  popular  science  represent  a  threat  to  the  integrity  of   science,  either  by  promoting  popular  falsehoods  or  perhaps  opening  a  door  to  science  being  taken   over  by  business,  politics,  or  other  parties  whose  main  interests  may  not  be  true  knowledge?
We  will  also  engage  a  series  of  more  specific  questions  including:  How  have  activists  tried  to   change  scientific  knowledge  production?  What  are  the  consequences  of  scientists  taking  on   activist  roles?  How  have  activists  sought  to  engage  science  to  get  their  disease  identities  and  their
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views  of  the  environment  legitimated?  How  have  activists  used  technology  to  engage  science?
What  are  the  conditions  that  lead  scientists  and  non-­‐scientists  to  cooperation  and  conflict?  When   does  activism  produce  non-­‐knowledge,  uncertainty,  and  scientific  doubt?
The  following  required  books  have  been  ordered  at  Ackerman  Bookstore.
Alondra  Nelson.  2011.   Body  and  Soul .  University  of  Minnesota  Press.
Naomi  Oreskes  and  Eric  Conway.  2011.   Merchants  of  Doubt .  MacMillan
Sylvia  Noble  Tesh.  2000.   Uncertain  Hazards .  Cornell  U.  Press.
Many  of  the  readings  for  this  class  will  be  book  chapters  or  articles,  they  will  be  available  on  the   course  website.
The  following  factors  will  determine  your  grade:
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Participation:  20%
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Presentation:  20%
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Research  project:  60%  (broken  down  into)   o Essay  on  sources,  and  participation  in  peer  review:  20%   o Final  paper:  40%
All  assignments  must  be  completed  on  the  date  specified  in  the  syllabus.  These  dates  are  intended   to  give  you  plenty  of  notice  so  you  can  plan  your  work-­‐schedule  in  advance.  Therefore  a  work   required  from  another  class  or  a  last  minute  illness  are  not  a  valid  excuse  for  failing  to  turn  in  an   assignment.  Late  assignments  will  not  be  accepted  without  an  official  excuse.
This  course  is  a  limited  enrollment  seminar—an  opportunity  for  undergraduates  to  learn  in  a   collaborative  environment  where  everyone’s  contributions  are  necessary  and  their  ideas  are   taken  seriously.  The  success  of  the  seminar  is  dependent  on  the  active  participation  of  all  class   members.  This  means  that,  in  addition  to  completing  assignments  on  time,  students  must  1)   attend  all  classes  on  time,  2)  do  all  required  readings,  3)  participate  in  class  discussions.  Your   participation  grade  will  be  determined  based  on  your  meeting  these  requirements  satisfactorily.
If  it  becomes  clear  from  the  quality  of  class  discussion  that  students  are  neglecting  the  required   reading,  then  I  reserve  the  right  to  add  surprise  quizzes.
Each  week  students  will  give  presentations  on  the  week’s  readings  and  guide  a  substantial  portion   of  the  discussion.  Presenters  will  guide  us  through  the  reading,  and  they  will  assist  us  in  analyzing,   interpreting,  and  framing  questions  about  the  texts.  Teams  of  two  to  three  students  will  work   together  to  compose  an  integrated  presentation.  Teams  should  plan  to  meet  with  me  briefly  prior   to  the  week  they’re  presenting  to  discuss  their  ideas  for  the  presentation.
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The  bulk  of  your  grade  will  be  determined  through  your  completion  of  a  research  project  of  your   own  devising  on  a  topic  relevant  to  the  class.  Because  a  10  week  quarter  goes  by  so  fast,  it  is   important  that  you  get  started  right  away.  I  urge  you  to  get  to  work  on  your  project  as  soon  as   possible—even  if  you  don’t  have  an  approved  project  proposal,  you  can  be  doing  background   reading  and  research.
Project  proposal  and  revised  proposal :  Your  initial  project  proposal  is  due  in  the   3 rd  week  of  class.  I   will  give  you  comments,  and  you  will  turn  in  a  revised  proposal  on  the   5 th  week .  The  proposal   should  explain  the  topic  you’re  interested  in,  the  question  you  intend  to  answer,  and  the  materials   you’ll  use  to  answer  the  question.  In  other  words  you  need  to  explain  what  you  want  to  do  and   how  you  propose  to  do  it.  We  will  discuss  possible  research  topics  on  the  first  day  of  class,  but   remember  that  narrower  is  better.  Even  if  you’re  interested  in  the  “big  questions,”  you  can  get  at   these  best  by  examining  a  very  specific  question  or  case.
Essay  on  sources :  On  the   7 th  week ,  you  will  hand  in  a  brief  essay  (4-­‐6pp)  on  the  main  sources   you’re  using  in  your  project.  You  should  explain  what  these  are  and  how  they  will  help  you   address  your  research  question  (make  sure  also  to  consider  their  “reliability”  as  sources  of   information).  There  are  no  rules  about  how  many  or  what  kinds  of  sources  are  adequate—these   will  be  given  by  your  topic  and  question.  But  I  encourage  you  to  be  adventurous.  Consider  films   and  memoirs,  interviews  or  ethnographic  observations,  as  well  as  more  traditional  sources  like   periodicals  and  scholarly  texts.
There  will  also  be  a  peer  commentary  component  to  these  assignment  where  you  have  the   opportunity  see  and  comment  on  what  your  colleagues’  work  in  progress.
Final  paper :  The  paper  will  be  due  on   June  11 th  at  5pm ,  and  no  late  papers  will  be  accepted.
Papers  should  be  turned  in  electronically  using  the  Turnitin.com  online  system  (accessible  from   your  my.ucla.edu  page)  and  dropped  off  in  hard  copy  at  1317  Rolfe  Hall.  The  final  paper  should   represent  a  serious  engagement  with  the  topic  chosen  and  should  be  about  15  pages  long.  It   should  have  formal  citation  of  sources  and  should  be  carefully  written  and  edited.
I  encourage  students  to  work  with  the  Undergraduate  Student  Writing  Center  on  their  papers.
They  can  help  during  In-­‐Person  Appointments,  Drop-­‐in  Appointments,  and  via  the  Online  Writing
Center.  Sessions  can  focus  on  how  to  approach  the  paper,  on  formulating  a  thesis,  on  fleshing  out  a   plan/outline  for  a  draft,  on  reading  a  draft  with  the  writer  to  check  for  clarity  and  flow,  on   incorporating  and  citing  sources,  on  revising  based  on  instructor  feedback,  or  on  tackling   grammar  or  sentence  structure  problems.
Improving  your  writing  is  one  of  the  basic  skills  that  you  can  get  out  of  a  college  education  that   will  help  you  in   any  profession.  The  kind  of  help  the  writing  center  offers  won’t  be  easy  to  come  by   when  you  leave  UCLA.  Don’t  waste  the  opportunity  to  get  better!   http://www.wp.ucla.edu/
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I  take  matters  of  academic  integrity  with  the  utmost  seriousness.  All  suspected  cases  of  plagiarism   or  cheating  will  be  forwarded  to  the  Dean  of  Students.  Remember  that  the  plagiarism  standard  is   commission  not  intention.  If  you  do  not  know  how  to  cite  sources  properly,  please  ask  for  my   guidance.  For  other  information  about  UCLA’s  academic  integrity  policies,  including  information   and  resources  to  help  you  avoid  unintended  academic  dishonesty,  see:   http://www.deanofstudents.ucla.edu/integrity.html
Week  1,    April  2—Introduction
No  readings
Week  2,  April  9—Science  and  the  people:  Laying  the  groundwork
Jamison,  “Social  Movements  and  Science”
Moore,  “Powered  by  the  People”
Corburn,  “Street  Science:  Characterizing  Local  Knowledge”
Fish,  et  al.,  “Birds  of  the  Internet”  (Focus  on  pp.157-­‐173,  skim  the  rest)
Week  3,  April  16—Environmentalism:  Activism  Remaking  Science
Project  proposal  due
Tesh,   Uncertain  Hazards .  Read  entire  book,  skim  Ch.  7.
Week  4,  April  23—Scientists  as  Activists?
Frickel,  “Just  Science?”
Woodhouse  and  Breyman,  “Green  Chemistry  as  Social  Movement?”
Carson,  “The  Science  of  Merit  and  the  Merit  of  Science”
Week  5,  April  30—Conflicts  between  Scientists  and  People
Revised  project  proposal  due
Wynne,  “Misunderstood  Misunderstandings”
Blume,  “Anti-­‐vaccination  movements  and  their  interpretations”
Yearly,  “Green  Ambivalence  about  Science”
Week  6,  May  7—  Cooperation  between  Scientists  and  People
Corburn,  “Risk  Assessment,  Community  Knowledge,  and  Subsistence  Anglers”
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Panofsky,  “Generating  sociability  to  drive  science”
Mykytyn,  “Anti-­‐Aging  Medicine”
Week  7,  May  14—Embodied  activism
Essay  on  sources  due
Rose  and  Novas,  “Biological  Citizenship”
Epstein,  “The  Construction  of  Lay  Expertise”
Dumit,  “Illnesses  You  Have  to  Fight  to  Get”
Week  8,  May  21—  Activism,  Medicine,  and  Racial  Justice:  The  Black  Panther  Party
Nelson,   Body  and  Soul .  Introduction,  Chapters  3,  4,  and  5.  Optional,  conclusion.
Week  9,  May  28— Memorial  Day,  no  class
Use  the  week  off  from  readings  to  work  on  your  projects.
Week  10,  June  4—  Activism  and  Uncertainty:  Science,  Doubt,  Money,  and  Media
Oreskes  and  Conway,   Merchants  of  Doubt .  Selections  TBA
Week  11,  June  11—Final  papers  due
Final  paper  due,  5pm  via  Turnitin.com  and  in  hard  copy  at  1317  Rolfe  Hall
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