3.0

credits

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What is life? How do scientists shape and define this crucial concept, and for what uses? This course uses historical and anthropological accounts of the biological sciences to ask how the study of life is changing interactions with the world around and within us. In it, we will examine studies of synthetic biology, genetic engineering, genomics, biotechnology, biodiversity conservation, bioprospecting, medical biology, and artificial life. Guiding themes explore fundamental questions about biopower, biocapital, planetary change, bodies, and the nature of “life.” The course takes a global approach to the study of biology, including studies of bioscience and technology from the global South.