HISTORY 412 - The Junior Seminar:Histories of Biological Life in the Liberal Era

Institution:

Reed College

Subject:

Description:

Full course for one semester. The aim of this research seminar is to use the conceptual tools developed by a series of seminal intellectuals to investigate cultural, social, and scientific practices pertaining to biological life, primarily in the 20th century. These might include arguments about biotechnology, the extension of legal personhood to natural objects, patent claims over living species, the regulation andproduction of seeds, the development of organic agriculture, the incorporation of natural objects into our systems of political representation, bioethics, bioart, bioprospecting, and biopolitics (the administration of human populations as if they were living organisms). Notwithstanding their diversity, these phenomena all played out against the backdrop of liberal systems of jurisprudence, politics, property rights, and ethics. Hence, the normative claims and institutional structures associated with modern liberalism, rather than specific geographic locales, will serve as proximate historical contexts for our investigations. Prerequisite: this course is designed for junior history majors, and is limited to those who have completed two courses in history at Reed. Conference.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.reed.edu

Phone Number:

(503) 771-1112

Regional Accreditation:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Calendar System:

Semester

The Course Profile information is provided and updated by third parties including the respective institutions. While the institutions are able to update their information at any time, the information is not independently validated, and no party associated with this website can accept responsibility for its accuracy.