In 1818, Mary Shelley demonstrated the issue of ethics in science with her text Frankenstein. A monster, created entirely by the hands of a scientist, develops his own emotions and life and yet he is held back by the grasps of his development. A metaphor for the overwhelming ethical dilemmas being proposed by the developing scientific technology, inventions, and observations, Shelley’s Frankenstein launched a much needed conversation about how and when ethics should be imposed on scientific communities. This course will explore the question: at what point does ethics become a barrier to scientific research, and how can ethics be applied to science without potentially limiting new discoveries?

This class will unearth the stories of human history through the lens of biology. We will cover some background on early humans and hominids, the use of mitochondrial, Y-chromosomal, and ancient DNA in understanding early history, and discuss some current discoveries in this field.

In 1818, Mary Shelley demonstrated the issue of ethics in science with her text Frankenstein. A monster, created entirely by the hands of a scientist, develops his own emotions and life and yet he is held back by the grasps of his development. A metaphor for the overwhelming ethical dilemmas being proposed by the developing scientific technology, inventions, and observations, Shelley’s Frankenstein launched a much needed conversation about how and when ethics should be imposed on scientific communities. This course will explore the question: at what point does ethics become a barrier to scientific research, and how can ethics be applied to science without potentially limiting new discoveries?

In 1818, Mary Shelley demonstrated the issue of ethics in science with her text Frankenstein. A monster, created entirely by the hands of a scientist, develops his own emotions and life and yet he is held back by the grasps of his development. A metaphor for the overwhelming ethical dilemmas being proposed by the developing scientific technology, inventions, and observations, Shelley’s Frankenstein launched a much needed conversation about how and when ethics should be imposed on scientific communities. This course will explore the question: at what point does ethics become a barrier to scientific research, and how can ethics be applied to science without potentially limiting new discoveries?