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CS92PROD
Reproductive Technologies, Gender and Society
FGSS 250
Fall 2006
Section: 01  
Crosslisting: SOC 251, SISP 250

In this course we will examine the effects of human reproductive technologies for women, families, and society. In the developed and developing world, people are increasingly turning to reproductive and procreative technologies--such as clinical insemination, ova extraction with IVF (in vitro fertilization), a range of prenatal, fetal scanning and surveillance technologies, as well as genetic manipulation procedures--all to create biogenetically related children and families. Some critics argue that the age of human cloning and designer babies has already arrived, and society, for better or worse, simply needs to "catch up." Others think society has been excluded from voicing an opinion of this most fundamental phenomenon, one that affects us all, and which scientists and entrepreneurs have commandeered for prestige and profit. In short, medicalized, technologized reproduction is becoming both a cultural imperative and a realized practice. What this means for our understanding, and therefore practices, regarding the individual (self), sexual difference (gender), family and kinship, and the lifeworld as such, will be the subject of our investigations. The course is organized around three subject areas, beginning with a general section on technology and society. This is followed by a section focusing particularly on feminist and critical theories of reproductive technologies. The last section addresses the specific contemporary (and future) empirical and theoretical consequences of increasingly technologized and commodified human reproduction. The subject matter of this course covers a range of issues that should be of interest to students of sociology, anthropology, women's studies, philosophy, and science and technology.

Essential Capabilities: Writing
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS SOC
Course Format: Lecture/DiscussionGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: None
Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available

Last Updated on MAR-29-2024
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