Last Updated: Wed, 04/01/2026
Syllabus
General Class Information
Academic year:
2026
Semester:
Fall
Course prefix:
HTS
Course number:
3088
Section:
A
CRN
92374
Department (you may add up to three):
Instructor first name:
Andrew
Instructor last name:
Buskell
Class Details
Course description:

This course looks at how changing technologies, scientific theories, and medical practices have shaped, and been shaped by, our understandings of race. It focuses on the intellectual history of scientific work on heredity, eugenics, genetics, and genomic science. The geographical center of the course is the United States, but case studies and vignettes will explore how scientific, medical, and racial concepts function both internationally and globally. Beginning in the late nineteenth century with early views on human evolution and human "improvement", the course ends with an extended examination of commercial DNA tests and how they have been taken up and used by different groups within the United States.

Academic honesty/integrity statement:

Academic Integrity:

Honesty and transparency are important features of good scholarship. On the flip side, plagiarism and cheating are serious academic offenses with serious consequences. If you are discovered engaging in either behavior in this course, you will earn a failing grade on the assignment in question, and further disciplinary action may be taken. 

Your work should be new material crafted and written by you for each assignment. You may talk with others about your ideas—you may even use the ideas discussed in class seminars—but these ideas must be made your own. That means working by yourself to develop your own ideas, providing your own reasons, and explaining things in your own words. 

You are required to cite all sources you use in your submitted coursework. This includes both direct quotations and cases where you use ideas published elsewhere. “Sources” thus include papers, journals, conversations, anything found on the internet, and so on. Basically, if the thought did not originate within the assignment you are producing, you should provide an in-text citation and a reference list. For the GATech's description of what counts as plagiarism, cheating, and/or the use of unauthorized sources, please see the Academic Honor Code.

Note that, while not explicitly mentioned within the Academic Honor Code, self-plagiarism — where you substantially copy or duplicate your own previous work — counts as plagiarism in my classes and is taken to be a violation of the Academic Honor Code.

If you have questions about the integration of GATech's honor code into this course, please do not hesitate to ask: my aim is to foster an environment where you can learn and grow, while ensuring that the work we all do is honest and fair.

Student-Faculty Expectations:

I believe that mutual respect is at the heart of the student-teacher relationship. In general, this is characterized by respectful language, punctuality and care for others’ time, clear and an openness to dialogue and debate. I am committed to such mutual respect and encourage everyone in the class to work towards the best possible learning environment so that all can meet their highest ambitions. Please explore Tech’s policies this for more information. 

I encourage and appreciate suggestions for ways that the classroom can better support learning, inclusion, and the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups.

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Social Sciences area.

Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals.

This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:

  • How do I understand human experiences and connections?

Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcomes:

  • Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social or geographic relationships develop, persist or change.

Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:

  • Intercultural Competence
  • Perspective-Taking
  • Persuasion
Administrative Data
Course status
Active