Race and racism are considered standard subject matter in introductory college courses in the social sciences, but remain relatively absent in biological science courses (Donovan, 2015; Morning, 2011). Given a resurgence of biologically deterministic racial science (e.g., Risch et al., 2002; Shiao et al., 2012) and ongoing racial tensions in the United States, it is imperative that biology professors actively engage students in introductory and upper-level courses. This paper presents a tested approach used in an introductory natural science course (for undergraduate, non-science majors) at a mid-sized regional university. A biocultural focus is advocated for teaching about the fallacies (i.e., biological race concept) and realities of race (i.e., racism) (e.g., see Gravlee, 2009; Thompson, 2006). Further, an emphasis is placed on using a visual approach for relaying these complex and sensitive topics.
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September 2017
Research Article|
September 01 2017
Teaching Race (Bioculturally) Matters: A Visual Approach for College Biology Courses
Amelia R. Hubbard
Amelia R. Hubbard
1AMELIA R. HUBBARD is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Wright State University, 270 Millett Hall, 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Dayton, OH 45435; e-mail: [email protected]
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The American Biology Teacher (2017) 79 (7): 516–524.
Citation
Amelia R. Hubbard; Teaching Race (Bioculturally) Matters: A Visual Approach for College Biology Courses. The American Biology Teacher 1 September 2017; 79 (7): 516–524. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2017.79.7.516
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