AF AMER 110ARace, Science, and Society
African American Studies · 4 units · Undergraduate upper division (100-199)
Idea that races reflect inherent biological differences between social groups has been prominent aspect of European and American thought since at least Enlightenment. While there have been moments of refuting this way of thinking—most notably, social constructionist thesis emerging as dominant framework in aftermath of WWII—fixed biological conceptions of race haunt contemporary bio-medical research, where race continues to be measured at nearly every scale of human biology: from molecules up to intelligence and health. Exploration of reasons for this persistence through engagement with theory and in-depth analysis of biological research. Close attention to relationship between developments within American history and production of scientific knowledge about race; for it is in this relationship that perils and promise of science reveal themselves.
P/NP or letter grading.
When it runs
- Winter 2026
- Spring 2026
- Summer 2026
Scheduled, not typical — from UCLA’s Schedule of Classes, which publishes Fall 2025 through Spring 2027 and nothing before it.
Requisites
UCLA lists no requisites for this course.
Requires
Everything that has to come before this course, not just the courses named in the requisite above.
Nothing — this is an entry point.
Unlocks
What this course is a requisite for, and what those courses lead to in turn.
No course in the catalog lists this as a requisite.