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Class number:
2838
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Title: Eugenics in the United States |
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Department: Political Science |
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Career: Undergraduate |
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Component: Seminar |
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Session: Regular |
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Instructor's Permission Required: No |
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Grading Basis: Regular |
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Units: 1.00 |
| Enrollment limited to 19 |
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Current enrollment: 21 |
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Available seats: 0 |
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Start date: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 |
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End date: Friday, May 8, 2026 |
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Mode of Instruction: In Person |
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Schedule: MW: 11:30AM-12:45PM, MECC - 232 |
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Instructor(s): Sklaroff, Miranda |
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Prerequisite(s): None |
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Distribution Requirement: Meets Social Sciences Requirement |
Course Description:
Eugenics is an ideology that seeks to shape society by encouraging the reproduction of "desirable" citizens and limiting the population of "undesirables." From the early twentieth-century, when American eugenicists influenced Nazi sterilization policies, to contemporary debates over COVID-19 and public health, eugenics has played a significant but underexplored role in US politics. This course explores the often forgotten legacies of eugenics in the United States. We will discuss topics including: eugenics and environmentalism, the role of eugenics in debates on abortion, and how mass incarceration continues to create the conditions of possibility for eugenic practices. The class will look at primary sources, scholarly articles, and representations of eugenics in popular media to define what eugenics is and explain why it continues to this day. |