Date of Award

Spring 1991

Document Type

Restricted Thesis

Terms of Use

© 1991 Karama Neal. All rights reserved. Access to this work is restricted to users within the Swarthmore College network and may only be used for non-commercial, educational, and research purposes. Sharing with users outside of the Swarthmore College network is expressly prohibited. For all other uses, including reproduction and distribution, please contact the copyright holder.

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Black Studies Program, Biology Department

First Advisor

John B. Jenkins

Abstract

The European and European influenced method of science pedagogy treats and teaches science as a completely objective discipline. However, the author disagrees. Science does not exist in a vacuum, but is an institution of the culture that practices it. As such, it is subject to the paradigms that govern that society. These paradigms affect how science is defined, the way it is taught, how it is done, and who is able to practice it. More and more in the scientific community, different kinds of people with varying beliefs, morals, cultures, and values are being forced to work together. In order for these interactions to be successful, it is necessary for the scientific academy to engage itself in a discourse on the subjective nature of our discipline. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to help the scientific academy change. An examination of the connections the author makes between science and politics, between science and the “isms,” and between science and money are necessary for the discipline to grow and advance.

Keywords

medical racism, science pedagogy, sickle cell anemia, African history, research ethics

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