Science and Society

BIOL 1360 is a seminar for undergraduates in any class who are interested in exploring the complex relationships between science and society, some of which have become especially prominent and controversial during the past several months.   I have enjoyed teaching this course for nearly a decade, at Columbia and elsewhere, based in part on my own experiences conducting and overseeing biomedical research at academic and governmental institutions.

Many of our discussions will be built upon the foundational philosophy outlined in a famous short essay by Vannevar Bush and adopted by the US government shortly after World War Two.  His essay helped to define the relationships---among government, academia, and industry---that  influence how scientific work is conducted and supported, how universities operate, and how our nation’s economy, health, security, and prestige rise and fall.

The course addresses a wide array of topics, such as: why do people choose a scientific career? why do governments and other funders support scientific work? how does science fail? why is there skepticism about science? how is it represented in the arts? how are results disseminated, evaluated, and legally protected?   These questions and others are addressed from numerous perspectives, with examples taken from many fields of science, mostly biology and medicine, including the Covid-19 pandemic, biotechnology, and others.

I will provide assignments for each class --- mainly short articles (from newspapers and scientific journals) and book chapters, but also a few films and short books --- at least a week in advance as topics for discussion.    There will be no final exam or other written tests, but every student will undertake a term project on a topic developed through private consultations with me, and will present the findings orally in class and in a short essay. 

I welcome undergraduate students from all classes who are concentrating in any field: the natural or social sciences, humanities, or the arts. There are no prerequisites, other than an interest in how the scientific enterprise works and how it interacts with other components of our society.