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1 September 2017 Using Dialogues to Explore Genetics, Ancestry, and Race
Jonathan Beckwith, Kostia Bergman, Michael Carson, Tobias Doerr, Lisa Geller, Robin Pierce, Sheldon Krimsky, Carol Martin, Marina Santiago, Amy Vashlishan Murray, Celestine Warren, Chad Zichterman
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Abstract

Teaching the topic of genetics in relationship to ancestry and race generates many questions, and requires a teaching strategy that encourages perspective-based exploration and discussion. We have developed a set of dialogues for discussing the complex science of genetics, ancestry, and race that is contextualized in real human interactions and that contends with the social and ethical implications of this science. This article provides some brief historical and scientific context for these dialogues, describes their development, and relates how we have used them in different ways to engage diverse groups of science learners. The dialogue series can be incorporated into classroom or informal science education settings. After listening to or performing the dialogues and participating in a discussion, students will: (1) recognize misunderstandings about the relationship between DNA and race; (2) describe how DNA testing services assign geographic ancestry; (3) explain how scientific findings have been used historically to promote institutionalized racism and the role personal biases can play in science; (4) identify situations in their own life that have affected their understanding of genetics and race; and (5) discuss the potential consequences of the racialization of medicine as well as other fallacies about the connection of science and race.

© 2017 National Association of Biology Teachers. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press's Reprints and Permissions web page, www.ucpress.edu/journals.php?p=reprints.
Jonathan Beckwith, Kostia Bergman, Michael Carson, Tobias Doerr, Lisa Geller, Robin Pierce, Sheldon Krimsky, Carol Martin, Marina Santiago, Amy Vashlishan Murray, Celestine Warren, and Chad Zichterman "Using Dialogues to Explore Genetics, Ancestry, and Race," The American Biology Teacher 79(7), 525-537, (1 September 2017). https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2017.79.7.525
Published: 1 September 2017
JOURNAL ARTICLE
13 PAGES

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KEYWORDS
ANCESTRY
bias in science
Bioethics
genetic ancestry testing
Genetics
genetics education
genomics
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