Critical Studies Syllabus/Course Outline
Course title Course mnemonic Section number Credits
Prerequisites
Instructor Information
Instructor
Office number Office telephone
The Natural Sciences SCIE 202
F091
3
Completion of 21 credits
Tara Atluri
B3361
604-844-3800 local TBA
Day + time Term start date Term end date Location
Email TBA
Office hours TBA
September 7, 2023 – November 30, 2023 ONLN VCLAS
By appt, established by email, usually
Fridays
Official Catalogue Course Description | www.ecuad.ca
The course will begin by critiquing objective and seemingly neutral approaches to “science” and rationality in the Western world and the academic industrial complex. We will discuss critiques of science and positivism that have been made due to historical atrocities in the name of “science.” We will then examine scientific methods and contemporary debates regarding medicine. Specifically, students will discuss different conceptual approaches to understanding the physical and biological sciences. In addition to topics drawn from biology and biodiversity, subjects may also include pharmaceuticals, `race’, gender and science, mental health discourse, genetics, genomics, informatics, biochemistry as well as geology, ecology, earth sciences.
Course Learning Objectives
This particular course offers comprehensive understanding of the shape and function of the organs of the human body and invites creative consideration to the metaphors relative to the body that abound in culture, language and design. Knowing about the systems of the body opens our minds to spaces and processes that are not ordinarily within our consciousness and yet are part of us all the time. Such knowledge-already in play within aspects of design and echoed within materials, space and form-moves into practice of all kinds when we develop analogies from science. This class invites all kinds of speculation and example on the human body as spatial and temporal metaphor.
Additional Course Information
Since we are experts in the running of our own bodies, the course invites the expertise of the art, design or media student to engage in new creative contexts for seeing, thinking and applying biology. As we learn about each organ of the human body's anatomy and physiology, we also gain understanding about optimal health for people of all ages. Students will learn important concepts of cellular function, tissues and metabolism, the skin, the heart and blood circulation, the hormones, the nervous system and brain, digestion, the urinary and reproductive systems as well as the muscular system. Students will learn some medical vocabulary and engage in class discussions about the body. They will develop ideas about how artists and designers use the concepts of the body within their works, generating valuable resources for meaning, and how the materials of art and design can
help us explore and explain the processes of the body; students will write about ways we employ the concepts and meanings generated by human science. Science involves observing what is there in the world, giving rise to ideas for the mind (theories, models, concepts and patterns); art deals with ideas (theories, models, concepts and patterns) giving rise to things we can observe. Both generate further ideas; both require imagination, critical observation, and a healthy response to error. Dialogue between any two fields checks, challenges and enriches both.
Required Texts, Materials and/or Equipment
The course Moodle site offers weekly readings that lead to group discussion topics. Being a member of the online class means reading all the prepared material and the responses by classmates. Each student should be pushing to expand previous knowledge and to engage in course material, discussions, activities and assignments. Each writing assignment is an opportunity to shape thoughtful questions and guide fruitful research. Students tell me, those who tend to be quieter can reveal they are participating by writing; those who tend to speak out easily can reveal the insights behind their comments. Our memory of the course material increases relative to our involvement; so finding ways to apply the content to previous knowledge will bring value to it.
There is no text to buy for this course. Reading are offered online each week; course material includes links to site that support our understanding of anatomy and physiology. It's a great idea to have an anatomy and physiology text book close by as a resource-if you can find one. Students will be asked to read articles from various magazines (Scientific American Mind, Atlantic Monthly, etc.) and pdfs or links are provided in the Moodle course. If the library can lend books, I have set copies of Memmler's Structure and Function of the Human Body (Eds. Barbara Janson Cohen & Jason Taylor) on reserve (for 2-day loan).
On library reserve shelves (when available):
Memmler's Structure and Function of the Human Body, 8th Edition.
Anatomy and Physiology (text), 2nd Ed. Elaine Marieb-QP34.5 .M454 2005 (in the stacks)
Understanding Your Heath (Payne & Hahn)
BC Health Guide (own one by picking one up at a shopper's Drug Mart) Anatomy Colouring Book (great images of basic anatomy)
* The Nurse Hotline (when you have a question about your own health): Phone: 811
Evaluation Criteria
Online classroom attendance is essential, as seen through student input into Moodle entries weekly. Written forum contributions are evaluated for their presence, their researched thoughtfulness in response to specific questions, and their connection to the reading materials offered in the course.
Written work is evaluated for the insights and connections made between anatomy and physiology and other systems or patterns or processes within the worlds of art, design and technology. It is also evaluated for the level of creative conceptualizing and clear articulation of analogies; its sentence structure and paragraph strength; its research integration and employment of proper (MLA) documentation conventions; and an assignment's proximity to its deadline.
Studying for the midterm and exam is most successful when students pre-read the chapters, do the almost weekly quizzes, and ask and answer questions from peers. Moodle quiz marks appear but are not tallied into your final grade. They exist as a method of evaluating your own readiness for the Midterm and the Exam.
Weekly Moodle entries/ online class participation 30%
Assignment #1 15% Midterm 10% Assignment #2 25% Exam 20% Total 100%
Course Expectations
When the going gets tough, in any way, for any reason, you'll want to already be aware of all that Student Services can help you with (such as a counselor to talk to). Become aware of their services.
You can expect to invest 6-8 hours per week on materials and activities related to this 3-credit course. Some of this time will take place in our real-time meetings once per week. The rest will take place on our course Moodle site through review of texts and materials, completion of activities, and participation in online discussion forums.
Attendance + Participation
Online classes require regular interaction to create a positive learning environment: you should expect to check into the course Moodle site every day and post to the weekly discussion forums by the due dates as outlined. Students who regularly post late or fail to post to required forums and assignments not only hurt their own chances of success, but also diminish the learning experience for all students in the class.
As in a face-to-face class, all students are expected to arrive on time and be prepared to engage in the work of this class for any scheduled real-time meetings.
Late Assignments
Late assignments can be submitted via Moodle up to two weeks after the assignment due date, incurring a penalty of 5% each day. Assignments will not be accepted more than two weeks after the assignment deadline and you will be assigned a grade of zero (0).
Communication
Students are responsible for regularly checking their ECUAD email and our class Moodle site for updates regarding the course. All questions related to course content should be posted on our class Moodle site in the General Questions forum: content related questions will not be answered via email. For communications requiring privacy, students can contact me directly via email. I attempt to respond to emails within 2 business days, but I rarely reply to emails on weekends.
Classroom Etiquette
The success of our online class depends on trust, respect and mutual support. Students are responsible for contributing to an inclusive learning environment free of bullying, harassment and discrimination. This includes addressing classmates using their preferred names and pronouns in online discussions, and remembering that not all students have access to the same privileges and experiences. As a gesture of respect to classmates, students are encouraged to participate in class discussions, critiques and activities thoughtfully and generously.
Privacy
Protecting your personal information in this online course is important. We will be using Moodle as our course site, which is a highly protected online space. At any time that we are sharing information through other online platforms that may be more public, you will be notified of any potential privacy considerations. Any video recordings of our class meetings, presentations or critiques will be shared only via Moodle and will be destroyed at the end of the course.
Important dates
September 5- Scheduled classes begin
October 2- Truth and Reconciliation Day: University closed
October 10-14- Reading/Studio Week - No classes/University open
December 4, Monday - Classes End for Fall 2023.
Class Schedule (Please see the Moodle account for a list of readings, lecture schedule, and assignments)
The weekly schedule below is subject to change as the course progresses. Two weeks' notice for any major changes to this schedule or assignment deadlines will be given via email and Moodle. Please consult the course Moodle site for the most up-to- date schedule.
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Class No. Date
1—Scientific Research and Methods:
Aggarwal, Ajay, et al. "The state of lung cancer research: a global analysis." Journal of Thoracic Oncology 11.7 (2016): 1040-1050.
2—Critiques of Positivism and Science:
Robertson, David P., and R. Bruce Hull. "Beyond biology: toward a more public ecology for conservation." Conservation Biology 15.4 (2001): 970-979.
3—Feminism, Gender and Medicine
Bueter, Anke. "Androcentrism, feminism, and pluralism in medicine." Topoi 36 (2017): 521-530.
4—Mental Health and Science—Feminism and Medicine
Purdy, Laura. "Medicalization, medical necessity, and feminist medicine." Bioethics 15.3 (2001): 248-261.
5—Eugenics and Nazism: `Race’ and Science
Zeidman, Lawrence A. "Neuroscience in Nazi Europe part I: eugenics, human experimentation, and mass murder." Canadian journal of neurological sciences 38.5 (2011): 696-703.
Take Home Test Distributed
6— Disability and Science
Galis, Vasilis. "Enacting disability: how can science and technology studies inform disability studies?." Disability and Technology. Routledge, 2017. 66-79.
Take Home Test Distributed
7—Reading Week
6— HIV, AIDS, and the Medical Establishment
Auerbach, Judith D., and Thomas J. Coates. "HIV prevention research: accomplishments and challenges for the third decade of AIDS." American Journal of Public Health 90.7 (2000): 1029.
8—The Human Genome—Genes and Contemporary Research Questions
Collins, Francis S., Michael Morgan, and Aristides Patrinos. "The Human Genome Project: lessons from large-scale biology." Science 300.5617 (2003): 286-290.
9—Abortion—Medicine, Gender, and Religion
Di Mauro, Diane, and Carole Joffe. "The religious right and the reshaping of sexual policy: An examination of reproductive rights and sexuality education." Sexuality Research & Social Policy 4 (2007): 67-92.
Presentations Due
10—Transgender Medicine—Gender Identity and Biology
Slagstad, Ketil. "The political nature of sex—transgender in the history of medicine." New England Journal of Medicine384.11 (2021): 1070-1074.
11—Pharma—Debates Regarding Medicine and Medicalization
Whelan, Allison M. "Aggravating Inequalities: State Regulation of Abortion and Contraception." Harv. JL & Gender 46 (2023): 131.
12—Global Climate Change—Contemporary Debates Regarding Global Climate Change
Izadnegahdar, Rasa, et al. "Global health in Canadian medical education: current practices and opportunities." Academic medicine 83.2 (2008): 192-198.
13—Science and the Law—Who Owns Science?
Aaron, Daniel G., and Fatima Cody Stanford. "Medicine, structural racism, and systems." Social Science & Medicine298 (2022): 114856.
Final Assignment Due
University Services
Topic and/or Reading
Assignments and/or In-class Activities
University Services
Academic Advising
Academic advisors can help you plan your education at Emily Carr, including understanding program requirements, selecting Majors or Minors, planning your course registration, or finding answers to policy-related questions. https://www.connect.ecuad.ca/studentservices/academic _advising/meeting_with_advisor#Appointments
Accessibility and Accommodations
Emily Carr is committed to offering a learning environment that is accessible to all learners. Students with disabilities (speech, hearing, visual, physical, mental health or neurological), chronic health issues or acquired brain injuries are eligible for learning accommodation support through Accessibility Services. http://www.ecuad.ca/studentservices/accessibility
Counselling
Professional and confidential counselling and therapy are available at no charge to any student having concerns of a personal nature. Please contact us by phone 604.630.4555, email couselling@ecuad.ca, or via our appointment booking website: https://ecuaccess.mywconline.com
Library
The Emily Carr Library offers an excellent collection of physical and digital materials to support your learning. http://ecuad.ca/library
University Policies
Media Resources
The Media Resources department lends out a variety of equipment to Emily Carr students, staff and faculty. Equipment includes many types of film, video and photography cameras, audio recorders, an assortment of microphones and lighting kits, keys for accessing video editing suites and presentation display equipment. https://www.connect.ecuad.ca/resources/techservices/m ediaresources/requestforms
Students' Union
The Emily Carr Students' Union (ECSU) is an independent organization that provides advocacy for students, hosts events, and supports important student collectives, clubs and initiatives. www.ecsu.ca
Technical Services
Many studio classes require the safe and responsible use of equipment and materials in our studios. The Technical Services area can support your learning through safety orientations, technical demos, and an equipment-lending service (the Tool Crib). http://www.ecuad.ca/resources/techservices
The Writing Centre
The Emily Carr Writing Centre offers free writing support to all students. Book individual appointments with a highly trained tutor: http://blogs.eciad.ca/wc
All Emily Carr University policies are available online at https://www.ecuad.ca/about/leadership-and-governance/policies. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with all academic policies, but in particular the policies below.
Academic Integrity
Academic Integrity is understood as producing work in a way that acknowledges the contributions of others in the design, creation, production, writing, etc. of any work. If you make something for a class and what you make incorporates the work or unique ideas of others, then it is your responsibility to document and acknowledge this appropriately.
Any action or behaviour that violates Academic Integrity such as cheating, plagiarism, re-submission of work for credit in more than one class, or unauthorized collaboration is considered a serious offence of academic misconduct and may result in serious academic consequences. Please consult University policies 4.17 Academic Integrity and 4.17.1 Procedures for Cases of Academic Misconduct for more information.
Grading and Grade Appeals
All Emily Carr courses assign grades based on University policy 4.16 Assessment and Academic Standing Policy. Students have the right to appeal a final grade according to the procedures outlined in University policy 4.5 Student Grade Appeal.
Student Conduct
All students must abide by the standards of conduct outlined in University policies 4.6 Student Conduct, 8.6 Harassment, Bullying and Discrimination, and 3.6 Sexual and Gender-based Violence and Misconduct. The University takes violations of these standards very seriously and may initiate disciplinary proceedings.
- Teacher: Tara Atluri