Lecture 13

Question 1

Race is…

Answer 1

*socially constructed
*Biologically, humans are very similar, and there’s no unique set of genes for any “race.”

Question 2

Race

Answer 2

*an idea created by Western Europeans following exploration across the world
*used to justify colonization, slavery, social hierarchy
Used to refer to groupings of people according to common origin or background

• RACE IS CULTURALLY AND SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED

Question 3

Ethnicity

Answer 3

*an idea similar to race that groups people base on common origin or background
*refers to social, cultural, religious, linguistic, and other affiliations
*associated with perceived biological markers
*often characterized by cultural features such as dress, language,religion and social organization

Question 4

Population

Answer 4

• a community of individuals where mates are usually found

Question 5

Biological Variation…

Answer 5

Exists and is continuous but where we choose to draw the lines into difference races is culturally defined

Explanation: People are different in many ways, like how tall they are or what color their skin is. These differences happen slowly, not in clear steps. But when we say someone belongs to a certain “race,” it’s a label made by people, not something that nature sets in clear groups.

Question 6

Which country did human genetic diversity evolve from?

Answer 6

• Africa, and Homo sapiens stuck around for over 100,000 years.

Question 7

3 Main Critiques of Race as Genetically Determined Category

Answer 7

1) Human genetic variation is clinal

2) Most human genetic variation is discordant meaning everything is independent of each other. (Different combinations of traits and is inherited independently.)

Ex of concordance: height and weight
Ex of discordance: hair type and height

3)Human genetic variation is widely shared across the species, with little variation occurring between defined groups

Question 8

Genetic Determinism

Answer 8

the belief that genetic contributions to phenotypes are exclusively or much more important than the contributions of other factors such as epigenetic or environmental factors

Genetic determinism is the idea that your genes control everything about you, like how you look, behave, or your health, with little influence from your environment or experiences.

Question 9

Morbidity

Answer 9

the rate of a disease in a population

Question 10

Mortality

Answer 10

The proportion of deaths in a population

Question 11

Racial-genetic determinism

Answer 11

The assumption that genetic factors contribute exclusively or mostly to racial differences in biology and health

Aka peoples race determines their health and not social factors or lifestyle. In other words, ONLY race and genetic factors play into health nothing else.

Question 12

Embodiment (Krieger 2005)

Answer 12

A concept referring to how we literally incorporate, biologically, the material and social work in which we live, from conception to death.

Aka: how we live and what we experience (food, stress etc) goes hand in hand with genes and shape the way we are from birth till the day we die.

• similar concept to plasticity

Question 13

Difference between embodiment and plasticity

Answer 13

1) Embodiment emphasizes social and economic aspects of the environment
2) how biology is sensitive to the environment across the entire life course

Racial disparities in health arise due to the embodiment of racial inequalities