Lecture 17

Question 1

Ethnicity

Answer 1

o Common culture traits, distinct other peoples
o Common language, geographic locale or place of origin, religion, sense of history, traditions, sense of history, traditions, value, beliefs, food habits…
o Not fixed, bounded entities – they are open, flexible, and subject to change; they are usually self-defined

Question 2

Race

Answer 2

o Primarily a biological category, rather than culture
o Adoption of slavery had to be justified as them being “sub-human” since it was a time when the political rhetoric was equality, democracy, individual rights, civil justice, and freedom
 Thomas Jefferson 1st person to suggest it but acknowledged uncertainty

Question 3

Drapetomania

Answer 3

mental disease that caused slaves to run away from their masters, could be cured

Question 4

Negative Eugenics

Answer 4

o Advocated prevention of those who were genetically defective from ‘bearing’ children

Question 5

Eugenics & Public Policy

Answer 5

o Restrictions on immigration
o Eugenic sterilization
 31 states allowed involuntary sterilization
 California sterilized 11,000 b/w ’30-‘44
 Carrie Buck – case went to SC, Va. legalized it
o Anti-miscenegation laws

Question 6

One Drop Rule

Answer 6

o Even a single drop of African blood made a person black

o Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act was meant to preserve white racial genetic purity

Question 7

Nazi Racial Hygeine

Answer 7

• Ultimate implementation of eugenic measures, resulting in the Holocaust and massive genocide
o German Nazis modeled their own eugenic sterilization law on California law
o 1st year of Nazi program, 52,000 sterilized. By 1945, >400,000
• Nazi excesses finally gave eugenics a bad name
o Scientists avoided human genetics since Nazis stained the field

Question 8

Is it possible to find DNA sequences that differ sufficiently between populations to allow correct assignment of major geographical origin with high probability ?”

Answer 8

Yes, as shown by studies of genetic polymorphisms

Question 9

What fraction of human of human genetic variation, whether based on protein-coding genes or other sequences, falls within geographically separated populations, and what fraction occurs between these between these populations?

Answer 9

Most genetic diversity occurs w/in groups, and that very little is found b/w them.