Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Cell Genom. 2024 May 8;4(5):100554. doi: 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100554. Epub 2024 May 1.
Despite the profound impacts of scientific research, few scientists have received the necessary training to productively discuss the ethical and societal implications of their work. To address this critical gap, we-a group of predominantly human genetics trainees-developed a course on genetics, ethics, and society. We intend for this course to serve as a template for other institutions and scientific disciplines. Our curriculum positions human genetics within its historical and societal context and encourages students to evaluate how societal norms and structures impact the conduct of scientific research. We demonstrate the utility of this course via surveys of enrolled students and provide resources and strategies for others hoping to teach a similar course. We conclude by arguing that if we are to work toward rectifying the inequities and injustices produced by our field, we must first learn to view our own research as impacting and being impacted by society.
尽管科学研究有着深远的影响,但很少有科学家接受过将其工作的伦理和社会影响进行有效讨论的必要培训。为了解决这一关键差距,我们-一群主要是人类遗传学受训者-开发了一门关于遗传学、伦理和社会的课程。我们希望这门课程能够成为其他机构和科学学科的模板。我们的课程将人类遗传学置于其历史和社会背景中,并鼓励学生评估社会规范和结构如何影响科学研究的开展。我们通过对注册学生的调查展示了这门课程的实用性,并为其他希望教授类似课程的人提供了资源和策略。最后,我们认为,如果我们要努力纠正我们这个领域产生的不平等和不公正,我们必须首先学会将自己的研究视为对社会产生影响并受社会影响的。