Two question answer simple
Part 1. This week’s prompt is a silly icebreaker. What is the weirdest food you have eaten? What is your favorite food? What is the food you absolutely hate? Any particular reasoning?
Part 2. In this lesson, we contemplate two different relational concepts fundamental to the anthropological study of human beings as a species.
Step 1
Jot down some adjectives that describe the characteristics of science and belief.
Step 2
Now, do the same for biology and culture. Jot down some adjectives that describe the characteristics of each.
Step 3
Now, read the two short articles listed below. Don’t get bogged down by too many details. Instead, read so you understand the general idea behind the two very different approaches to deafness. Then, review the discussion questions below and prepare your thoughts for the discussion. You may wish to jot down your thoughts ahead of the discussion.
Sprigs, M. 2002. Lesbian couple create a child who is deaf like them. Journal of Medical Ethics. 28:283.
Ives, James. 2020. Researchers Treat Deafness with Gene Therapy.. News Medical Life Sciences.
Questions to Answer:
Prior to reading these articles, did you think about deafness as being primarily biological or cultural?
Do either or both articles consider deafness from a predominantly biological approach?
Do either or both articles approach deafness from more of a cultural understanding?
What are the roles of science and belief in each of the articles?
Did reading these articles and discussing them change any of your ideas about science/belief and culture/biology? About approaches to deafness?
How can anthropological methods and theories help inform our understandings of deafness and other conditions/statuses/phenomena?
What other seemingly-contradictory concepts do these articles underscore?
Do you perceive any irony in the contrast between these two articles?