Perhaps The text was using the same source I do when taking about race and genetics, Shirley M. Tilghman, the director of the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton. See a sample article at:
http://www.princeton.edu/~paw/features/features_05.html "From a scientific perspective," Tilghman said, "there is no such thing as race. You cannot scientifically distinguish a race of people genetically from a different race of people." Steve Houldsworth Webster University [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "John W. Kulig" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 7:56 AM Subject: Re: two questions about race and culture > > > Rod Hetzel wrote: > > > In class today we were talking about culture, ethnicity, race, and the > > genetic theory of evolution. Two questions came up that I could use > > some help with. > > > > 1. My students had a hard time understanding the following statement in > > our marriage and family textbook: "From a strictly scientific > > perspective, then, so-called racial differences do not exist. Skin > > color, for example, can be defined only on a continuum, just as the > > colors black and white exist on a continuum, with gray in the middle and > > no clear-cut distinctions in between." I was able to help them > > understand how cultural and ethnic identity are more useful and > > informative concepts than race, but many students had a hard time > > understanding how racial characteristics "do not exist." One of my > > students, who is an honors biology major specializing in genetics, > > stated that our marriage and family textbook contradicts what she has > > learned in her genetics courses. Can anyone offer me some specific > > suggestions for making these concepts more clear to my students? > > Well, the text may be saying that racial _groups_ are not hard and fast > dichotomies. Maybe they are saying that _pure_ races do not exist (whatever > pure means - probably a straw man). But racial differences exist. Certain > genes are more likely in certain groups than another - e.g. sickle cell in > people of African descent, Tay-Sachs in people of Eastern European Jewish, > short genes amongst Pygmy, short-leg genes amongst Inuit and some Oriental, > blonde hair in Northern Europe, and so forth. > Also, these differences should perpetuate because of assortative mating. > We don't marry random selections from the population of humans. People tend > to marry others similiar, which will perpetuate whatever genetic differences > that exist. So I think the book either means there are no pure races (OK), > or, they are simply wrong. That's my best shot. > > -- > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > John W. Kulig [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Department of Psychology http://oz.plymouth.edu/~kulig > Plymouth State College tel: (603) 535-2468 > Plymouth NH USA 03264 fax: (603) 535-2412 > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > > "One word of truth outweighs the whole world." > > Russian proverb > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
