Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3222: Biopolitics in Practice

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Overview

NQF Level	6
Credits	30	ECTS Value	15
Term(s) and duration	This module ran during term 1 (11 weeks) and term 2 (11 weeks)
Academic staff	Dr Angela Cassidy (Convenor)
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
Available via distance learning	No

The term ‘biopolitics’ first came into use in the early 20^th century, as a range of political thinkers and scientists applied new ideas from biology to developing political theories of society. Multiple versions of ‘the biology of politics’ have surfaced and retreated over time ever, drawing on a range of biological ideas, from organicism to sociobiology, via genetics and cognitive science. This idea was turned upon its head during the 1970s by the social theorist Michel Foucault, who used the idea of ‘biopower’ to describe how social and political power over life has increasingly been created since the 19^th century. This latter concept, the ‘politics of biology’, has been adopted by many scholars thinking about science and society in the 21^st century. In this module we will explore the multiple and contested versions of biopolitics over the past century, as they have played out in public debates over evolution and ‘human nature’; agriculture and environments; health and medicine; and new technologies.

Module created	23/01/2018	Last revised