Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description
The Nature/Nurture Myth: What Really Makes Us Who we are
Instructor(s): Erica Wojcik, Psychology
An interdisciplinary exploration of what makes us who we are, from our genes to our experiences and the space in between. Has someone told you that you鈥檙e a natural musician? Did you ever hear that are born with an instinct to learn language? Perhaps you鈥檝e read a news story about how twins separated at birth have the same career and type of car? These examples all speak to our fascination with the nature/nurture debate. Philosophers, psychologists, biologists, and humanists have argued for centuries about what we are born with (nature) and what we learn from the environment (nurture). In this class, you will learn why this separation of nature and nurture is a myth. We will explore the complexity of how humans develop, from how we learn language to the emergence of sexual identities. Through combination of scientific articles, literature, films, and your own research and reflection, you will discover how our genes, environment, and experiences interact to make us who we are.
Course Offered: