Abstract:
New scientific and technological knowledge of molecular biology are increasingly present in society, becoming necessary in the scientific education of citizens. This article analyzes the teachers' speeches about genetic manipulation and human enhancement in the context of a continuing education course on the eugenics movement in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Data were collected by video recording,and were transcribed and analyzed by Discourse Analysis methodology. The results point to a gradual change in the positions of the teachers. Initially, the subjects have a more deterministic view when they mention that, through genetics, it is possible to refine the human species. However, during the discussions, the construction of a more contextualized perception of science and technology is observed, permeated with ideological influences from society and questions about the consequences of genetic manipulation and the dissemination of idealized human standards.
Keywords:
Teacher training; Genetics education; Molecular biology; Genetic engineering; Eugenia