Linking Chemistry and Social Issues

Why is Chemistry & Ethnicity a SENCER model?

What capacious civic questions or problems are addressed in the course?

In 2002, Environmental Chemistry & Ethnicity (3 credits) was created as a new course in the Department of Chemistry. The course title was deliberately left broad enough to allow instructors to select a wide range of topics. In both 2003 and 2004, the course was taught with the topic of "Uranium and American Indians."

Uranium and American Indians explores the connections between uranium and the peoples of the Southwest who lived (and still are living) on the land where the uranium was extracted. Two key issues are addressed:

1. how policies (public health, occupational safety, environmental protection & cleanup) are established when national security, corporate interests and the needs of a community come into conflict, and
2. how indigenous groups in the United States faced and continue to face
   challenges with respect to both their land and their culture.

In one sense, Environmental Chemistry & Ethnicity could be characterized as an "environmental justice" course in that it examines inequities that have arisen from U.S. environmental policies. However, as evident from the description above, the course is more broadly based in that other types of public policy are relevant as well.

This course was the first in the Department to meet the Ethnic Studies Requirement, part of the General Education requirements at UW-Madison. Section 5 of this document, ("What is the Course's Role in the Undergraduate Curriculum?") describes this requirement more fully.

What basic science is covered?

This chart lists the scientific topics and the cultural topics. Although listed in separate columns, the topics were woven together to the greatest extent possible. The corresponding issues of public policy (also woven with the topics) are shown as well.

Scientific Topics	Cultural Topics	Public Policy Issues
Uranium Natural occurrence Oxidation states Composition of ores Naturally occurring isotopes	Four Corners Area The land and the people The Navajo Culture, history, spirituality, and the significance of the land	Indian Affairs Past and present policies by the U.S. Federal Government Defense National security needs and the Cold War
The uranium industry Types of mines Milling processes Tailings & waste	Navajo uranium miners and the land on which they live	Environmental Protection Site clean-up and remediation
Radioactivity Radioactive decay Radioisotopes Half-life Natural abundances Radium and radon Radioactive decay series Physiological pathways Ionizing radiation Units Biological effects Dose-response curves Radiation and cancer	Cancer and its effects on people and their communities The radium dial painters The uranium miners Health care options, especially on the reservation	Public Health Exposure standards for radioisotopes and how these are set Occupation Health & Safety Identification of an occupational hazard and compensation of the victims
Nuclear fission/fusion Nuclear fuel cycle Enriched uranium Depleted uranium Atomic bombs Hydrogen bombs	Indigenous people Who they are Issues that affect them Examples from around the world	Defense Policies relating to weapons testing and the Nuclear Test-ban Treaty