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Who are we? What shapes us into the people we are? Over the last 50 years advances in society and technology has meant that we can be whoever we want to be. Infertile couples have the chance of conceiving a child; a man can become a woman; if an organ fails, you can get a new one. But is it all for the greater good? There are people in today's society who wouldn't think twice about putting a patent on our biological and genetic heritage. The tracks on this album discuss issues such as identity, the relationship between the natural and the social sciences, and the colossal topic of ethnicity, especially in the UK. The material forms part of the course DD100, An introduction to the social sciences: understanding social change
Track 9: Assessing risk
Risk assessments may be based on inaccurate models which give misleading results ending in disaster. Taking social as well as natural into account when performing risk assessment may provide more accurate results.
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Tracks in this podcast:
| Track | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Understanding Identity | A short introduction to this album Play now Understanding Identity |
| 2 | Identity - what is it? | Definitions of identity, the existence of personal and social identity and the way in which concepts of identity have changed. Play now Identity - what is it? |
| 3 | Formation of Identity | Identities are formed by society and by individuals. Identities are created by people’s responses to us and our reactions to those responses. Play now Formation of Identity |
| 4 | Changing identity | Ability to change our identities and how this has been influenced by developments in technology. Constraint of external factors. Play now Changing identity |
| 5 | Shared Identity | Belonging to a group; the importance of viewing identity in terms of similarity as well as difference. Play now Shared Identity |
| 6 | Natural - what does it mean? | What 'natural' means in the context of food and the market for human organs. Play now Natural - what does it mean? |
| 7 | Natural or un-natural? | Animal organ transplants, ambivalent attitudes to animals, and their relation to human society. Play now Natural or un-natural? |
| 8 | Risk - what is it? | The increasing importance of risk assessment due to the developments of science and technology. Play now Risk - what is it? |
| 9 | Assessing risk | Risk assessments may be based on inaccurate models which give misleading results ending in disaster. Taking social as well as natural into account when performing risk assessment may provide more accurate results. Play now Assessing risk |
| 10 | Risk and trust | Public mistrust of government experts and the importance of transparency in building trust. Experts need an understanding of natural and social factors. Play now Risk and trust |
| 11 | Risk and accountability | There is a need for 'experts' with specialist knowledge to make decisions but democracy means demanding accountability. An inter-disciplinary approach is considered essential to study of risk. Interest groups would be beneficial. Play now Risk and accountability |
| 12 | Ethnicity - what is it? | he increasing visibility of different races and ethnicities in all aspects of British life. Is this trend is likely to continue or whether a kind of ‘English ethnicity’ assert itself? Play now Ethnicity - what is it? |
| 13 | Ethnicity and race | The implications of race and ethnicity for racism. Play now Ethnicity and race |
| 14 | Racism - individual and institutional | Investgating the Stephen Lawrence murder case . Change in attitude is the responsibility of both public institutions and private individuals Play now Racism - individual and institutional |
| 15 | Ethnicity and identity | Young people’s perceptions of identity may hold the key to understanding issues of race and ethnicity in Britain. Play now Ethnicity and identity |
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