General Science and GATTACA

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General Science is a study involving biology, chemistry, physics and environmental sciences. Students from Year 7 to Year 10 are introduced to these various disciplines to gain general knowledge about science and can later be develop into deeper concepts. Science is not just fat laboratory coats, Einstein’s equations, mixing chemicals, massive space shuttles, or peeking through microscopes but involves critical thinking, analysing data and apply understandings in the natural world to solve real problems. Science is an approach of learning what make this world and how things work decades ago, how they work today, and how they are expected to work in forthcoming years. Some of the social justice issues hidden behind science can cause major consequences. For example, in low income communities of colour there has been excessive supply of toxic and waste discharging from industries disrupting the nature and causing heavy pollution.

GATTACA (1997) is a science fiction movie where one’s capabilities are determined by their genes since birth. Vincent Freeman is displayed as the main character where he needs to overcome his weaknesses through hard work and consistent determination to achieve his goals at Gattaca Space Academy. Alterations of genetics play a major role in the movie where only ones with flawless genes can achieve their dream career and ‘genoism’ became a new form of inequity. Society looks down upon Vincent including his parents because he was born naturally with physical limitations known as an ‘invalid’ whereas his younger brother Anton was genetically modified before his birth. Anton was born as ‘valid’ and was held highly by everyone due to his perfect genes chosen by his parents. As a result of discrimination down to...

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...family, could genetic discrimination really affect our future? Why did Gerome kill himself finally at the end, could he find reasons to live for a prejudiced society? Why did Gattaca present only white males as ‘in-valid’, how does this reflect stereotypes? Why society didn’t have pity for Vincent, where were the ethics and morals of society? to allow students think critically about the social justice issues presented in the movie. After class discussion, students can form into groups of four. Each group of students can identify a particular issue that they find interesting such as new type discrimination evolving “genoism”, ethics and morality of society, stereotypes, inequity between the two brothers and also consider the effects of discrimination of the characters. Students can present their chosen issues through role plays or an oral presentation to their peers.

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