Suspended Sentence
by Misha Angrist
Fifteen years ago I taught a freshman seminar entitled “The Secret of Life: DNA, Property Rights, and Human Identity.” We read What is Life? by Erwin Schrödinger, The Double Helix, and a brand-new book called The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. We watched Jeff Goldblum portray a comedically narcissistic and shallow Jim Watson in Life Story, a 1987 BBC film which, despite Jeff’s best efforts and great performances from Juliet Stevenson and Tim Pigott-Smith, may not have aged very well. We talked about gene patents (which were legal until 2013!), 23andMe, and guinea-pigging. It was a fun seminar that immersed first-year students in a world that seemed full of exciting, ethically fraught, and occasionally scary possibilities.
At Parents Weekend that October I stood by my table in the gymnasium and chatted with families over bottled water and granola bars. A mom approached and, eyeing me narrowly, asked, “How will your class help my son get a job?” I was caught short by her calculus. I stammered and said something like, “I’m not sure,” silently adding that that’s the right question.
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