SOC371 Science, Technology, and Society Tutor‐Marked Assignment (TMA-02) July 2025 Semester

TMA02 (1,500 words)              

This tutor‐marked assignment (TMA) is worth 25% of the final mark for SOC371: Science, Technology, and Society.

The word limit for this assignment is 1,500 words. 

You are to include the following particulars in your submission: Course Code, Title of the TMA, SUSS PI No., Your Name, and Submission Date.

Submit the completed assignment no later than Friday, 10 October 2025, 11.55pm.

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Question (100 marks)

In 2019, Chinese scientist He Jiankui was sentenced to three years in prison and fined 3m yuan after he announced that he had used a gene-editing procedure, Crispr-Cas9, to modify the DNA of twin embryos. He Jiankui was condemned, not just by the Chinese government, but also by the scientific and medical community for his experiments, which were described as “medically unjustified” and “ethically contentious” (McCurry 2024). In 2024, He’s announced return to the scientific community sparked further debates around scientific ethics, particularly around gene editing technologies.

Drawing on course materials, particularly from Study Units 5-7, explain how STS concepts and theories can help us better understand the intersection of science, technology, society, ethics, and power in the regulation and development of biotechnology.

For more information about the case of He Jiankui, you may read the following article: “Scientist who gene-edited babies is back in lab and ‘proud’ of past work despite jailing” https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/apr/01/crispr-cas9-he-jiankui-genome-geneediting-babies-scientist-back-in-lab

Student notes

For this assignment, you are expected to apply the key concepts and theories covered in the course, but more specifically from Study Units 5 to 7. You may also rely on other relevant chapters in your analysis.

You can rely on these guiding questions to develop arguments for your paper:

• Who are some of the stakeholders involved in the issue of biotechnology development and regulation? What do these stakeholders have to say about the scientific ethics and regulation of gene editing technologies?
• Examine why Crispr-Cas9 was developed, and how it has been used since it was first developed. Have the intended uses of this technology changed, and why?
• What are some of the potential consequences of using gene editing technologies on human embryos? What are the risks and how are they managed?
• Similarly, evaluate some potential concerns about the potential widespread use of gene editing technologies on humans. Consider who might have access to such technologies, the effects on human populations, and the debates around the social construction of “humans”.

Write your answers in 1,500 words. Please remember to provide the word count, in-text citations and list of references. Be sure to use appropriate academic sources, including your course materials.

Make certain to fill in the self-declaration form (a copy is available under your course site on Canvas > L group > Modules) and include the completed form as a cover page for your submission (A penalty of 5 marks deduction will be imposed if this self-declaration form is incomplete, inaccurate, or missing. No appeals concerning the self-declaration form will be entertained).

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