Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences Division to Present Screening, Discussion of Film Gattaca Nov. 10

The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences Division of Humanities will host a screening and subsequent discussion of the film Gattaca, on Nov. 10 beginning at 5 p.m., in the Carl DeSantis Building, room 1049. The event, titled "Gattaca: Good, Bad, and Ugly Genetics," is a companion event to the college’s Distinguished Speakers Series talk featuring bioethics expert David Magnus, Ph.D., on Nov. 12.

Gattaca, a 1997 film starring Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, explores many issues that the public sees increasingly as science fact rather than science fiction. For example: the growing trend of scientists isolating genes for particular diseases or traits; the idea that mental and emotional characteristics (a religious susceptibility for instance) may be attributed to our DNA; and the trend of insurance companies wanting to increase genetic testing in order to identify high-risk applicants for life insurance. Gattaca explores both the good and evil resulting from the prospect of humanity being defined by its genetic makeup.

Magnus, an associate professor of pediatrics, medicine, and philosophy at Stanford University, will present his Distinguished Speakers Series talk – "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in Contemporary Biomedical Technology" – on Thursday, Nov. 12, in the Miniaci Performing Arts Center.

These events enrich the college's investigation of the current year-long academic theme, "Good and Evil." For more information, please visit www.fcas.nova.edu/articles/dss/davidmagnus.