BIOL1010 Syllabus Biotechnology

Biotechnology is changing our understanding of health, agriculture, ethics, the environment, and even what it means to be human. Scientists are now editing human genomes using CRISPR, engineering crops to produce phar ...

Biotechnology is changing our understanding of health, agriculture, ethics, the environment, and even what it means to be human. Scientists are now editing human genomes using CRISPR, engineering crops to produce pharmaceuticals, and rapidly sequence genomes. As the pace of advances in biotechnology continues to accelerate, we must ask and answer difficult questions, including how do we determine which modifications of human and other life forms are safe and appropriate? Who should have access to your genetic information? How much of human behavior is shaped by our genes? And more generally, how do new advances in biotechnology affect our understanding of ourselves, our relationships with each other, and with the rest of nature? The complexity of these issues demands that we approach biotechnology from several directions. In BIOL 1010 we explore the scientific, ethical, legal, social, and political dimensions of biotechnology. We study the scientific foundations of biotechnology through lectures, readings, videos, and Forum discussions. Students build a vocabulary and set of intellectual tools to understand and debate the future of biotechnology, including the roles of scientists, governments, patient groups, legal experts, and citizens. Students who successfully complete this course will have the skills needed for life-long learning about the complex and rapidly evolving field of biotechnology. Calendar Description BIOL 1010 [0.5 credit] Biotechnology and Society A course for students interested in the science behind recent advances in biotechnology. The different ways in which biotechnology is being applied in agriculture, health care, and the environment will be examined. Preclusion: credit will not be given if taken concurrently with, or after BIOL 2200 or BIOC 2200. Students in Biology and Biochemistry programs may only take this course as a free elective. Lectures three hours a week.