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Campus | Bryn Mawr |
Semester | Fall 2020 |
Registration ID | BIOLB210001 |
Course Title | Biology and Public Policy |
Credit | 1.00 |
Department | Environmental Studies |
Instructor | Greif,Karen F. |
Times and Days | TF 08:10am-09:30am
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Room Location | |
Additional Course Info | Class Number: 2045 A lecture/discussion course on major issues and advances in biology and their implications for public policy decisions. Topics discussed include reproductive technologies, the Human Genome project, environmental health hazards, bioterrorism, and euthanasia and organ transplantation. Readings include scientific articles, public policy and ethical considerations, and lay publications. Lecture three hours a week. This class involves considerable writing. Prerequisite: One semester of BIOL 110-111 or permission of instructor.; The goals of this class are to increase awareness of the intersection between advances in biology and biomedical sciences with the challenges of effective science policy-making. Basic science, applications of research, policy-making and ethical considerations are explored. Students will develop skills in persuasive science writing through preparation of policy “position papers” and a major review paper. Students also will lead and participate in discussion groups on challenging questions arising from advances in biology. This class addresses a number of very controversial topics at the interface of biology and public policy, and as such may require you to think about issues that might make you uncomfortable. However, all these issues are matters upon which decisions might ultimately need to be made, and all of us, as citizens of the United States or other countries, have a responsibility to participate in the process. You should feel free to express ANY viewpoint and be open to hearing other’s views that might differ from yours. Course materials: Most readings are in the class textbook: Greif and Merz (2007) Current controversies in the Biological Sciences, MIT Press. All other required readings will be available through the course website on Moodle. Many links and articles are posted on Moodle to enrich the topic and bring it up to date. Course organization and participation. This class will be flipped, with lectures recorded in advance. Students will be expected to view these lectures prior to synchronous Zoom class meetings, which will explore aspects of lecture material. Zoom classes will usually not take up the entire time block. Zoom sessions will be recorded. You cannot participate in discussions if you are absent! Attendance will be tracked. More than 3 unexcused absences will result in a grade penalty; acceptable excuses include illness, family emergencies, interviews, and other reasonable events. More than six absences for any reason will also result in a grade penalty. Please contact Dr. Greif in advance if you must miss class. Those of you joining the class from off-campus should take note of time zones! Course requirements: 3 position papers, one term paper, participation in class discussions. The three position papers will count as one half your grade (weighted 10%, 20%, 20% respectively), the term paper as 30%, and class participation as 20% of your final grade. Participation includes both discussion leadership and broader participation in class discussions. Discussion Sections and Discussion Leaders: For the discussion ending each topic, a small group of students will be responsible for outlining issues and facilitating each discussion. These discussions may occur asynchronously, with class members weighing in on a class discussion blog. Each discussion has a different suggested format to stimulate class participation; discussion leaders may develop their own formats! Leaders will plan these sessions with help from Dr. Greif. Students will have the opportunity to select which discussion they will lead early in the semester. Guidelines for Position Papers: This course has a writing focus, and the quality of your writing, as well as its content, will be graded. In all cases, papers will be uploaded to the Moodle site (as Word Documents, not pdfs). You will write three position papers during the semester. Papers are due at the beginning of class periods; late papers will accrue grade penalties. Please note that position papers on assigned topics have specific due dates! You may not turn in a position paper on a topic after the due date for that topic. You are encouraged to submit rough drafts to Dr. Greif for comment (deadlines will be announced in class). These papers should be prepared as if you are an advisor to a Legislator (Senator, Congressperson) or other government official who must make policy decisions on these issues. Most likely such an individual will not be knowledgeable about Science. Each paper should include: 1) a clear summary of the biology of the issue involved (avoid technical jargon); 2) a summary of the legal/policy/ethical issues associated with the issue; and 3) a recommendation to your Legislator on what policies to adopt (in other words, you must take a stand!). References should be cited in the text, and a bibliography must be included. See below for guidelines for using web sources. A strict word limit of 1200 words is imposed (about 5 pages, double-spaced). Papers exceeding the word limit will be returned. (Legislators are busy people). Term paper: You will write one 8-10 page paper on a topic other than those discussed in class. You will be asked to select a tentative topic by early November to encourage you to start your research early. As in class, you should discuss the biology of the topic, and important policy and ethical issues associated with it. It is not necessary to take a stand in your paper unless you wish to. Papers should use standard scientific reference format (not footnotes). If you are not familiar with scientific reference format, please consult Dr. Greif. Haverford: C: Physical and Natural Processes (C), Natural Science (NA) Enrollment Cap: 30; Post Bacc Spaces: 2; If the course exceeds the enrollment cap the following criteria will be used for the lottery: Freshman; Sophomore; Junior; Senior; Major/Minor/Concentration; flipped class: prerecorded lectures on-line with synchronous Zoom class sessions. |
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