PsTL 1990: Special Topics: Genetics and Reproduction

Syllabus for Summer 2009 Dr Murray Jensen

Meeting Times: 930AM – 11:30AM M-F (Monday, June 22 – Friday, July 24, 2009)

Classroom: TBA

Course Web Site: TBA

E-mail: msjensen@umn.edu

Phone: (612) 625-0093

Office: 376 Appleby Hall

Office Hours: TBA

Textbooks : Brave New World; Aldous Huxley, Mean Genes: Terry Burnham and Jay Phelan

Next: Michael Crichton

What’s This Course About?

There are two components to this course: science and politics The science of genetics and reproduction involves learning the basics of DNA, fertilization, embryos, developmental biology, etc, as well as new developments in the science of becoming pregnant, such as in vitro fertilization techniques, as well as new science to prevent pregnancy while still being sexually active, such as the morning after pill

The political portion of the course will revolve around bioethics; the hard work involved in making decisions surrounding genetics, DNA, sex, and reproduction Topics will range from personal decisions, e.g., using a condom, to federal law, e.g., Row vs. Wade, and even world politics, e.g., the one child rule in China Cultural and religious traditions will be used as a framework for many topics and special consideration will be given to the lessons learned from our country’s history with eugenics

Grades

Contract grading will be used

For a grade of C

1. Student must attend all classes

2. Student must complete daily reading assignments

3. Student must make two presentations on a weekly reading

4. Student must complete and “pass” all quizzes based on the daily readings

5. Student must average at least 70% on the weekly exams

6. Student must score at least 70% on the final exam

7. Student must participate in two group projects on a specific genetic disease or political issue.

For grade of B

1. Student must attend all classes

2. Student must complete daily reading assignments

3. Student must make two presentations on a weekly reading

4. Student must complete and “pass” all quizzes based on the daily readings

5. Student must average at least 80% on the weekly exams

6. Student must score at least 80% on the final exam

7. Student must participate in two group projects on a specific genetic disease or political issue.

8. Student must complete B project (Details below)

For grade of A

1. Student must attend all classes

2. Student must complete weekly reading assignments

3. Student must make one presentation on a weekly reading

4. Student must complete and “pass” all quizzes based on the daily readings

5. Student must average at least 90% on the weekly exams

6. Student must score at least 90% on the final exam

7. Student must participate in two group projects on a specific genetic disease or political issue.

8. Student must complete the requirements for an A (Details below)

GRADING / SCORING - For the “A” grade

Criteria to earn a “B” in PsTL 1990

B Project Descriptions: Must complete one of the following two options

Option 1 Book: Read a book related to “the science and politics of genetics and reproduction” and type a four page description and analysis of the book More specific details will be provided in class This project can be submitted at any time, but must be completed the final class meeting

Three recommended books:

Devices & Desires by Andrea Tone

Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies -- and What It Means to Be Human by Joel Garreau

The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v Wade by Ann Fessler

Option 2 Research Review: Locate and read four library articles (not from the internet) and type a one-half page summary of each of the four articles Turn-in a copy of the articles (hard copy) along with your one-page summary This project can be completed by the final class meeting

Possible topics: history of birth control, eugenics, DNA fingerprinting and the law, history of abortion politics, birth control and world religions, and many more

GRADING / SCORING - For the “B” grade

To get a “B” in PsTL 1990, you successfully complete a “B” project.

Scoring for the “B” projects will be graded on a pass/fail basis If a student fails their B project they will receive a “C” grade in the course.

If time is available, student may have the option of modifying, and resubmitting, their B projects in order to receive a passing grade.

All projects must be submitted by the last day of class during the semester (and not during finals week).

Score at least 80% on final exam

Criteria to earn an “A” in PsTL 1990

To get an “A” in PsTL 1990

All “A” students must complete a term paper. (10 points maximum)

All “A” students must complete one of the following projects (5 points maximum):

1. Read a book

2. Video project

All “A” students must score at least 90% on the final course exam.

To get an “A” in this course, you must score over “15” on the following three items:

1 Term Paper – (Must score at least a 7 out of 10 points possible)

2 Video project or book report: (Must score at least a 4 out of 5 points)

3 Score 90% on final exam

Note: if a student scores lower than that required for the “A” contract, the student will not receive a “A” for a final course grade.

A Project Descriptions:

Term Paper

Your term paper will require at least four library articles (not from the internet, e.g., Wikipedia) For each of the four articles, type a one-half page summary Attach the four summaries to the back of the final term paper when you submit the project for grading.

The body of the term paper must: 1) discuss an issue and/or person related to “the science and politics of genetics and reproduction,” 2) must be four pages long (not including the cover page, references, tables, or figures) (Note: please double space, use standard margins, and use 10, 11, or 12 point Helvetia, Times, or Times New Roman font), 3) should include at least four citations of literature, 4) should be a thorough analysis of the topic, not a statement of your opinion, and 5) should cite references in APA style

Additional requirements:

I must approve the subject of your paper Don’t start work on your paper until I approve the subject of your paper

The four citations must be of different sources; do not cite the same source four times

Your paper must be typed with a word-processing program (eg, Microsoft Word) and submitted as hard-copy

The typical term paper will have the following components:

1 Cover sheet (one page)

2 Body of term paper (four pages)

3 References (one page)

4 Summary of four research articles (2 pages – two summaries per page)

Grading and revision process

Grading: Term papers will be graded on a two tiered scale:

Sale 1 will evaluate (0-10): research quality, research sources, level of analysis, etc

Scale 2 will evaluate (0-10): writing mechanics, proper grammar, sentence structure, etc

Final score on the term paper will be the average of the two scores

You will have at least one round of revisions if you fail to achieve a 5 (average of the two scales) on your first attempt

Possible topics: history of birth control, eugenics, DNA fingerprinting and the law, history of abortion politics, birth control and world religions, etc..

Read a Book

Read a book related to “the science and politics of genetics and reproduction” and type a four-page description and analysis of the book (More specific details will be provided in class.) This project can be submitted at any time, but must be completed the final class meeting

Three recommended books:

Devices & Desires by Andrea Tone

The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v Wade by Ann Fessler

Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies -- and What It Means to Be Human by Joel Garreau

Video Project

Your assignment is to create a 30 to 60 second public service announcement (PSA) video focusing on genetics and reproduction and targeting a specific audience. Successful projects will include:

· A well-written script

· A realistic setting/set design

· Creative video shooting and editing

· A high level of imagination

At the end of the project you will be required to

· Post your video on YouTube, and send the URL to Murray Jensen (msjensen@umn.edu),

· Turn in a script and two story boards

· Turn in a Individual Accountability and Teamwork Statement and Group Dynamics Reports (more information to be given in class)

You may elect to use your own video equipment, or you may choose to use the U of M’s equipment available at the U of M Smart Learning Commons: [http://smart.umn.edu/] More information about using the Smart Learning Commons and available technical support will be given in class.

CRITICAL STEPS IN PRODUCING A VIDEO

Select a topic and a target audience

Here are some examples of some possible projects to help you start brainstorming:

· A video on cystic fibrosis that target 10 year old children who have this disease.

· A video illustrating the inheritance patters for cystic fibrosis that targets potential parents who carry the gene for this disease.

· A video explaining the difference between dominant and recessive traits, targeting students who are in freshman level genetics courses.

Script, Story Boards, and Set Design

Professional video projects are not ad-libbed (the dialogue is not made up on the spot); a well-written script is essential. The script should be verbatim of what is heard in the video. Two story boards must also accompany the script. Story boards are drawings made prior to shooting the video and show camera shots illustrates the setting, the use of props, people who will appear in the video and so on. Story boards are also used to help develop ideas and the set design proper to filming. Set design involves selecting the place for shooting the video and placing important items such as clothing and props.

Video Shooting and Editing

The final product must look professional and computer tools (e.g., iMovie, Premiere, Movie Maker, etc.) make this doable. Make sure you have plenty of video footage prior to starting the editing process.

Essential Components of the Video

· Total length: 30 to 60 seconds

· Start with a title screen (2 seconds in length)

· Body of the video

· End: Two text screens. The first screen shows the names of the individuals involved with the project and “credits” (who did what) (2 seconds). The second screen must identify the target audience, a purpose for the project, and outside sources used. Example: The intent of this project was to promote healthy eating in inactivate 10 year olds. If more than one screen is required for credits, a third screen can be added.

· Limited use of music is permissible, but should not dominate the overall message

A - Final Exam

All students who contract for the “A” grade must complete the “A” final exam. Details of the exam, e.g., question type, length, etc., will be provided in class. A maximum of 5 points can be earned on the “A” final exam.

Information for all PsTL 1990 Students

Group Project

Every student in PsTL 1990 will participate in a couple (as least 2) group projects during the semester Specific details for this project will provided in class

Attendance Policy Clarification

If you have to miss class due to illness or special commitments, be sure to notify Murray by e-mail prior to the class meeting and arrangements will be made to complete all assigned course work If you simply skip class without notifying Murray your grade will be reduced by one letter grade for each miss This may seem quite strict, but participating in class discussions is an essential component to this course

OFFICIAL U of M INFORMATION

Missed Exams

If you miss any of the exams because of an illness, family emergency, or legitimate University activity (eg, intercollegiate athletic event), you will have 48 hours (or until the next class period, whichever period is longer) to take the exam It is your responsibility to contact me and arrange for the make-up exam All make-up exams will consist of short-answer and essay questions, will be “closed book,” and will be completed in my office (i.e., they are not take-home exams) If you miss the final exam, you’ll receive a grade of zero on the exam

University Grading Standards

A - achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements

B - achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements

C - achievement that meets the course requirements in every respect

D - achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course requirements

S - achievement that is satisfactory, which is equivalent to a C- or better

F (or N) - represents failure (or no credit) and signifies that the work was either (1) completed but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit, or (2) was not completed and there was no agreement between the instructor and the student that the student would be awarded an I

I (Incomplete) - assigned at the discretion of the instructor when, due to extraordinary circumstances (eg, hospitalization), a student is prevented from completing the work of the course on time The assignment of an I requires a written agreement between instructor and student that must be completed by the last day of classes

Credits and Workload Expectations

For undergraduate courses, one credit is defined as equivalent to an average of three hours of learning effort per week (over a full semester) necessary for an average student to achieve an average grade in the course For example, a student taking a three-credit course that meets for three hours per week should expect to spend an additional six hours per week on coursework outside the classroom Reading assignments are strict requirements of this course You’ll benefit most and do best on exams and assignments if you read the assignments before coming to class

Homework

Homework assignments are accepted only at the beginning of the class period at which they're due or given; you cannot submit them via e-mail If you don't turn in an assignment at the beginning of the class period in which it is due, you'll receive a grade of zero for that assignment If instructions specify that a homework assignment must be typed, you’ll get no credit for the assignment if it is not typed Similarly, if instructions specify that a homework assignment must be accompanied by supporting materials (eg, a copy of a newspaper article or web-site), you’ll get no credit for the assignment if it is not accompanied by the supporting materials Homework assignments and quizzes will not be returned to you. You cannot make-up missed homework assignments or in-class quizzes

Attendance

I expect you to prepare for and attend every class This is important because class attendance is usually a strong indicator of course performance If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out and learn what was covered

Final Exam

As per the University of Minnesota’s policy, you must take the final exam at the regularly scheduled time I am prohibited from moving the final exam from its scheduled time to a study day or to the last or earlier meetings of the class If you have conflicting final exams (or three exams within a 16-hour period), you may request an adjustment with your college office and with your instructor You must make this request at least two weeks before finals week

Tentative Schedule

The Science and Politics of Genetics and Reproduction

Weekly learning outcomes for PsTL 1990

Weeks 1

Students will be able to:

(Science)

Describe and explain the structure of DNA

Explain the role of DNA in making proteins

Explain the basic biology of sexual reproduction

(Bioethics)

Explain the relationship between DNA and private property (Do you own your DNA?)

Explain the function of a surrogate mother

Explain the bioethical implications of surrogacy

Be able to make an informed decision about cases where surrogate mothers decide to keep the baby (A specific bioethical case study will be used here)

Weeks 2

Students will be able to:

(Science)

Describe and explain the structure of an egg and sperm

Describe the environment of the female reproductive system

Correctly use the terms conception, fertilization, and implantation in relation to pregnancy

(Bioethics)

Briefly explain the history of eugenics

Explain how the government has been involved with reproductive decision-making

Explain the bioethical questions surrounding mandatory sterilization laws

Weeks 3

Students will be able to:

(Science)

Describe the basic biological events involved with pregnancy

Be able to describe the clinical procedures of an abortion

(Bioethics)

Briefly explain the history of abortions, eg, who had them and why?

Briefly explain at least three different religious views of abortion

Be able to describe the history of the Row V Wade abortion law

Describe the relationship between federal law, and individual and religious ethics in relation to abortions

Describe the relationship between the federal government, right to life organizations, “choice” organizations such as Planned Parenthood, and abortion clinics

Weeks 4

Students will be able to:

(Science)

Be knowledgeable of at least one bacterial and one viral sexually transmitted disease

Use the US Center for Disease Control web site to research the state us different sexually transmitted diseases

Describe the science behind treating different sexually transmitted diseases

(Bioethics)

Describe the Tuskegee case of non-treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, and how that event effects today’s laws on experimentation on human subjects

Explain the role of the Center for Disease Control in monitoring sexually transmitted diseases

Explain the bioethical responsibilities of the USA, and other countries, in the HIV pandemic

Weeks 5

Students will be able to:

(Science)

Explain the biology of in vitro fertilization techniques

Explain the biology of fertility drugs

Explain the risks of multiple fertilization events

Explain the scientific rational behind “selective reduction”

(Bioethics)

Explain the role between insurance companies and in vitro fertilization

Explain at least two different religious views of “selective reduction”

Explain the bioethical implications of publicizing multiple birth events such as the Iowa McCoy octuplets

Describe the events in China that have led to the “one child” laws and how those laws related to gender selection, abortion, and infanticide

Other Important Information

Accommodations for Disabilities

Reasonable accommodations will be provided for students with physical, sensory, learning, and psychiatric disabilities If you have a disability that may affect your performance in this course, you may wish to contact your instructor and/or Disability Services, Suite 180, University Gateway, 200 Oak Street SE, phone 612-626-1333 If you provide proper documentation from Disability Services at the beginning of the course (or as soon as the disability is diagnosed), your instructor will try to provide reasonable accommodations to suit your needs

Unclaimed Course-Materials

I will keep unclaimed term papers, exams, etc until the end of next semester If you’ve not picked up the materials by then, I’ll throw them out

E-Mail

University-assigned e-mail accounts (x500) are the University’s official means of communication with all students If you have not done so already, please activate your university e-mail account as soon as possible, and no later than the first day of classes You are responsible for all information sent to you via your University-assigned e-mail account If you choose to forward your University e-mail account, you are responsible for all the information, including all attachments, sent to your University e-mail account

Absences for Religious Holidays

The University of Minnesota permits absences from class for participation in religious observances Students who plan to miss class must 1) inform instructors of anticipated absences at the beginning of the semester, 2) meet with instructors to reschedule any missed labs or examinations, and 3) are responsible for all information covered in the missed classes Instructors are required to assist students in obtaining course materials and assignments distributed during class sessions and to make arrangements for taking missed examinations If you miss an exam because of your observance of or participation in a religious holiday, you must take a make-up exam (see above)

Student Conduct

All activities in the University of Minnesota, including this course, are governed by the University of Minnesota Student Conduct Code Disruptive classroom conduct means engaging in behavior that substantially or repeatedly interrupts the instructor’s ability to teach or student learning The classroom extends to any setting where a student is engaged in work toward academic credit or satisfaction of program-based requirements or related activities Students who engage in behavior that disrupts the learning environment for others may be subject to disciplinary action under the Code In addition, students responsible for such behavior may be asked to cancel their registration (or have their registration canceled) Other aspects of the University of Minnesota’s expectations of students are described at http://www1umnedu/usenate/policies/classexpectguidehtml Read the information at this site

Plagiarism

Academic dishonesty occurs when students turn in work that is not their own as well as in the case of plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when written work 1) fails to cite quotations and borrowed ideas from outside sources, including the Internet and other students’ work, 2) fails to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks, and 3) fails to put summaries and paraphrases in the writer's own words This definition of plagiarism was derived from Diana Hacker's A Writer's Reference, Fourth Edition (Boston: Bedford/St Martin's, 1999) Plagiarism is never acceptable, regardless of the source from which someone steals text (eg, a magazine, book, web page, lab partner, fellow student) All of your written assignments must be written in your own words, even if you work with a classmate when gathering the data, doing the research, studying, etc Do not plagiarize

Academic Honesty and Scholastic Misconduct

Scholastic dishonesty is the submission of false or incomplete records of academic achievement; cheating on assignments or examinations; plagiarizing, altering, forging, or misusing a University academic record; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work; altering, forging, or misusing a University record; acting alone or in cooperation with another person to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; or fabricating or falsifying of data, research procedures, or data analysis, Section IV, Student Conduct Code, Student Judicial Affairs Academic dishonesty in any portion of the academic work for a course shall be grounds for awarding a grade of F or N for the entire course Don’t cheat

Weapons

Guns, knives, and other weapons are forbidden on campus. If you’re seen with or reported to have a weapon, security will be notified immediately

Privacy

Federal laws, state laws, and regents’ policies govern access to students’ records You can view these laws and policies at the Office of the Registrar Note that a spouse, parent, friend, or employer is not necessarily entitled to any more information about your grades or status at the University of Minnesota than is anyone else Guidelines that I’ll follow to ensure your privacy are available at http://onestopumnedu/registrar/Grades/gradereporting/privacyhtml

Harassment
The University of Minnesota is committed to providing a safe climate for all students, faculty, and staff  All persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation  Reports of harassment are taken seriously, and there are individuals and offices available for help  Contact the Department Chair, 140 ApH, 626-8705, or the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 419 Morrill Hall, 624-9547 


Complaints Regarding Teaching/Grading
Students with complaints about teaching or grading should first try to resolve the problem with the instructor involved.  If no satisfactory resolution can be reached, students may then discuss the matter with the Department Chair, 140 ApH, 626-8705, who will attempt to mediate.  Failing an informal resolution, the staff in the PSTL departmental office will facilitate the filing of a formal complaint


Complaints Regarding Advising
Students with complaints about advising should first try to resolve the problem with the advisor involved  If no satisfactory resolution can be reached, students take the matter to CEHD Student Professional Services, 110 Walling Hall, 625-6501  You can also go to 25 ApH for assistance