Course Description

Since the 1944 discovery that DNA is the universal genetic code, this young science has advanced by leaps and bounds: scientists can now decipher, examine and modify the blueprints for life. As its title suggests, this course emphasizes the relation between the underlying science of genetics, the study of genomes (genomics), and the social, ethical, and legal issues that this work gives rise to genethics. Learners investigate topics such as the history of genetic discovery and molecular lab techniques, and emerge with an understanding of the science and the technology behind breakthroughs like therapeutic cloning and the sequencing of the human genome.

The first part of the course gives learners an opportunity to grapple with the basics of genetics: the underlying science that deals with the transmission of hereditary characteristics and their mechanisms. Starting with an examination of the work of Gregor Mendel, it brings learners up to date on the foundations of modern genetics and explores related issues such as the nature-nurture debate, the theory of evolution, and the role of genetic diversity.  The course goes on to investigate what’s involved in the study of genomics: the technology and science of all the DNA in a cell. Discussions focus on medical advances, and the goals of the Human Genome Project.

Advances in genome research lead directly to an examination of genethics, the social, ethical, and legal implications of developments such as genetically modified organisms, cloning for therapeutic and reproductive purposes, genetic enhancement of humans, and the ownership of genetic information.  Throughout the course, online interaction, scientist-authored essays, video, and simulations enable students to investigate genetic variation and similarities and develop a structure for thinking about ethical issues.

Student Learning Outcomes

In this course, students will:

1. determine the difference between genetics and genomics;
2. apply a framework for examining ethics to the use of genetic technology and society;
3. demonstrate an understanding of the development of the science of genetics and genetic technology;
4. discuss contemporary interpretations of the classic nature vs. nurture debate;
5. generate a plan for teaching data driven lessons about genetics.

Class Schedule

This is a six-week online graduate course with an additional week for assignment completion.  The  course is asynchronous and does not have specific meeting times. Assignments and discussions change on a weekly basis. Students are expected to complete work within the specific week it is assigned.

For the current schedule of offerings, please visit www.amnh.org/learn/calendar

Instructors

This graduate course is co-taught by an experienced educator along with a research scientist.

For current instructor information, please contact learn@amnh.org.

Format

1. Genetics, Genomics, Genethics is a six-week online graduate course with an additional week for assignment completion. Enrollment is restricted to current or future educators. No prior course in evolutionary science is required.
2. Weekly activities introduce the basic tools used in the field of biotechnology. A framework for examining ethical issues is used to examine and discuss the impacts of genetic technology on society. Computer interactives, image galleries, and videos will help learners visualize and master the content.
3. Online discussions encourage reflection on course content, support and model the inquiry process, and sustain interaction between the offering scientists, seminar instructors, and course members.
4. Final projects support the creation on inquiry-based lesson plans focused on a key course concept that might be incorporated into your teaching practice.

Required Textbook

This course requires the following textbook:

Welcome to the Genome: A User’s Guide to the Genetic Past, Present, and Future (Second Edition)

By Rob DeSalle, Michael Yudell

Hardcover: 280 pages

Publisher: Wiley; (September 2020)

ISBN: 1118107659

Support Services

Technical support is available by calling (800) 649-6715 or emailing learn@amnh.org.

The American Museum of Natural History welcomes learners with disabilities into its Seminars on Science program and will make reasonable accommodations for them. Please contact learn@amnh.org if you require information about requesting accommodation services. These services are only available to registered students with documented disabilities. Please submit requests at least two weeks prior to the start of the course.

Grading

Assessments are based on a detailed grading rubric developed for this course:

1. Course assignments will include reflection questions and written assignments.
2. Class participation will be evaluated based on the quality and consistency of contribution to the discussion forum. The grades for participation will be posted two weeks after each question opens.
3. Final Project: There are two options for the course project:

Option I: Application in the Classroom

This option is for learners who would like an opportunity to develop an application based on the course content that could be taught to students or other educators. The final form may be a unit or workshop plan (if it will be used as part of a professional development experience).

                Option II: Application in Ethics

This option is for learners who would like an opportunity to further explore the ethical issues related to the Science content presented in this course. The task is to choose one of the ethical questions raised and examine various viewpoints or perspectives.

4. Policy: Everything submitted as an assignment, project, or discussion post must be an original work. References to resource materials are expected and proper citation is required. Assignments are due on the dates specified. Late submissions will be penalized 10%. Revised assignments that incorporate your instructor’s feedback will be accepted until the course ends.

Weekly Overview and Expectations

Week 1: Introduction

During the first week learners are introduced to the course authors, Drs. Rob DeSalle and Claudia Englbrecht, and begin to explore the history of the science of genetics. An introductory essay defines key terms and previews the science, technology, and ethics of molecular biology. The history of genetics is examined with an in depth look at the experiments of Gregor Mendel. A foundation for the rest of the course is established by a review of some of the basics of genetics including how hereditary units, called genes, are transmitted and expressed. Learners are also introduced to a structure for thinking ethically that will frame an examination of social issues that arise as our knowledge of our genome increases.

Expectations

• Determine the difference between genetics and genomics.
• Trace Gregor Mendel's work as the father of genetics, and become familiar with Mendel's basic tenets.
• Examine basic principles of inheritance such as autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, sex linked, and complex traits.
• Begin to build an organizational structure for thinking about ethical issues.

Outcomes

• Discuss Mendel’s experimental design and achievements and consider why his work was not noticed until much later.

Week 2: Nature versus Nurture

Nature and nurture is a phrase used widely to express the long-standing debate about whether genes are the primary influence on who you are or whether environmental influences play a role. The first essay this week explores the evidence showing that neither of these extremes is correct; we are the result of cooperation between genes and the environment. Next we consider the evolution of species by means of mutation, natural selection, and chance.In the final essay this week, we look at the science of epigenetics, which explores how changes to DNA that aren't mutations can be passed on to future generations.

Expectations

•  Examine the "cooperation" between our genes and our environment.
•  Analyze what determines the evolution of a species.
• Consider how modifications in epigenetics and the epigenome relate to gene expression and evolution.

Outcomes

• Discuss how much of a trait is influenced by genes and how much is by the environment.
• Discuss how understanding nature vs. nurture could impact society.
• Using HHMI’s Biology of Skin Color make data-informed inferences about the diversity of skin color observed in humans.

Week 3: Recent Advances in the Field

In the year 2000, the company Celera and the official Human Genome Project jointly announced the first working draft of the human genome. Since then genomic technology has advanced considerably and the focus of research has changed. The week begins by defining what a genome is and how it differs from person to person. We then explore what coding and non-coding DNA is, and examine some ways that the latter functions in a cell. A review of the history of genetic lab techniques helps put the rapid advance of genomic science into perspective. The discussion drives an exploration of an online catalog of human genes and genetic disorders and a computer simulation will help us understand the process of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). This week, learners also begin to consider the final project options.

Expectations

• Learn about the Human Genome Project.
• Recognize the elements that comprise a genome.
• Trace the genetic discoveries and the development of molecular lab techniques from the 1940s to the present
• Become familiar with the molecular laboratory techniques used for extracting, sequencing, and analyzing DNA sequences.
• Learn about the Human Microbiome Project

Outcomes

• Discuss the information and possible applications of the OMIM website, an online catalog of human genes and genetic disorders.
• Use an interactive to explore the Polymerase Chain Reaction and consider how it has revolutionized genetic research.
• Present initial ideas for the Final Project.

Week 4: Genomics 2.0

Modern genomic techniques have raised issues about how to handle and use the enormous amount of data that is being generated. This week, learners find out how the technique of metagenomics is changing the way we understand the diversity of life around us, including the microbes that live in and on our own bodies. The role of model organisms is introduced. One of the major long-term goals of the Human Genome Project was the assessment of human variation. Why is human variation so interesting, and what are its implications for our species? Finally, learners explore what our growing knowledge of the human genome allows us to infer about our past, and the potential for genomics to influence medical treatment. The assignment is to do a dive into the pros and cons of a genetically modified organism.

Expectations

• Learn about Metagenomics and environmental sampling.
• Examine why particular organisms are considered genetic model organisms.
• Determine the importance of having model organisms to study.
• Consider human variation and pharmacogenetics.

Outcomes

• Discuss the implications of genomic technologies.
• Investigate a genetically modified organism; determine how and why it was modified, and determine the pros and cons of the modification.

Week 5: The Ethical Implications of Reshaping our World (Part One)

The Genomic Age has yielded amazing breakthroughs, but it will also affect and challenge conventional ethics. In a short summary, Dr. Rob DeSalle introduces the complex subject of genethics and defines several questions that society is likely to face in the near future. In a guest lecture, David and Sheila Rothman discuss the pros and cons of using human gene-technology for life improvement rather than to cure disease. The implications of new cloning technologies are presented, including the issue of cloning humans. We discuss the application of PCR to identify and conserve an endangered species, as well as the implications of genomic technology for agriculture. Learners submit an outline of their final project.

Expectations

• Learn about the ethical issues that arise as our knowledge of our genome increases.
•  Investigate the differences between cure and genetic enhancement in humans.
• Review the techniques used in cloning and genetic engineering.
• Examine the pros and cons of genetic technology in agriculture.

Outcomes

• Discuss the ethical implications of cures and enhancements.
• Complete a rough draft of the Final Project.

Week 6: The Ethical Implications of Reshaping our World (Part Two)

This week, our growing knowledge of our genome gives us new ways to think about who we are. Eminent bioethicist Arthur Caplan uses real-life examples to describe some of the moral dilemmas that genetic information poses, and that promise to become more common and more problematic in the near future. The second essay discusses “DNA fingerprinting,” a molecular technology that has become central to forensics, paternity testing, conservation biology, evolutionary biology and ancestry research. “Darwinʼs Pedigree” traces his mitochondrial lineage to arrive at some findings that might have intrigued the great scientist. The final essay address the thorny relationship between race and ancestry, and how genetic information can inform who we think we are. Learners submit their final project.

Expectations

• Consider the ethical issues that arise as our knowledge of our genome increases.
• Reflect on possible uses and abuses of the new genetic technology.

Outcomes

• Discuss the issues surrounding genetic testing.
• Complete the Final Project.