Imagine you are a professor, charged with teaching a new course. Emory University offers over 1,000 courses in a wide range of academic subjects. You are free to choose whatever subject you want. What class would you create? What would you hope students would leave your class having learned? (Don’t forget to include your class title! ) (250 word limit) “In biology, nothing is clear… just when you think you understand something, you peel off a layer and find deeper complications beneath. ” ~Richard Preston.
Having studied the complex chemistry of cellular respiration and the elaborate mechanics of immunology, I sympathize with Preston’s lament as to biology’s labyrinthine quality. Yet, the enigmatic unknowns of science and the intricacies of molecular biology that coalesce so seamlessly are what draw students, like myself, to the wonders of the biomedical field. I hope to disseminate this passion for biology in a course entitled “From Dolly the Sheep to DNA Sequencing: The Evolution and Ethics of Modern Biology.
” With a seminar-based approach, this class would examine the history and landmark discoveries of biology in the context of current innovations and ethical debates in the field. The class would provide a unique interdisciplinary approach, combining core material and analytics of biology and medicine with the discussion and reasoning skills of sociology, philosophy, and other social sciences.
From delving into the writings of Hippocrates and Thomas Guy to debating the pioneering research in genomics and biotechnology, students would gain a more holistic understanding of the life sciences as they attempt to answer biology’s most elusive mysteries. At the heart of liberal arts curriculum is the belief that students should learn to examine a topic from multiple angles, drawing insight from varied sources and making connections to the real-world. I hope this class will foster a student’s ability to critically “think”- to apply knowledge beyond route memorization.
Especially in the field of biology that emphasizes intricate systems and technical definitions, an acumen as to the practical application of these studies is of the utmost necessity. As a professor, this class would be a joy to teach as the ever changing and advancing nature of the field ensures that the opinions of one class will never mirror another class. From Governor’s school lectures to AP Biology debates, I have always enjoyed classes that provide a depth of discussion, and I would hope to replicate that atmosphere of scholarly inquiry in my own Emory College course.
“FROM DOLLY THE SHEEP TO DNA SEQUENCING: THE EVOLUTION AND ETHICS OF MODERN BIOLOGY” A class that provides an interdisciplinary approach to the very analytical fields of biology and medicine; combining aspects from the social sciences with the core material of biology A discussion, seminar-based approach that examines the history and innovations of biology in the context of current events and ethical debates in the field Delving into the writings of Hippocrates or Thomas Guy to exploring the new frontiers of biotechnology and the biomedical field in genomics or epigenetics.
I hope that this class will foster students ability to actually “think”; This class would force students to apply knowledge beyond route memorization, a skill that would benefit them in any field of study. But especially for the field of biology that involves many intricate systems and technical definitions, an acumen as to the practical application of these studies is of the utmost necessity. This class will teach students to debate with peers, and collaborate in an attempt to reason and answer biology’s most elusive mysteries.
As a professor, this class would be a joy to teach as one course’s topics and discussions will never be the same as the next’s’; in a field that is always changing and advancing, new depths will always be explored and one’s classes opinions will mirror another’s “In biology, nothing is clear, everything is too complicated, everything is a mess, and just when you think you understand something, you peel off a layer and find deeper complications beneath. Richard Preston.