Course Description
Students will receive training in effective oral communication skills and will be exposed to concepts of ethics and ethical behavior. Each student will then pick a topic in biotechnology and examine the ethical ramifications associated with it. Each student will present his/her case study in a seminar for the rest of the class. Students will have the opportunity to practice and fine tune their presentations, which will be followed by a brief class discussion and analyses of the delivery and the content of the presentation.
Athena Title
Ethics and Comm in Biotech
Non-Traditional Format
Lectures and student presentations, practice sessions for presentations, and group discussions/analyses of student presentations.
Prerequisite
BIOL 1107 or ADSC 3130 or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
At the completion of this course students should be able to: Effectively communicate about issues in biotechnology in a variety of media and to a variety of audiences. Discuss and debate topics dealing with ethical issues in biotechnology. Create and implement presentations aimed at scientific and public audiences. Use effective visual aids such as Power Point. Apply relevant ethical principles and values.
Topical Outline
Part 1: Effective oral communication skills Making a PowerPoint presentation Part 2: Defining ethics Relevant standards of conduct and professional codes of ethics Scientific integrity and responsible conduct of scientific research Part 3: Each student selects a biotechnological topic with ethical ramifications. A few examples would include genetic engineering, cloning, stem cells, patenting of life, and corporate domination. Each student will then prepare a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation on his/her topic, and present it to the class. Each presentation will be followed by a brief analysis and discussion.
Syllabus