SYLLABUS
NRES 5482, Reg. # 63980
3 cr.
Spring 2003
3:00-6:00 pm M
326 Green Hall, St. Paul
Dr. Anne Kapuscinski and
Dr. Emily Pullins
Institute for Social, Economic, and Ecological Sustainability (ISEES)
186 McNeal Hall
office: (612) 624-7723
fax: (612) 625-8153
Dr. Kapuscinski e-mail: ark@fw.umn.edu
Dr. Pullins: isees@fw.umn.edu
Classes
This advanced student seminar will be taught through a series of lectures, discussions,
and student activities. The course is open to advanced undergraduates and graduate
students from any disciplinary background. Students should have at least an
introductory level of biological science coursework, and should be prepared
to read and research scientific journal articles.
Introduction
Scientists and regulators are now developing methods to ensure the equitable
and safe use of biological technologies, such as genetic engineering and cloning,
and their products, such as transgenic fish, trees and crops. One of the most
important new analytical approaches to assessment and management of these new
technologies is the burgeoning field of biosafety science. Using a combination
of methods such as risk assessment, risk management, safety engineering and
formal deliberative techniques, biosafety science will provide scientifically
sound approaches in the use of new biological technologies.
Along with biosafety science, we will explore the innovations in safety policy that may be necessary for appropriate management and use of biotechnologies. How, we ask, can biotechnological science and its products be openly examined and managed for safety by independent scientists, governments, industry, and concerned citizens? We will explore existing policy programs, national and international, that govern the use of biological technologies currently, and then explore how a focus on safety at the earliest stages of product development may result in changes to existing policies.
Objectives
By the end of the course the student will be able to:
* develop and utilize biosafety science approaches for use in the analytical
assessment of new biological technologies
* access and understand diverse perspectives on biosafety policy
* critically analyze environment and human health safety issues relating to
genetic engineering and other biotechnologies using a multi-disciplinary perspective
* engage their communities in thoughtful discussions about biosafety
* develop and submit an original piece to a peer-reviewed academic journal
Student Activities
The student will participate in the following activities during the course:
* Participate in class discussions
* Read and discuss scientific papers and other assigned reading
* Write and present a 3-5 page individual paper based on literature research
* Write and present a group paper suitable for publication
Individual Paper and
Presentation
The individual paper is due during the sixth week of class; it is a 3-5 page
essay, and can be written from the disciplinary perspective of the student.
This paper can be a literature review on a topic related to genetic engineering
or an analysis of some aspect of a genetically modified organism. The intention
of this assignment is to introduce students to the topic of genetic engineering,
and to make clear the links between their discipline and genetic engineering.
All students will present their papers to the class, and this will introduce
students to the breadth of the interdisciplinary nature of genetic engineering.
Group Paper and Presentation
The group paper should address some aspect of the current governance of biotechnology
and recommendations for improvement. The paper should highlight interdisciplinary
links and integrate material from the course, readings, and an independent literature
search. The topics for the paper should be decided upon by the fourth week of
class, and rough drafts are due on the twelfth week of class. The format of
the paper should conform to the authors guidelines for a peer-reviewed academic
journal of the group's choosing (such as the Environmental Biosafety Research
Journal). Groups must turn in a copy of the journal's instructions to authors
when they turn in the paper. The rough draft will undergo peer editing by students,
then will receive comments by the instructors, and the final paper will be due
on the last week of class. The paper will be presented in the format of an oral
presentation during finals week.
Class assignments
A variety of assignments will be required throughout the course. These include
editing your peers' paper rough drafts, completing a worksheet from the Biosafety
Manual, short essays on a variety of topics, preliminary assignments in support
of the paper, and other assignments that will be announced in class. Consult
the course schedule and instructors for details on how to turn in these assignments;
some will be posted to the website while others will be due at the beginning
of class. More details about how course assignments will be graded are provided
in the handouts to be distributed during class.
A note about group projects
Group projects are an excellent way to learn from your classmates. Individual
grades must be granted for these projects, however. To help resolve this problem,
several assignments related to the group project will receive individual grades.
Also, at the end of the project, we will ask every student to turn in a written
description of your contribution to the project and that of the other members
of the group. The instructors will take this information into consideration
in assigning an appropriate grade to each member of the group.
Grading
This course is offered on an A-F or Pass-Fail basis. Grading will be based on
the following components:
* Class attendance and participation 15%
* Class assignments 5 x 10% = 50%
* Case assignment 5%
* Final group paper 25%
* Paper presentation 5%
If you are having difficulty in this course, we encourage you to consult the Instructors or TA during office hours, or set up an appointment. Please come to us sooner rather than later.
Materials
Reading materials required for this class include:
* Genetically Engineered Organisms: Assessing Environmental and Human Health
Effects, by D.K. Letourneau and B.E. Burrows, Eds., CRC Press, 2001.
* Understanding Risk, by Stern and Fineberg, Eds., National Academy Press, 1997.
* Course packet - one main reader
Subject material
Note that this course deals with some issues that are controversial. We consider
discussion of such differences of opinion to be healthy and appropriate in an
academic setting. However, we expect students to present one's own perspective
and listen and strive to understand other perspectives in a mature and respectful
manner. We expect all students to cooperate fully on group projects with their
peers regardless of differences of opinion.
Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct is defined in the University of Minnesota policy as "the
fabrication or falsification of data, research procedures, or data analysis;
destruction of data for fraudulent purposes; plagiarism; abuse of confidentiality;
or other fraudulent actions in proposing, conducting, reporting, or reviewing
research or other scholarly activity." Such misconduct will not be tolerated
in this course. Students may refer to university policy or consult the Instructors
for further clarification on this subject.
Accessibility of the course:
It is University policy to provide, on a flexible and individualized basis,
reasonable accommodations to students who have disabilities that may affect
their ability to participate in course activities or to meet course requirements.
Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the instructors early in
the semester to discuss their individual needs for accommodations.