The Genome Revolution & Its Impact on Society

Overview

The Human Genome Project is a remarkable achievement for science and for society as a whole. It has dramatically increased our knowledge of genetics, heredity, and biology; it suggests wonderful possibilities for medicine, health and other benefits for mankind.  At the same time, this knowledge is having an important, yet sometimes unsettling, impact on wide-ranging aspects of our society.  The goal of this cluster is to explore the "Genome Revolution" in its many forms and help students begin to understand the social, cultural, and scientific meaning of genomic advances and the questions such advances pose for our collective future.  Each of the courses in the cluster will explore the theme from a different perspective, with the result that students will be exposed to the complexity of the subject and will develop an enhanced understanding of the issues that we face as a society and as individuals.  This cluster is designed for students with widely varied interests, ranging from humanities students with little science background, to potential science majors who hope to understand the scientific and social implications of their future work.

Take a quick look at last year’s cluster: Genome Revolution Snapshot!

Courses

Seminar: Biology 195S Genomes, Biology & Medicine

Huntington Willard, Director, Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy; Nanaline H. Duke Professor of Genome Sciences, Departments of Biology and Molecular Genetics & Microbiology; Vice Chancellor for Genome Sciences

This course examines the science of the human and other genomes and genetic variation among individuals, populations and species.  This course will explore what genetics and genomics reveals about topics such as evolution, race, infectious disease, sex, aging, athletics and behavior, and how the mapping and sequencing of the human and other genomes is revolutionizing the life sciences, engineering and medicine.  Advanced placement credit in biology is recommended for this course.
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Seminar: Public Policy Studies 81FCS Ethical, Legal & Social Implications of the Genome Revolution

Susanne Haga, Assistant Research Professor, Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy; and, Lauren Dame, Senior Lecturing Fellow, Duke School of Law; Assistant Director, Center for Genome Ethics, Law & Policy, Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy

In the fifty–plus years since James Watson and Francis Crick elucidated the structure of DNA, our knowledge and understanding of genetics and genomics has increased dramatically, with genetic discoveries moving rapidly from the laboratory to the physician’s office and other practical applications.  It has become a truism that the scientific discoveries of the genome revolution are occurring faster than society’s ability to resolve the ethical, legal and policy questions posed by the discoveries.

In this seminar, we will examine the complex ethical, legal and policy issues arising in response to advances in genome sciences.  We will address issues raised by medical (e.g., genetic testing) and non–medical applications of genomics (e.g., forensics); consider the use and misues of “genetics” during the eugenics movement in America; examine issues raised by genomic research such as openaccess, DNA banking, and human subjects protections; explore the commercialization of genomic–based applications (e.g., ancestry testing, nutrigenomics, and behavioral genetics); and consider the impact of genetic information on family law, criminal law, privacy rights and employment.
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Seminar: Computer Science 04G Introduction to Computational Genomics

Terry Furey, Assistant Professor, Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy

Students will explore the role of computation in prior and current biological research, both in large–scale genomics projects such as the human genome project and in basic biology and medical research.  This course will give students an introduction into programming including scripting, CGI programming, dynammic programming, and web protocols.  Students will also have an introduction into specific algorithms, tools, and resources for biological research including genome sequence alignment and database design and mining.  The course will examine the technical and social implications of genomics and genome studies made possible by advances in algorithms, computational methods, and computational models.  Prior knowledge of or experience in computer programming or computer science is not required.  This is an introductory course.
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Seminar: Religion 89FCS American Protestantism, Scientific Progress & National Identity

Amy Laura Hall, Associate Professor of Theological Ethics, Divinity School; Department of Religion

From the brothers Fosdick to Francis Collins, some of the key players in the rise of genomics have been mainline Protestants.  In this course, students will consider not only the particular historical links between mainline Protestantism and scientific progress in the U.S., but also how hope in human ingenuity and an aspiration to craft a better nation through science is characteristic of American Protestantism.  With attention to secondary accounts by cultural historians of science as well as primary texts from the marketing of science (including the Human Genome Project) to the public, this course will consider how to interpret culturally "the rise of the new biology" in the United States.
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Focus 99 Special Topics in Focus: The Genome Revolution

Misha Angrist, Science Editor, Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy

This weekly discussion course will give students and faculty opportunities to integrate the sometimes disparate elements of genomics and the various human endeavors it touches, be they biological, technological, ethical, legal, cultural and/or religious.  If there is an overarching theme to the course, it might be our evolving view of the human genome: what was once an abstraction can now fit comfortably on a USB drive.  And what was once a distant dream, the province only of genome entrepreneur Craig Venter and an anonymous DNA donor in Buffalo, can soon be yours: your own genome sequence.  But...do you want to open the black box and do you—does anybody—know what you should do with it?  We will explore these and many other questions through discussions, popular and scientific articles, film, art, literature and an all–star cast of guest speakers from all walks of life who are united by an abiding interest in the genome sciences and what they might mean for all of us.
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