Genes and the Human Condition
| VU Course ID: | HM234 |
| Curriculum: | 6 units |
| Fee: | FREE |
| Textbooks: |
None |
| Prerequisites: | None |
| Instructors: | Raymond J. St. Leger and Tammatha O’Brien |
| Provider: | University of Maryland (via Coursera) |
Recordable:
 |
Verified certificate of completion is available from the provider. You can document this class in your Virtual University e-transcript. |
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starts Class starts June 23, 2014ends Aug 8, 2014)
Check the course home page for future sessions. If none are scheduled, most providers offer an "Add to Watchlist" feature that will notify you when the next available session is announced.
Course Description
This course delves into the essentials of genomics as they relate to your own life and how advances in biotechnology are radically changing the scientific landscape. It opens with an overview of basic issues of genetics, such as the composition of genomes and how an adult human evolves from an egg. Then we will look at more advanced concepts in the field, with an emphasis on behavior -- how do genes determine whether we are nice or become psychopaths? The course explores behavior as a complex unfolding of interactions between your genome and the environment, and looks into the future to consider some of the remarkable breakthroughs in science and technology that lie on the horizon.
| Week 1 – | An Introduction to Genetics Learning the lingo |
| Week 2 – | A History Lesson Comparative Genomics, know thy ancestors |
| Week 3 – | My Genes Made Me Do It An examination of the role of genes in behavior |
| Week 4 – | My Genes Didn’t Make Me Do It Beyond the genes, nature versus nurture, and epigenetics |
| Week 5 – | Introduction to Genetic Engineering An overview of genetic engineering and learning the lingo |
| Week 6 – | The Future is Now Exploring Biotechnology |
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