EMORY SUPPLEMENT
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."
English: Modified version of Commons image Categor...
A close-up of Dolly in her stuffed form.
Emory UniversityWith 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...