Wikipedia:Canada Education Program/Courses/Present/Genetics in Everyday Life (Tom Haffie)/Course description

Course description
This course is about intersections, interactions and inter-relationships. I intend for the course content to arise out of the space where the principles, theories and technologies of modern genetics intersect with the interests of the class. Although there will be a broad public and common backbone of the course, you will also be invited to engage with a more personal and unique component that “unpacks” a topic of particular interest to you.

The specific group of participants interacting in this offering of the course constitutes a unique mix of academic background, life experience and interest. This is “The GEL”; the community of learners that has gathered around the topic of Genetics in Everyday Life. The GEL is cohesive in that we are all bound by a common desire to understand more deeply. Our success will be largely determined by the creativity and productivity of our face-to-face and on-line interactions within various structures and exercises. The GEL is also pliable enough to accommodate diversity, surprise, experimentation and exciting current events. In the end, it is my hope that our course will have positive impacts well beyond the traditional boundaries of University education.

The main inter-relationship that I’m hoping to explore is the one between Science and Society. As we all come to grips with the implications of expanding genetic knowledge for our everyday lives, we will highlight areas in which controversy erupts at the interface of Science and the societal context in which it is practiced.

Welcome all.

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