Promise and Perils of Stem Cells

Course Syllabus

BIOB 191 sect 01; CRN 75326

T/Th 2:10 PM - 3:30 PM; Scaggs Building 174 (except Sep 8)

Instructor:Dr. Ekaterina Voronina

Office: ISB 217

Office Hours: by appointment

email:

Course book:

Stem Cells: An Insider’s Guide, Paul Knoepfler, World Scientific Publishing Company, 2013, ISBN 978-9814508803

Supplemental materials will be made available to class in advance of class meetings. The students are responsible for reading the required materials to prepare for class meetings.

Course Description and Goals:

This course will address a complicated biomedical/societal issue: whether and how using stem cells can revolutionize biomedical approaches and how do ethical and political issues affect the adoption of stem cell-based medicine. The course will provide a basic background for understanding cellular development concepts, as they relate to stem cell field (cell types, differentiation, regeneration). The students will be able to participate in the complex ethical debate surrounding the topic of stem cell research

Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to understand what is a stem cell, how is it different from any other cell type, and what general types of stem cells are there.

Students will be able to evaluate safety concerns behind adoption of stem cell-based therapies

Students will be able to discuss ethical, political, and economic issues related to stem cell-based applications

Disability

Students who experience disability-related barriers may request reasonable modifications by contacting me and should register with Disability Services (http://www.umt.edu/dss/). If students elect to use approved academic adjustments, they must provide an advance formal notification from Disability Services to the instructor.

GLI Freshman Lecture Series

Students need to attend two of GLI lectures during the semester (register for the attendance on GLI Moodle). The schedule is attached to this syllabus for your reference.

Course Schedule

Note: lecture topics are subject to change based on students’ progress and needs; however, assignment due dates and exam dates will remain as scheduled.

Week 1

Sep 1Class introduction

Sep 3The parts that make a cell (part of Chapter 5)

Worksheet due (#1)

Week 2

Sep 8Information literacy session. MLIB 283Megan Stark

Sep 10Discovery of stem cells, developmental potency (Chapter 4)

Week 3

Sep 15Stem cells types and their clinical potential (Chapter 2, 3)

Sep 17Stem cell niche and regulation: stem cell support system (part of Chapter 5)

Topic selection due (#2)

Week 4

Sep 22Medical applications of induced pluripotent stem cells (part of Chapter 3)

Sep 24Drug discovery and iPS cells: no animal testing any more? (part of Chapter 3)

Week 5

Sep 29Key roadblocks for stem cell treatment (part of Chapter 3)

Oct 1Exam 1: Stem cells features: cell biology and development

Week 6

Oct 6Laboratory culture of stem cells (part of Chapter 5)

Oct 8Cancer stem cells (part of Chapter 5)

Week 7

Oct 13Biomedical application of stem cells: burn therapy, bone marrow transplantation.

Oct 15Potential use of stem cells to treat brain and spinal cord injury and disease, retina repair (part of Chapter 10)

Technical essay due (#3)

Week 8

Oct 20Potential use of stem cells to treat cardiovascular disease and diabetes

Oct 22Stem cell cosmetics: only skin-deep? (Chapter 11)

Week 9

Oct 27Stem cell as a drug. Working within the research standards framework

Oct 29Ethics of biomedical research

News comments due

Week 10

Nov 3Exam 2: Stem cells biomedical applications: challenges and promise

Nov 5Religion, Politics and International Debate

Week 11:

Nov 10 Intellectual property in biomedical researchJoe Fanguy (Technology

Transfer Office)

Nov 12 Reporting on science and health issuesJoe Eaton (School of Journalism)

Civics essay due (#4)

Week 12

Nov 17Essay on stem cell issueGretchen McCaffrey
(Writing Center)

Nov 19Law and stem cells (Chapter 7)

Week 13

Nov 24Legislation on cloning. Stem cells for profit: ethical approaches

Stem cell bill due (#5)

Nov 26Thanksgiving Break – No Classes

Week 14

Dec 1Can the stem cell debate be resolved? Key people and advocacy groups

News comments due

Dec 3Student-led Group Presentations - Global Issues, Part 1

Week 15

Dec 8Student-led Group Presentations - Global Issues, Part 2

Dec 10 Review

Final Essay Due

Essay: Ethical and political implications of using stem cells to cure disease

Course Format and Grading: This course will combine lecture format with in-class

discussions and problem-solving to present core concepts to the students. Animations and videos will be used to supplement lecture content. We will use discussion of newspaper articles and writing an essay on stem cell issues to practice both evaluating mainstream news media information from a scientific perspective and communicating scientific research to a lay audience.

Exams including multiple-choice and short essay questions will cover the three components based on the three sections of the class:

Exam 1: Stem cell features: cell biology and development

Exam 2: Stem cells biomedical applications: challenges and promise

Final Project: Essay on global medical, ethical, and political implications of using stem cells to cure disease

Grading:

Grades for the course will be assigned based on the cumulative performance and not based on a curve.

A indicates that the work is markedly superior and is without major problems.

B indicated that the work has met all of the requirements of the assignment or course at a level that is above average, and that the student has met most of the goals.

C indicates satisfactory work that is consistently average and that meets the course goals in a sufficient level to pass, even though there may be some problems with the work.

NC indicates that the failure to complete the course or assignments, or work that is below the standard required for awarding the credit.

Exam 1100 pts

Exam 2100 pts

Final Project200 pts

Pre/Post-Assessment 20 pts (=2x10 pts)

Assignments100 pts (=5x20 pts)

Newspaper Article Comments 40 pts (=2x20 pts)

Group Presentation 40 pts

total600 pts

Academic Code

All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University. All students need to be familiar with the Student Conduct Code. The Code is available for review online at http://www.umt.edu/vpsa/policies/student_conduct.php .

Fall 2015 GLI Freshman Lecture Series

The Look of Silence: a film about survivors of the Indonesia Genocide of 1965

Owen Sirrs, Adjunct Professor, Defense Critical Language and Culture Program, Mansfield Center

Friday, September 18 at 7pm – Roxy Theater (718 S Higgins Ave)

Resilient Agriculture: Farming in a Changing Climate

Laura Lengnick, author of Resilient Agriculture

Wednesday, September 23 at 7pm – UC Theater

Kissinger’s Shadow: The Long Reach of America’s Most Controversial Statesman

Greg Grandin, Professor of History, New York University

Monday, October 12 at 8pm – UC Ballroom

Collaborative Responses to Sexual Exploitation in our State

Katharina Werner, YWCA Pathways Program Manager and Detective Guy Baker, Missoula Police Department and FBI Safe Streets Task Force

Wednesday, October 14 at 12:10pm – UC 331

Riot or Rebellion? Understanding the Urban Unrest of 2014-15

Tobin Shearer, Professor of History, University of Montana

Tuesday, November 3 at 7pm – UC Theater

What is the Legacy of 1960s?

Michael Kazin, Professor of History, Georgetown University

Friday, November 6 at 8pm – UC Ballroom

Peaceful Islam or Much ado about ISIS

Dr. Abdelilah Bouasria, Arabic Lead Instructor at the Defense Critical Language and Culture Program Wednesday, November 18 at 12:10pm – UC 331

Shakespeare 451: Shakespeare, Ray Bradbury, and Humanities Teaching Today

Marjorie Garber, Professor of English and Visual and Environmental Studies, Harvard University

Thursday, November 19 at 8pm – UC Ballroom