SCPP BC 3333x Genetics, Biodiversity & Society

Module I: Development and Valuation of Plant Genetic Resources. Science and consequences of plant breeding, biotechnology, and genetic engineering; costs and benefits of maintaining biodiversity; public policy issues and options. Module II: Genetic Technology and Society. Human genome project, scientific basis and interpretation of genetic screening; individual choice, social implications, and ethical issues. - B. Morton (Biology), S. Pereira (Economics), P. Ammirato (Biology), D. Spar (ex oficio)
Prerequisites: Instructor's permission required. Students should contact B. Morton. General Education Requirement: Reason and Value (REA). General Education Requirement: Ethics and Values.
4 points

SCPP BC 3334y Science, State Power & Ethics

A comparative study of science in the service of the State in the U.S., the former Soviet Union, Fascist Italy, and Nazi Germany during pivotal periods through the first half of the 20th century. Topics to be covered include the political and moral consequences of policies based upon advances in the natural sciences making possible the development of TNT, nerve gas, uranium fission and hydrogen fusion atomic bombs. Considers the tensions involved in balancing scientific imperatives, patriotic commitment to the nation-state, and universal moral principles � tensions faced by Robert Oppenheimer, Andrei Sakharov, Neils Bohr and Werner Heisenberg. Selected readings include: Michael Frayn�s play Copenhagen,Hitler�s Uranium Club by Jeremy Bernstein, Brecht's Galileo, John McPhee�s The Curve of Binding Energy, Richard Rhodes� The Making of the Atomic Bomb.- T. Halpin-Healy (Physics), R. Pious (Political Science)
Prerequisites: INSTRUCTOR'S PERMISSION REQUIRED; Enrollment limited to 12 students. General Education Requirement: Social Analysis (SOC). General Education Requirement: Reason and Value (REA). General Education Requirement: Ethics and Values. Not offered in 2013-2014.
4 points

SCPP BC 3335x Environmental Leadership, Ethics & Action

Reviews environmental literature to examine consequences of human interaction with Earth's ecosystem. Module I: The Individual: Relationship of Humankind to Natural World. Human role in environmental decline. Module II: The Community: Coming Together for Greater Good. Key theories of environmental ethics and social justice. Module III: Environmental Stewardship: Successful Models of Leadership. Student teams research and create stewardship projects. Science, non-science, fiction, and non-fiction texts. - D. Dittrick (Environmental Science), R. Balmer (Religion)
Prerequisites: One year of college science. Enrollment limited to 16 students. Instructor's permission requirement. Contact D. Dittrick. General Education Requirement: Reason and Value (REA). General Education Requirement: Ethics and Values.
4 points

SCPP BC 3340x Exhibitions: Engaging Public Understanding

Museum exhibitions educate the public, inform discourse, and shape opinion. Students work with curators and exhibition designers on conceptualization and research, design and preparation, writing interpretative material, and developing media and ancillary programming. Students engage in the communication of learning goals through both the exhibition's content and its physical manifestation.