Courses and Seminars

Education is an important part of the HSCI mission. One course for undergraduates, Stem Cells and Cloning, is already in its third year - and its popularity has spawned many others, including graduate, postgraduate and clinical courses in areas including biology, philosophy and ethics. All of these classes place a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary education. Below is a partial list of the 2007-2008 Harvard courses that address stem cell related topics.

Please note that this is a descriptive list only and students should refer to the Office of the Registrar Course Guide for scheduling and location information.

Undergraduate | Undergraduate and Graduate | Graduate

MCB 118. Developmental Biology

Andrew P. McMahon

A comprehensive lecture course in developmental biology. Principles and mechanisms of development analyzed using molecular, cellular, and genetic dissection of predominantly animal models will focus on events that underlie the molding of the body plan of an embryo, moving from simple to complex, generating the form and function of the adult. The role of similar mechanisms in regeneration and repair will be discussed.

MCB 125. Stem Cells and Cloning

Douglas A. Melton

An advanced course in developmental biology. Embryonic and adult stem cells in different organisms will be examined in terms of their molecular, cellular and potential therapeutic properties. Genetic reprogramming by nuclear transfer and cloning animals will be critically evaluated. Current findings will be considered in a historical context; ethical and political considerations will not be ignored.

MCB 141. Molecular and Developmental Neurobiology

Catherine Dulac

Molecular basis of sensory perception and formation of related neuronal networks during vertebrate development. Topics will include: mechanisms of sensory discrimination at the level of receptor molecules and receptor cells; coding of sensory information by the brain; establishment of appropriate connections in the developing brain. Molecular and genetic approaches to memory and behavior will be discussed.

MCB 192. Principles of Drug Discovery and Development

Mark C. Fishman (Medical School), Vicki L. Sato, and Gregory L. Verdine

How is new medicine created? What steps are taken to go from observed medical need to efficacious treatment with minimal side effects? Case-study based introduction to the process of Drug Discovery co-taught by Harvard faculty and researchers from the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research. Topics include: identifying possible drug targets, chemical screening and lead discovery, medicinal chemistry, drug formulation, preclinical safety and clinical trials. Readings and assignments drawn from primary scientific literature and drug study reports.

Biophysics 101. Genomics, Computing, Economics, and Society

George M. Church (Medical School)

This course will focus on understanding aspects of modern technology displaying exponential growth curves and the impact on global quality of life through a weekly updated class project integrating knowledge and providing practical tools for political and business decision-making concerning new aspects of bioengineering, personalized medicine, genetically modified organisms, and stem cells. Interplays of economic, ethical, ecological, and biophysical modeling will be explored through multi-disciplinary teams of students, and individual brief reports.

Biophysics 170. Quantitative Genomics

Shamil R. Sunyaev (Medical School) and members of the Committee

Introduction to genomics with in-depth study of four areas: models of evolution and population genetics; comparative genomics: analysis and comparison; structural genomics: protein structure, evolution and interactions; functional genomics, gene expression, structure and dynamics of regulatory networks.

Government 1093. Ethics, Biotechnology, and the Future of Human Nature

Michael J. Sandel and Douglas A. Melton

Explores the moral, political, and scientific implications of new developments in biotechnology. Does science give us the power to alter human nature? If so, how should we exercise this power? The course examines the science and ethics of stem cell research, human cloning, sex selection, genetic engineering, eugenics, genetic discrimination, and human-animal hybrids. Meets jointly with Biological Sciences 60.

History of Science 130. History of Modern Biology

Everett I. Mendelsohn

The history of biology 1750 to the present?natural history, experimental biology, molecular biology. Topics include function of cells and organisms; species and classification; evolution and the unification of the life sciences; populations, heredity, genetics and eugenics; relationships: field and laboratory, biology, chemistry and physics, machines and molecules, biology and society; the challenges of cloning, genetic engineering, and biotechnology. (DF:M2)

History of Science 149. Medical Technologies in Historical Perspective: Conference Course

Evelynn M. Hammonds

The course examines the ways in which various medical technologies, shaped and were shaped by, physician and nurse practices and goals as well as ideas about patient care in American medicine from the 19th-century to the present. We will look at how the meanings attached to medical technologies grew out of specific historical, social, political and medical contexts. Medical technologies examined include: imaging machines; clinical, diagnostic and genetic tests; reproductive technologies; and artificial organs. (DF:M2)

History of Science 160. Intellectual Property in Science

Mario Biagioli

We examine different forms of credit for scientific and technological innovation, comparing publication credit in science and use of patents to protect technoscientific work. Readings range from history of technoscience to legal and literary studies. (DF:M1)

History of Science 183. Social and Political Implications of Technology: Conference Course

Peter Buck

Historical studies of how technology shapes society and politics. Interactions between social engineering and the management of technological change; specific technologies vs. expectations about technology in general as limiting the possibilities for social and political change. Examples drawn from war, transportation, communication, and production. (DF:M1)

History of Science 230. ïScience Inc.Í: Governing and Funding Knowledge in the Modern Age

Sarah Jansen

States, the private sector, and international organisations, as patrons of science and shapers of knowledge. Cases include biotechnologies such as stem cell research and genomics, science policies in international comparison.

History of Science 244. Research in the History of Medical Ethics: Seminar

Allan M. Brandt

Course provides a framework for the historical examination of debates concerning medical ethics, and seeks to identify social, cultural, political, and economic forces that have shaped value conflicts in clinical medicine and health policy. Students are expected to write a research paper utilizing primary and archival source materials. (DF:M2)

Philosophy 149z. Philosophy of Science

Peter Godfrey-Smith (Australian National University)

Survey of 20th century views on the nature of scientific knowledge. Topics include: logical empiricism, Popper and ñfalsifiability,î induction and confirmation and their paradoxes, models of explanation, scientific realism, Kuhn, Lakatos, Feyerabend, and the relations between philosophy, history, and sociology of science.

Philosophy 176. Topics in Bioethics: Proseminar

Frances Kamm (Kennedy School)

Issues in bioethics and aspects of normative ethical theory bearing on them. Topics to be selected from the following: aggregation and the distribution of scarce resources, discrimination and disability, death and assisted suicide, abortion, the moral status of the embryo, genetic modification and enhancement. Readings from contemporary philosophical sources.

Religion 1470. Introduction to Ethics

Arthur J. Dyck (Public Health, Divinity School)

An introductory analysis of the major questions of ethics regarding the identification, justification, and attainment of what is moral for individuals and communities. Readings include classical and modern texts, both philosophical and theological, and acquaint the student with contemporary modes of moral reasoning.