Download BIOL 309, Ukiah Fall 2013, Course Schedule

Sonoma State University
Liberal Studies Program, Ukiah, Fall 2013
BIOL 309, Biology of Cancer, Section TBD
Instructor:
Office Hours and Location:
Telephone:
Email:
Class Meetings:
Classroom:
Prerequisites:
GE/SSU Studies Category:
Dr. Rachel Donham
TBD
(707) 468-3169
[email protected], [email protected]
This is a hybrid course, designed with four in-class meetings
and nine weeks conducted on Moodle. We will be meeting in
person on Saturdays (8/31, 9/28, 10/26, 11/16) from 9:00 a.m.12:00 p.m. The course begins on 8/24 (online).
Sonoma State University Outreach, Mendocino College
Campus, Ukiah
(BIOL 110, 115 or 121/122)
GE Category 3B
Course Description
This course covers the biological, clinical, environmental, and psychosocial aspects of cancer explored through
the perspectives of medical researchers, physicians, patients, and health educators. This lecture series is
intended for students of all majors, for those in the health professions and for the general public. It is designed
so that everyone (regardless of scientific background) will benefit.
Course Goals and Student Learning Objectives
Learning Outcomes (LO)
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Utilize critical thinking skills to evaluate case studies of cancer.
2. Differentiate between types of cancers and their impacts on cells, tissues and the body.
3. Differentiate between different methods of detection, treatment and prevention of cancer.
4. Evaluate and present information regarding the psychosocial aspects of cancer on an individual, family,
community and worldwide level.
5. Utilize the scientific method to evaluate the potential action of carcinogenic substances.
Required Texts/Readings
Textbook
Cancer: Basic Science and Clinical Aspects by C.A. Almeida and S.A. Barry. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. ISBN:
978-1-4051-5606-6.
Other Readings
Throughout the course, you will be reading papers from several sources. The specifics for these articles and
other websites will be listed on Moodle as they become available.
Classroom Protocol
Participation in discussions is an expected part of this class. Turn cell phones off or onto silent ring during the
lecture. Please arrive on time! Students arriving late will be penalized by a 10 point drop in their grade.
Dropping and Adding
Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drops, academic renewal, etc.
Information on add/drops are available at http://www.sonoma.edu/ar/registration/addclasses.shtml. Students
should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for adding and dropping classes.
Course Requirements
Exams: There will be four exams during the semester (each worth 50 points) that will test your understanding
of the learning outcomes. Exams will consist of multiple choice, true/false and essay questions. Exams will be
taken online via Moodle.
Assignments: You will be completing three assignments throughout the class. These assignments will be
posted on Moodle and are worth up to 20 points each.
Discussions: There will be six online discussions throughout the course. To achieve full credit, you must
submit an original post that is 30 words or longer, and you must respond to two other discussion posts from
other students (these should also be 30 words or longer). All posts must be respectful of others and original.
Each discussion will be worth up to 20 points.
Grading Policy
The point and grade assignment break-down is as follows:
4 Exams (50 points each)
3 Assignments (20 points each)
6 Discussions (20 points each)
Total Points Possible
200 points
60 points
120 points
380 points
Grade Assignments:
A:
93.1-100%
A- : 90-93%
B+ : 87-89.9%
B:
83.1-86.9%
B- : 80-83%
C+ : 77-79.9 %
C:
73.1-76.9%
C- : 70-73%
D+ : 67-69.9%
D:
63.1-66.9%
D- : 60-63%
F:
59.9-0%
University Policies
Academic integrity
Students should know that the University’s Cheating and Plagarism policy is available at
http://www.sonoma.edu/UAffairs/policies/cheating_plagiarism.htm. Your own commitment to learning, as
evidenced by your enrollment at Sonoma State University and the University’s policy, require you to be honest
in all your academic course work.
Instances of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Cheating on exams or plagiarism (presenting the work of
another as your own, or the use of another person’s ideas without giving proper credit) will result in a failing
grade and sanctions by the University. For this class, all assignments are to be completed by the individual
student unless otherwise specified.
Campus Policy on Disability Access for Students
"If you are a student with a disability and you think you may require accommodations, please register with the
campus office of Disability Services for Students (DSS), located in Salazar Hall - Room 1049, Phone: (707)
664-2677, TTY/TDD: (707) 664-2958. DSS will provide you with written confirmation of your verified
disability and authorize recommended accommodations. This authorization must be presented to the instructor
before any accommodations can be made." The policy can be found at
http://www.sonoma.edu/uaffairs/policies/disabilitypolicy.htm
Emergency Evacuation
If you are a student with a disability and you think you may require assistance evacuating a building in the event
of a disaster, you should inform your instructor about the type of assistance you may require. You and your
instructor should discuss your specific needs and the type of precautions that should be made in advance of such
an event (i.e. assigning a buddy to guide you down the stairway). We encourage you to take advantage of these
preventative measures as soon as possible and contact the Disability Services for Students office if other
classroom accommodations are needed.
SSU Writing Center
The SSU Writing Center is located in Schulz 1103. The Writing Center helps SSU students, faculty, and staff
members (as well as members of the wider community) become better writers and produce better written
documents. The Writing Center website is located at
http://www.sonoma.edu/programs/writingcenter/default.html.
BIOL 309, Ukiah Fall 2013, Course Schedule
Date
Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
8/24
Lecture: Introduction to Cancer and the Cell
ONLINE Reading: Chapters 1, 2
Assignment: Perform a Cancer Survey of your peers. Design a 5 question survey to establish a
person’s knowledge of this disease. This may require you to research the answers to the questions you
are asking. Please give this survey to 5 of your peers, and report the results to me. This assignment is
due 8/30 by noon.
Exam I will be due 9/6 by noon. This exam covers information from 8/24 and 8/31.
Lecture: Human Genome, Cell Cycle, Tumors
Reading: Chapters 3, 4, 5
8/31
IN
CLASS
9/7
Lecture: Cancer Screening, Detection and Diagnostics
ONLINE Reading: Chapter 6
Discussion: Do you think it is ethical for a company to hold patents on the BRCA1 and BRCA2
genes? Why or why not? This discussion is due 9/13 by noon.
Exam II will be due 9/27 by noon. This exam covers information from 9/7, 9/14, and 9/21.
9/14
Lecture: Treatments
ONLINE Reading: Chapter 7
Assignment: Is it ethical to use animals for cancer research? This discussion is due 9/20 by noon.
9/21
Lecture: Cervical Cancer
ONLINE Reading: Chapter 10
Discussion: Do you think it was ethical to preserve the HeLa cells in 1951? Do you think it would be
ethical to preserve cells from cancer patients today? This discussion is due 9/27 by noon.
9/28
Lecture: Breast and Ovarian Cancers
IN
Reading: Chapters 8, 9
CLASS
Exam III will be due 10/18 by noon. This exam covers information from 9/28, 10/5, and 10/12.
10/5
Lecture: Prostate Cancer
ONLINE Reading: Chapter 11 and article ( http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/11/14/estrogen-in-drinking-waterprostate-cancer_n_1093696.html)
Discussion: Should hormonal birth control pills be banned due to the information presented in the
article? This discussion is due 10/11 by noon.
10/12
Lecture: Testicular Cancer
ONLINE Reading: Chapter 12
Discussion: Should parents who are known carriers of a gene that predisposes them to have cancer be
mandated to screen their children for the gene? Why or why not? This discussion is due by 10/18 at
noon.
10/19
Lecture: Skin Cancer
ONLINE Reading: Chapter 13
Assignment: Research a carcinogen that you are exposed to, and report back how you can limit your
exposure. This assignment is due 10/25 by noon.
10/26
IN
Exam IV will be due 11/22 by noon. This exam covers information from 10/19, 10/26, and 11/2,
11/9 and 11/16.
Lecture: Lung Cancer
Reading: Chapter 14
CLASS
11/2
Lecture: Colorectal Cancer
ONLINE Reading: Chapter 15
Discussion: Should we ban all products on Prop 65? Why or why not? What factors are important in
your decision? This discussion is due 11/8 by noon.
11/9
Lecture: Current Cancer Topics
ONLINE Reading: TBA
Assignment: What are 5 things you can do to prevent yourself from developing cancer? This is due
11/15 by noon.
11/16
Lecture: Leukemia and Lymphoma
IN
Reading: Chapter 16
CLASS
This schedule is subject to change, changes will be posted at least 2 days prior to each lecture on the course
website.