GEK1527 / LSM1302 Genes and Society

Module Description
The primary aim of this module is to introduce students to the modern concepts in biology and to enable them to evaluate independently the potential benefits and risk of the biotechnological revolution and its implications for society. The topics taught will cover an understanding of the nature of the genetic material and the passage of information from DNA to protein, as well as the major technologies currently used for genetic engineering. Examples of genetic engineering of micro-organisms, plants and animals will be given in detail, and cloning will also be discussed. The student will become aware of the impact of the various genome projects on their own lives and will also able to recognise difficulties associated with deciding which kinds of genetic engineering are ethically and morally acceptable.

Topics
- Overview: The Past and Present
- Classical Genetics: Genes, Inheritance and Us
- DNA to Proteins: The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology
- Mutation: When the Message Changes
- In Different Operating Systems
- From Detecting and Amplifying DNA to Crime Scene Investigation
- From Cloning and Reading Genes to Health-Risk Assessment
- From Omics and Informatics to Drug Discovery
- Genetic Engineering in Society: Microorganisms, Plants, Animals and Human

H2 biology is not part of the pre-requisite but if you have, you will stand an edge. Most of the topics are not that difficult if you have H2 biology.

Workload
Two two-hours lecture
Lectures were held in LT 32, the lousiest LT in NUS so far due to the dark (thus sleep-inducing) lighting and location. Each semester will be taught by different lecturer and the CA component will be different as well. I was taught by Dr Lam Siew Hong, one of the most passionate lecturer I have ever met. He was highly animated and would share about his works on the Zebrafish. (Despite his interesting lectures, I still fell asleep most of the time)

No tutorials!

Assessment
60% Final (All MCQ)
5% Online Surveys
15% Short Questions
10% Mini Project (I made a brochure on Huntington's Disease)
10% Short Essay (On a certain topic)

I didn't spend a lot of time on each of those CA components. They are usually done within half a day or less if you know what to look for. (Again, basic biology background would be helpful here)

Extra notes to readers: I have important past year papers which helped me A LOT for my final paper. Download them from my Dropbox. (Warning: It's a huge pdf file)
If you want to know more about the module I have taken, you may refer to this list.