The sequencing of the human genome is one of the great scientific achievements of the past century. It has been accompanied by the sequencing of the genome of many other organisms, including disease-causing pathogens, as well as animals that are used for laboratory studies. It has also lead to expectations about "personalized" medicine in which personal genetic data is used to make decisions about health care. In this course, we will introduce the basic concepts of genomics, and the accompanying move in biology towards high-throughput methods of data collection, and the rise of computational approaches to analysis of data. We will also discuss the social, ethical and economic implications of genomic science.
Learning Objectives
• To understand the basic impetus and promise of genomic science for health and biological knowledge.
• To understand the social implications of genomic technologies, and why they are accentuated now
• To investigate a detailed issue in the scientific, social or cultural aspects of genomics and present your findings and conclusions to the class.
