Genes and Chemicals in Agriculture: Value and Risk
3 credits / MCB 535, FS 435-435H / 535, TOX 435-435H / 535, BI 435-435H / 535
Spring Term 2011, Peavy Hall 108
Tuesday/Thursday: 8:30-9:50 AM (lecture) / Tuesday 3:00-3:50 PM (recitation)
Students must sign up for both the lecture and recitation section
Instructors: Dr. Steve Strauss, x7-6578 | Dr. Dave Stone, x7-4433
Prerequisite: Students should have junior, senior or grad student standing, and at least two quarters of introductory biology. Satisfies BCC, Science, Technology & Society
Lecture presentations will generally not be available until after lectures are completed
| Wk | Date | Topic | Instructor |
| 1 | Mar 29 | Class organization, rationale, goals. GMO and TOX issues | Strauss/Stone |
| Mar 29 | Strauss | ||
| Mar 31 | Plant genetic engineering methods (SHORT INTRO ESSAY DUE) |
Strauss | |
| 2 | Apr 5 | History of domestication and breeding; green revolution | Hayes |
| Apr 5 | Strauss/Stone | ||
| Apr 7 | Intellectual property in crop breeding and biotechnology | Myers | |
| 3 | Apr 12 | Breeding and genomics concepts, application to animals (READINGS QUIZ 1) |
Harry |
| Apr 12 | Strauss/Stone | ||
| Apr 14 | Animal biotechnology, cloning, rBST for milk production | Harry | |
| 4 | Apr 19 | GMO crops and sustainability | Lambrinos |
| Apr 19 | Stone/Strauss | ||
| Apr 21 | Gene flow and adventitious presence READINGS QUIZ 2) |
Mallory-Smith | |
| 5 | Apr 26 | Toxicology Basics | Stone |
| Apr 26 | Strauss/Stone | ||
| Apr 28 | Natural toxins in food and environment (SECOND ESSAY DUE) |
Stone | |
| 6 | May 3 | MIDTERM - in class (includes entire text book) | Strauss/Stone |
| May 3 | Azarenko | ||
| May 5 | Risk assessment of chemicals | Stone | |
| 7 | May 10 | Regulating GMOs, chemicals and pesticides | Strauss/Stone |
| May 10 | Strauss/Stone | ||
| May 12 | Forest Biotechnology | Strauss | |
| 8 | May 17 | Developmental toxicology | Tanguay |
| May 17 | Strauss/Stone | ||
| May 19 | Bt corn and the StarLink saga THIRD ESSAY DUE) |
Sudakin | |
| 9 | May 24 | Bioreactor crops | Strauss |
| May 24 | Zhu/Strauss/Stone | ||
| May 26 | Nanotechnology and toxicology | Harper | |
| 10 | May 31 | Discussion panel 1: BPA ban/perchlorate regulation | Stone/Strauss |
| May 31 | Stone/Strauss | ||
| June 2 | Discussion panel 2: Ban or label? GE salmon/Amylase corn (WIKIPEDIA ENTRY FOR GRAD-HONORS STUDENTS DUE) |
Stone/Strauss | |
| 11 | June 8 (noon, Pvy 108) |
FINAL EXAM | Strauss/Stone |
At the end of the class, students should be able to describe:
- How organisms have been domesticated, cultivated, and genetically manipulated via conventional breeding, and how biotechnology is similar and different
- The basic methods used to isolate and manipulate genes, and transfer them into plants, animals, and microbes
- The kinds of GE organisms in commercial use, and on the horizon for use in the near to mid-term, including insect-resistant corn, herbicide-resistant crops, medicine-producing livestock, and growth-enhanced fish
- How genetic engineering has modified agricultural practices with respect to pesticide use, soil conservation, water quality, and other environmental measures
- How chemicals are classified and defined in terms of toxicity and nutritional safety
- How environmental impacts of chemical use are studied and analyzed
- How chemical uses have led to unintended consequences, and how these lessons have informed subsequent laws and regulations
- How the toxicity of synthetic and natural chemicals compares and is regulated by governments
- How GE organisms are tested for food and environmental safety in the USA, the government regulatory bodies involved, and their requirement
- How ethical values and perspectives affect social and personal acceptance of GM crops
- How the interests and values of populations in the poor and developing world differ from those in the developed world with respect to GM crops
- The reasons for ideological as well as legal and ecological concerns by organic farmers and some activist groups about GM crops
- Ability to critically analyze claims made by companies, scientists, and government agencies about food and environmental safety of new agricultural technologies
- 15% = Participation (7%) / attendance (8%). Attendance and base participation grade will be determined by i-clickers distributed to students. Students are responsible for bringing their i-clickers to class each lecture and recitation class meeting. Attendance will be based on the proportion of classes and recitation sections attended; where there are multiple i-clicker questions per class, attendance for each class will be based on proportion of questions answered. Participation will be graded as a proportion of the maximum score of 7%: 50% of this score will be awarded for little to no class participation in discussions or questioning of the lecturers, 100% for average level of participation, and 150% for strong participation; participation grades are based on overall impression of the instructors at the end of the term.
- 25% = Essays including written work for panel presentation (3 submissions for undergrads, 4 for grad/honors students). First essay (self-introduction) worth 5%; the remainder is worth 20%, divided evenly. See below for instructions for Wikipedia entries.
- 12% = Three quizzes, divided evenly
- 4% = U-tube video contribution and explanation of why you chose it and the lesson it provides (2% for submission, 2% for quality of u-tube and explanation).
- 4% = Written outline/text/ppt, and associated verbal presentation for discussion panel on May 31 and June 2)
- 20% = Mid-term exam
- 20% = Final exam
Apart from the first essay and that we encourage you to email, please submit other essays printed on paper.
For each submission apart from that for the first short essay and the panel presentation:
Undergrads: A minimum of 2, with a maximum of 3, double-spaced pages.
Grad/honors students: A minimum of 3, with a maximum of 4, double-spaced pages. Final paper must be a Wikipedia entry sent via email, as described below.
The first short introductory essay is a maximum of one single-spaced page. For this essay, use it as an opportunity to:
- introduce yourself as it relates to the class (education, work, home background) and please insert a photo to help us know who you are,
- state why you have taken this class,
- summarize your general familiarity with DNA, biotechnology, chemicals, toxicology
- state what issues related to the course most interest you, and
- state your hopes/goals for learning-i.e., what questions you have, or what knowledge you most hope to obtain via the class to help in your life, career, etc.
- No references required.
For the second and third essay, choose any topic of interest to you that is directly related to the class lectures or recitations, and explore it-giving both:
- A summary of the general and technical aspects of the issue that cites and summarizes at least three (but no more than six) published, credible references in addition to the course readings, including high quality web pages from scholarly institutions, governments, scientifically credible NGOs, or high quality news outlets (no blogs, Wikipedia, myspace, etc). This should be about 2/3rds of the essay.
- Your own insights/views/critique of the issue or reference(s) you have chosen to focus on. This should be about 1/3 of the essay. Use of subheadings to help organize and communicate the logical flow of the essay is highly encouraged.
These essays must be clearly and directly related to the course theme and have not been used for any other courses. Students are urged to contact instructors via email well in advance of the deadline to get approval of their topic if the topic is not clearly related to course subject matter.
Essays will be graded based on technical content (70%) and quality/clarity of writing/organization (30%). Give full literature citations for all sources cited in a consistent, scholarly format with author, year, title, source, web site URL as hot link.
For example:
Strauss, S.H., H. Tan, W. Boerjan, and R. Sedjo. (2009) Strangled at birth? Forest biotech and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Nature Biotechnology 27:519-527.
Citations in the text should have this form: (LASTNAME or INSTITUTION, YEAR), examples: (Stone 2007, Stone and Strauss 2009, Stone et al. 1955, EPA 2004).
See the lecture schedule for essay due dates. Essays will only be accepted up to one week after the deadline date, but their value for class credit will be reduced by 50% if late.
For non-honors undergraduates who have obtained a grade of 90% or above on the mid-term, they may elect to prepare a Wikipedia entry for their third essay, following the instructions below for Wikipedia entries, including obtaining approval at least one week ahead of time.
For "videos" days during recitation on May 10th (mostly pro) and May 17th (mostly anti), please identify one short video clip available on the web, either pro-biotech or anti-biotech (or pro- or anti-chemical), or just good and informative and related to the class themes. Send the URLs and a one line description (subject, length) to Strauss by 5 PM on May 9th indicating its nature (pro or anti or informative). Choose one that you can show most of (or a part of) in less than about 2 minutes. Please avoid any graphic images or language that might offend others. You may wish to team up with one or two other students to show something longer (time extended to max of 6 minutes for three students). After showing it, you will be asked to explain in less than 1 minute why you chose it (funny, informative, ridiculous, etc) and thus its value or lesson. Funny or nutty videos accepted, if they have a goal or you can make a point from them.
For the discussion panels on May 31st and June 2nd (see web page on panel discussion), before you speak provide a "transcript" with your name on it, the role you are taking on, and what issue you are addressing (BPA ban/perchlorate regulation, GE salmon, amylase corn). The write-ups should be 2 to 3 double spaced pages for the transcript, or 5 to 10 ppt slides if you choose to use powerpoint (ppt) slides for the presentation (please print two slides per page for readability, and use them when you speak). They will be graded in the same way, and have the same lateness policy, as described for essays above.
The goal of this project is not only to learn and communicate about a new area, but to make the result of your scholarship available to the public globally. Thus, the quality of writing and technical information must be very high. It should also not be redundant with other information already there, or misplaced. It should in most cases become part of already established subject areas or text.
The assignment is to create or modify a Wikipedia entry that is directly related to class subject matter. Submit your proposal via email to instructors by the end of week 5 to get approval before proceeding. Your proposal should include:
- A cut/pasted copy, or a screen-print, of the current Wikipedia topic/page most closely related to your proposed contribution (maximum of one page), and the URL link to it.
- The proposed new section heading and a 2-3 line description and justification for your planned contribution, and a description of where it will go. It can be a new entry or a modification to an existing entry (describe how you searched for similar entries to avoid redundancy). If you're expanding or revising an existing entry, please explain why you think a modification is needed; reasons might include bias in presentation, incomplete information, out of date information, or incorrect/questionable conclusions. If the subject is not clearly and directly related to class content, please explain why you think there is a direct connection.
After you get approval, write your Wikipedia contribution. Include:
- The prior entry (text or screen shot, plus URL) and your justification/explanation for it (from the proposal you submitted)
- Then your work with a clear indication of where it will go. When modifying a current entry, provide a version showing new text or revisions you have with color highlights or MS Word revision marks. Submit this assignment as a word document via email by the deadline on the course schedule. The entire word document, including the prior text, should not exceed 4 pages double-spaced, 12 pt font, 1 inch margins.
- Your entry must include citations of at least two credible sources, and need to be in the format required by Wikipedia (see links below), with the references after the text.
Grading will be as follows: 1/3 of maximum credit for an approved plan; 1/3 credit for a submitted entry; 1/3 credit if the entry is graded at or above 90% and then actually entered in Wikipedia (send a confirmatory email with the URL). We do not encourage making actual Wikipedia entries for lower grades.
How to edit on Wikipedia: Wikipedia editing tutorial / Wikipedia cheat sheet
All information about this course, including the lecture powerpoints and the readings, will be available from this web site: http://www.cof.orst.edu/cof/teach/agbio2011/index.htm We will use blackboard ONLY for emails to students. If you wish to know your grade during the class, please email the instructors and we will try to make a projection for you.
Required text:
Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food
by Pamela C. Ronald and Raoul W. Adamchak
Oxford University Press; ISBN: 978-0-19-530175-5
Required other readings and preparation for quizzes and exams:
There is a rich literature of views and evidence about biotechnology and toxicology issues. Thus, doing the assigned readings is a major part of this course, and keeping up on them during the class is essential for you to understand the materials and lectures, and to take part in the recitation sections (most of which are primarily discussions of readings). To help motivate you do keep up on the readings, we will administer short quizzes using i-clickers at the start of several classes (see the schedule); you are responsible for the readings assigned up to and including the day of the quiz. Emphasis in quizzes and other exams will be on familiarity with concepts, and your ability to cite examples of crops, traits, chemicals, and the attendant issues. Note that you are expected to finish reading the text before the mid-term.
For exams, it is best to look at old exams to get an idea of the level of preparation is needed. When it says "peruse only" you are responsible only for knowing what the document was about, which you can get from scanning the summary, section headings, figures, and tables. You do not need to read the text, but you will need to have scanned the article for 2-3 minutes to get the main points.
"Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty and Disability Access Services (DAS). Students with accommodations approved through DAS are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through DAS should contact DAS immediately at 737-4098."
We will not tolerate cheating, plagiarism, or re-use of essays from other courses. Please see the OSU Statement of Expectations for Student Conduct at: http://oregonstate.edu/admin/stucon/achon.htm.
PLAGIARISM is defined by OSU as "representing the words or ideas of another person or presenting someone else's words, ideas, artistry or data as one's own, or using one's own previously submitted work. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to copying another person's work (including unpublished material) without appropriate referencing, presenting someone else's opinions and theories as one's own, or working jointly on a project and then submitting it as one's own." (http://oregonstate.edu/admin/stucon/achon.htm) For the sake of this course, plagiarism will be further defined as the inclusion of the majority of a single sentence, or additional written material, from a published source such as a book, article, or web site, or from another student or from another report written by the student for another class, without direct attribution and identification of the material (usually using quotation marks) as coming from that source.