FOR MHC 360 IN SPRING OF 2018

Instructor: Harold Varmus MD

Wednesdays, 5 to 7:40 pm, at 35 West 67th Street

(Note: this is a preliminary syllabus and will be supplemented with more details—

reading lists and specific instructions for each class—in due course.)

 

Date Session Topic/Activity Comments on content
Jan. 31 1 Course introduction Getting to know each other; review of
course plans; discussion of HV’s memoir
Feb. 7 2 Becoming a scientist Books and ideas that have motivated people to pursue science
Feb. 14 3 Purpose of science Why science is important and why governments and others support it
Feb. 21 4 Credibility of science What are the failures and uncertainties of science and their consequences?
Feb. 28 5 Guest
Steve Hall, NYU		 (Topic be determined)
Mar. 7 SNOWSTORM
Mar. 14 6 Equity in science Issues of gender and ethnicity in the
practice and application of science
Mar. 21 ANOTHER SNOW DAY CLASS CANCELED
Mar. 28 7 Science for the public How is represented in the arts
April 4 — No class (spring recess)
April 11 8 Disseminating science How scientists communicate and publish and how their work is evaluated
9 Ownership of science Intellectual property and credit for discoveries in public ad private sectors
April 18 10 Guest: Jon Weiner, Columbia (Topic to be determined)
April 25 11 Scientific communites How science is funded; changes in the demography of science
May 2 12 Recent controversies Embryo and stem cell research; vaccines; gene editing; genomics…
May 9 13 Student presentations Ten minute talks and discussion

May 16            14                  Student presentations                              Ditto

(There will be an end-of-the-course celebration; time and place to be determined.)

Course assistants: Kevin Ambrose, MHC

                                  Dawn Thomas, Weill-Cornell Medicine