Media Assignments
You are required to complete two 5-point media assignments. (10 points total). A variety of options of different point values are listed below.
You may complete additional media assignments. Additional media assignment points will replace low scores on tests and quizzes. These are not “extra credit.” For example, if you get two out of 5 points on a quiz, you can do an extra media assignment, and I will change your quiz score to a 5. Extra media assignments can only be used on low test and quiz scores. You are limited to a maximum of 40 points to be used this way. Under no circumstances can media assignments be used to fix low scores on papers, lab reports, oral presentations, or regular assignments.
Summary. To earn 5 points:
- Take notes
- Write a 1 page, double spaced discussion
- Hand in both notes and discussion
Current Research
The BIOL 112 Course Guide includes a variety of options for your two formal papers. For a more low-key 5 point media assignment option, read a paper, take notes, and then write up a 1 page, typed, double-spaced discussion of what you learned (12 pt. font, 1” margins). I am not interested in a summary. Instead, let me know what you thought was really interesting, cool, or confusing. Staple your notes to your write-up and hand it in. You must hand in both your notes and your written summary.
Read a Book or Write a Short Paper
For 30 points, write a 2 page paper on a topic we decide on together from one of the books below. Not interested in one of these? Find an alternative, and get my OK before you get started.
Performance All the Way Down by Richard O. PrumISBN: 9780226771755
Publication Date: 2023-11-14
Rejecting the notion of an intractable divide between the humanities and the sciences, Prum proves that the contributions of queer and feminist theorists can help scientists understand the human body in new ways, yielding key insights into genetics, developmental biology, physiology.
Not the End of the World by Hannah RitchieISBN: 9780316536752
Publication Date: 2024-01-09
Not the End of the World: How We Can be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet. Hannah Ritchie. Little, Brown Spark. 2024.
The Code Breaker by Walter IsaacsonCall Number: 576.509 Is15c
ISBN: 1982115858
Publication Date: 2021-03-09
The bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns with a gripping account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and have healthier babies.
The Gene by Siddhartha MukherjeeCall Number: 576.52 M896g
ISBN: 147673352X
Publication Date: 2017-05-02
A fascinating and often sobering history of how humans came to understand the roles of genes in making us who we are—and what our manipulation of those genes might mean for our future.
The Tangled Tree by David QuammenCall Number: 576.82 Q256t
ISBN: 9781476776620
Publication Date: 2018-08-14
Nonpareil science writer David Quammen explains how recent discoveries in molecular biology can change our understanding of evolution and life’s history, with powerful implications for human health and even our own human nature.
Women after All by Melvin KonnerCall Number: 305.409 K836w
ISBN: 0393352315
Publication Date: 2016-03-14
There is a human genetic fluke that is surprisingly common, due to a change in a key pair of chromosomes. In the normal condition the two look the same, but in this disorder one is malformed and shrunken beyond recognition.
The Meaning of Human Existence by Edward O. WilsonCall Number: 128 W691m
ISBN: 9781631491146
Publication Date: 2015-09-07
In The Meaning of Human Existence, his most philosophical work to date, Pulitzer Prize-winning biologist Edward O. Wilson grapples with these and other existential questions, examining what makes human beings supremely different from all other species.
Endless Forms Most Beautiful by Sean B. CarrollCall Number: 571.85 C236E
ISBN: 0393060160
Publication Date: 2005-04-17
Evo Devo is evolutionary developmental biology, the third revolution in evolutionary biology. The first was marked by the publication of The Origin of Species. The second occurred in the early twentieth century, when Darwin's theories were merged with the study of genetics.
Cooked by Michael PollanCall Number: 641.5 P76c
ISBN: 9781594204210
Publication Date: 2013-04-23
In Cooked, Michael Pollan explores the previously uncharted territory of his own kitchen. Here, he discovers the enduring power of the four classical elements—fire, water, air, and earth—to transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink.
Cancer: The Emperor of all Maladies by Barak GoodmanWant to learn more about cancer? The 2015 PBS series Cancer: The Emperor of all Maladies no longer streams on line, but you might be able to find it on iTunes, Netflix or Amazon. There are three, two hour episodes to earn up to 15 points. Write a one page discussion for each episode.
Other Videos, Films, Shows and Series
American Experience: American Experience: Rachel Carson's Silent Spring by PBSFeaturing the voice of Mary-Louise Parker as the influential writer and scientist, Rachel Carson is an intimate portrait of the woman whose groundbreaking books revolutionized our relationship to the natural world.
Cancer: The Emperor of all Maladies by Barak GoodmanWant to learn more about cancer? The 2015 PBS series Cancer: The Emperor of all Maladies no longer streams on line, but you might be able to find it on iTunes, Netflix or Amazon. There are three, two hour episodes to earn up to 15 points. Write a one page discussion for each episode.
Meat the Future.The next agricultural revolution. Imagine a world where real meat is produced sustainably without the need to breed, raise and slaughter animals. This is no longer science fiction.
Forgotten GeniusThe grandson of Alabama slaves, Percy Julian met with every possible barrier in a deeply segregated America. He was a man of genius, devotion, and determination. As a black man he was also an outsider, fighting to make a place for himself in a profession and country divided by bigotry—a man who would eventually find freedom in the laboratory. Watch the show and write a 1 page discussion.
Nova: Secrets in our DNASome 30 million Americans have sent their DNA to be analyzed by companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA. But what happens once the sample is in the hands of testing companies, and how accurate are their results? NOVA explores the power of genetic data to reveal family connections, ancestry, and health risks—and even solve criminal cold cases.
Ken Burns Presents the Gene: An Intimate History“The Gene: An Intimate History” brings vividly to life the story of today’s revolution in medical science through present-day tales of patients and doctors at the forefront of the search for genetic treatments, interwoven with a compelling history of the discoveries that made this possible and the ethical challenges raised by the ability to edit DNA with precision. Tuesdays April 7 & 14, 2020 8/7c (Each show is worth 5 points).
NOVA: The Truth About FatCould it be that body fat has more to do with biological processes than personal choices? Do we control our fat, or does it control us? For generations, overweight individuals have been stigmatized and cast as lazy. But scientists are coming to understand fat as a fascinating and dynamic organ—one whose size has more to do with biological processes than personal choices. Through real-life stories of hunter-gatherers, sumo wrestlers, and supermodels, NOVA explores the complex functions of fat and the role it plays in controlling hunger, hormones, and even reproduction. Premieres: 9 PM Wednesday 4/8/20.
Blood Sugar RisingBlood Sugar Rising follows the diabetes epidemic in the U.S. Diabetes and pre-diabetes affect over 100 million people in the US, costing more than $325 billion each year. Blood Sugar Rising puts human faces to these statistics, exploring the history and science of the illness through portraits of Americans whose stories shape the film. Wednesday April, 15th AT 9/8c.
Unnatural SelectionWatch all four episodes* of Unnatural Selection on Netflix. Write a 2 page discussion for 10 points. More information at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unnatural_Selection_(TV_series)
Hunt for the Oldest DNAFor decades, scientists have tried to unlock the secrets of ancient DNA. Follow the dramatic quest to recover DNA millions of years old and reveal a lost world from before the last Ice Age.
When Whales Could WalkA spectacular fossil graveyard reveals a 43-million-year-old whale that had four legs and could walk. Follow scientists as they search for new clues to how mammals moved from land into the sea to become the largest animals on Earth.
PBS The Invisible Shield: Public health saved your life today and you don’t even know it.
The Invisible Shield examines how public health makes modern life possible, but it is underfunded, undervalued and misunderstood putting our health at risk. THE INVISIBLE SHIELD, a new four-part documentary series from RadicalMedia made possible by Bloomberg Philanthropies, reveals how the field of public health has saved countless lives in the U.S., protecting people from the constant threat of disease and increasing lifespans. The series explores the hidden public health infrastructure that makes modern life possible. It highlights the thousands of unsung heroes — physicians, nurses, scientists, activists, reformers, engineers, and government officials — who work together to improve health outcomes, from the days of cholera and smallpox through the most recent battle with COVID-19.
All four episodes of THE INVISIBLE SHIELD will be available to stream on March 26, 2024, on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.
Episode 1: “The Old Playbook” – Tuesday, March 26, 10-11 p.m. ET (and streaming)Public health has transformed human life, silently protecting us from disease and fatalities. Interventions large and small — from quarantines to crosswalks, vaccines to modern sanitation — have allowed American society to flourish and keep illness, injury, and death at bay. When the global pandemic emerges in 2020, the once-invisible shield of public health is quickly overburdened and at the center of a heated debate about its purpose and role in society. Public health officials work against a ticking clock to implement a playbook that has been adapted and refined since the 14th century.
Episode 2: “Follow the Data” – Tuesday, April 9, 10-11 p.m. ET (and streaming)Data has been an essential public health tool since at least the 17th century, when cities began regularly recording mortality statistics. Data science has guided public health policy since the earliest practices of data collection in the 1800s to identify the spread of disease. It continues to be critical to public health workers as they fight the COVID-19 pandemic. But with public health authority delegated to the 50 states, forming a national response to the virus proves difficult.
Episode 3: “Inoculation & Inequity” – Streaming as of March 26U.S. public health officials face the headwinds of disinformation, science skepticism, and government distrust as they begin the monumental task of vaccinating the public against COVID-19. These obstacles, coupled with historical injustices and inequities in communities of color, lead to significant public apprehension, forcing public health officials to refine their approach. From the early days of inoculation in the late 1700s through the rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccine, scientists have achieved extraordinary feats to combat, contain, and eradicate disease — but solutions only work if people trust the science.
Episode 4: “The New Playbook” – Streaming as of March 26In 2019, the U.S. was ranked by the Global Health Security Index as the country best positioned to manage an infectious disease outbreak. Less than a year later, the U.S. proved uniquely vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Inequality, structural racism, inadequate health care access, insufficient job protections, and a badly neglected public health system all contributed to catastrophic systemic failures. Excess mortality, on the rise before 2020, surged during the pandemic. These “deaths of despair” — often associated with suicide, drug use, and alcohol misuse — represent a social fracturing and a loss of hope across communities.
PBS American Experience: The Cancer Detectives
The trailblazers who landed the first blow against cancer.The story of how the life-saving cervical cancer test became an ordinary part of women’s lives is as unusual and remarkable as the coalition of people who ultimately made it possible: a Greek immigrant, Dr. George Papanicolaou; his intrepid wife, Mary; Japanese-born artist Hashime Murayama; Dr. Helen Dickens, an African American OBGYN in Philadelphia; and an entirely new class of female scientists known as cyto-screeners. But the test was just the beginning. Once the test proved effective, the campaign to make pap smears available to millions of women required nothing short of a total national mobilization. The Cancer Detectives tells the untold story of the first-ever war on cancer and the people who fought tirelessly to save women from what was once the number one cancer killer of women.