Stem Cells: Policy and Ethics

No area of science holds such promise for treating disease and improving human lives as stem cell research. But no area of science causes such fundamental ethical concern and such ferocious political conflict.
In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of stem cell biology, and study how these powerful cells could be used to make functional organs, treat diabetes, or repair spinal cord injuries. With the science and technology firmly in hand, we will journey into the deep reaches of the controversy and examine the international explosion of stem cell research and how law and policy are affecting America’s dominant position in cell biology.
New science often provokes a redefinition of ethical standards. Stem cells have reignited the debate about the embryo, abortion, and science run amok. Leaving the shrill rhetoric behind, we will closely examine the question at the heart of the debate: How, as a society, do we balance our responsibilities to the unborn and the sick?
This course is presented in enhanced podcast format: the presentation images are synched with the audio track and will display in the album artwork section of your iTunes application. If the album artwork field is not already visible, go to the "View" menu and select "Show Artwork."