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Unit of study_
OLET2634: Gene Editing - How, Why and Should We?
2025 unit information
We are in the midst of a fourth industrial revolution: a time of great technological and ethical change. This revolution has been triggered in part by the discovery of a mechanism to edit the genomes of almost any organism. Should we select children with blue eyes? Or make people who are immune to HIV? And what about increasing the nutritional qualities or drought tolerance of fruit or grains? Although human communities have been selecting organisms with desirable traits for thousands of years - from wild corn cobs to daschunds, we now have the capacity to make these changes with unprecedented speed and accuracy. In this unit, you will explore humanity's position of power over our genes, demystify technologies and understand the range of possibilities that exist. You will examine public understanding and perception of gene editing and engage with experts to dissect the technical and ethical considerations associated with the field. You will consider, appreciate and communicate the questions of whether, why and when we should embark on programs of genome engineering - and when we perhaps shouldn't.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Science
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations |
| Credit points | 2 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Understand the concept of genetic information, how this information maps to the phenotype of an organism, and the processes by which this information can be altered.
- LO2. Understand the technological and ethical issues associated with gene editing in a range of different contexts
- LO3. Evaluate examples of gene editing from the media
- LO4. Analyse survey data and draw conclusions from the analysis
- LO5. Communicate scientific and ethical information about a topic in gene editing through several modes (oral/written/video)
Unit availability
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The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
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Intensive August 2025
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Block mode | Camperdown / Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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