Name:
Date:
"Calendar"
P/F Writing Assignment for Day 2 (Day 2 means turn in the assignment on Day 2 of the course)
Media portrayals of
human genome research and technology
Was handed out in class:
· “Born to run? Little ones get test for sports gene,” New York Times, 11/30/08.
Writing
assignment: (Turn in everything that is
listed in bold below.)
Question 1: On which human genome issues have the major media been focusing in the last two years?
a. Definitions
o “Major media:” New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Wilmington News Journal, Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Globe, and many others.
o “Last two years:” 2007-present. No need to go back that far if you get a gazillion hits. Up to 20 is fine.
o “Human genome issues:” Anything having to do with the Human Genome Project, genomic or genetic research, new genetic technologies, ethics involving any of these, etc.
b. Assignment
o Pick one media outlet to search.
o Search its archives for relevant news reports, editorials, features, etc. (HELPFUL HINT: Morris Library has excellent electronic resources, especially its “databases” page. The reference librarians would be glad to help if you can’t figure something out. Or, just put the name of a newspaper in your browser --washingtonpost.com—and then do your search. )
o
Throw a wide net—certainly any of the topics
listed in the syllabus, plus any others that might seem relevant. The idea is
precisely to see what they do and do not cover.
o
Print a
list of those articles. Make sure you have complete references, so someone else
would be able to locate them. Bring that list to class. (Turn this in)
o Briefly describe the sorts of genomic topics these articles covered (e.g., 2 news articles on cloning, 3 on genetic screening, 1 feature covering a whole lot of issues, etc.) (Turn this in)
Question 2: What is the tone of this coverage—the hope and fears that it seems to emphasize?
a. Definitions
o “Hopes and fears:” pros and cons, exciting advancements vs. ethical concerns, etc. The sorts of things we discussed on Day 1.
b. Assignment
o Print 2-3 of the articles (2 if long, 3 if short) (Turn these in)
o
For each
of these 2-3 articles, briefly describe the hopes and fears (pros and cons)
that it mentions. As we did in class, try to describe the specific pros and
cons in terms of more general principles: For example (and these are only examples), who is described as
benefiting and who might be harmed? What general kinds of risks and benefits
are they? Are they limited to individual
people, or is society itself a beneficiary or victim? (Turn this in)
o
Concise is good. Concise and to the point is
even better.
Be prepared to discuss your results in class.