New Undergraduate Genome Sciences & Policy Certificate Approved
February 15th 2008
A new Undergraduate Genome Sciences & Policy Certificate will offer every Duke student the chance to explore the Genome Revolution and its implications for society in greater depth. The program, approved by unanimous vote at the Arts & Sciences Council on Feb. 14, exemplifies the growing commitment of the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP) to undergraduate education.
"With the Genome Sciences & Policy Certificate in place, supported by our new Office for Undergraduate Programs, the IGSP becomes an even more desirable destination for Duke's undergraduates, both in Trinity and in Pratt," said IGSP Director Huntington Willard, who will serve as the program’s director.
The Class of 2009 will be the first to participate in the new certificate program.
The Genome Sciences & Policy Program will include a combination of interdisciplinary course work and research experiences designed to expose students to the genome sciences and to the complex issues the science raises in diverse areas, including genetic discrimination, the nature of humanity, intellectual property law, and national health and science policy.
Required courses will include a series of core courses, three electives including at least one in ethics, law or policy, and a final GENOME capstone course.
Willard said the program will lead to the creation of a number of new courses for undergraduates. The research component will emphasize both independent study in IGSP research groups and summer research experiences in the IGSP Summer Fellows program, which involves both laboratory-based and policy-based scholarship, he added.
The Genome Sciences & Policy Certificate joins about 20 other certificate programs enabling undergraduates to pursue advanced learning through what is the interdisciplinary equivalent of an academic minor. For more information about the Genome Sciences & Policy Certificate and a complete list of course requirements, click here.
A Chronicle article about the new program is available here.