Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• GMS GE 701: Principles of Genetics and Genomics
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - This course will serve as a foundation for understanding the heritable basis of numerous biological traits, the relationships among genes, and the regulation of their expression. Focus on the ability to use genetic systems to probe these problems, and therefore will heavily explore the experimental aspects of these investigations. Includes discussion of the impact of the genome sequences' availability on the practice of modern science. Use of case study approach to investigate the rich variety of scientific insights gained through genetic studies of aging, addiction, obesity, and others. 4 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS GE 702: Advanced Topics in Genetics
  Prereq: GMS GE 701 or consent of instructor. This course will focus on the mechanisms of biological processes that influence the inheritance and regulation of genes. In particular, the molecular details of genetic, epigenetic, and genomic processes will be explored in the context of cancer, stem cell biology, and others. In addition we will discuss the translational science of utilizing these technologies in medical treatments. Dasgupta. 4 cr, Spring sem.
• GMS GE 703: Genetics and Genomics Colloquium I
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - The Genetics and Genomics Colloquium will be a highly participatory journal club where the students will be asked to give presentations on cutting edge research with the focus on communication skills rather than scientific content. This approach will allow students to become more comfortable with public speaking while developing the skills necessary for effective communication of scientific ideas. 2 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS GE 704: Genetics and Genomics Colloquium 2
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - Colloquium is structured to serve as both a journal club and a seminar for ongoing research, tailored for graduate students. This course engages students in two key activities: the critical analysis and presentation of contemporary research papers, allowing them to deeply explore and understand the latest advancements in their respective fields; and the opportunity to present their current research, receiving insightful feedback from their peers and faculty. This setup nurtures a collaborative and supportive learning atmosphere. By employing this dual-method approach, Colloquium not only hones students' abilities to effectively articulate complex scientific concepts but also deepens their understanding of research methodologies, findings, and interpretations. This course is designed to cultivate critical thinking, enhance public speaking skills, and foster scientific discourse, all of which are integral for the academic and professional development of students in the scientific community. 2 cr, Spring sem.
• GMS GE 705: Critical Thinking in Genetics and Genomics
  Prereq: consent of instructor. This class is designed to chronologically follow the development of a field of study, to allow students to explore the logical evolution of a coherent line of scientific inquiry. The individual meetings build on the background studies discussed in previous meetings, examine apparent discrepancies in experimental results, critique the approaches employed by the authors, and consider the logical follow-through experiments for the results at hand. TBA. 2 cr, Spring sem.
• GMS GE 706: Deconstructing Systemic Bias: Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins
  This course will help students explore the relationship between race, ethnicity, ancestry, sex, gender, ability status, and identity. Students will also gain understanding of the fundamentals of human population variation at the genetic level and will demonstrate how this information has been misused in the form of "scientific racism." These principles will be used to examine the impact of underrepresentation in scientific studies and cases in which scientific racism and bias have caused harm to marginalized groups. To integrate this knowledge, students will debunk misapplication of these concepts in examples of racism and other forms of bias where biological principles are misrepresented. 2 cr, Spring sem.
• GMS GE 901: Research in Genetics and Genomics
  Var cr, Fall & Spring sem.
• GMS HS 701: Health Science Education 1
  This first portion of a two-part course provides an in-depth introduction to core principles in health professions education. In this course, learners will explore a variety of core concepts through a review of the literature, reflective activities, small group discussion and practical skills-building exercises to review both theory and practice of health sciences training. Topics in this initial course will include definitions of learning and teaching, developing learning contracts and goal setting, adult learning principles, experience and reflection, and competency-based training. This course will ultimately prepare educators in the health sciences to teach directly and provide consultation on teaching and educational issues in their home academic or training institutions. Course instructor approval needed. Fall semester.
• GMS HS 702: Health Science Education 2
  This second portion of a two-part course continues an in-depth exploration of core principles in health professions education. In this course, learners will explore a variety of core concepts through a review of the literature, reflective activities, small group discussion and practical skills-building exercises. Topics in this follow up course will include clinical teaching microskills, cognitive learning processes, diagnostic reasoning and clinical problem solving, the role of feedback and how to provide maximally effective feedback, best practices in bedside teaching, application of direct observation, and integrating evaluation. "Principles of Health Professions Education 2" will prepare educators in the health sciences to teach directly and provide consultation on teaching and educational issues in their home academic or training institutions. Course instructor approval needed. Spring semester.
• GMS HS 704: Learning and Teaching Modalities in Health Professions
  Graduate Prerequisites: Instructor Consent Required. The Fundamentals of Learning and Teaching Modalities in Health Professions course will prepare students to design meaningful learning experiences in health professions education using multiple modalities including large group lecture, small group teaching, cased-based, problem- based and team-based learning, flipped classroom, standardized patients and simulation, e- learning and clinical and bedside teaching. There will be a focus on creating innovative and engaging learner-centered experiences and supportive learning environments. The class will review the concepts of adult learning theories and students will apply their knowledge and understanding of andragogy during this course. Each of the teaching methods classes will be taught in the modality it is reviewing. Students will prepare a final project using one of the teaching modalities to teach a relevant topic to their peers. Fall semester.
• GMS HS 707: Evaluation & Assessment for Health Professions Educators
  Graduate Prerequisites: Instructor Consent Required. This course is designed to provide MS HSE students with an understanding of basic principles of measurement and assessment as it relates to both research and instruction. In this course we discuss how to use, interpret and construct valid and reliable tests. We will examine standardized and classroom assessments, how to develop customized tools as well as explore how accreditation requirements (e.g., ACGME) impact teaching and learning in Health Professions Education. Class will be a mix of lecture, discussions, group work, and in-class activities. Generally, the direction of the course depends largely on student interests and questions. Spring semester.
• GMS HS 800: Practicum Seminar
  This course provides a structure and both peer and faculty support in the development and implementation of a practicum in health professions education, based on an individual presentation and group discussion format.
• GMS HS 801: Practicum
  PRACTICUM 1
• GMS HS 802: Practicum
  PRACTICUM 2
• GMS MA 605: History of Medicine and Healing in the United States
  This course explores the history of medical, cultural, and therapeutic pluralism in the United States, beginning with the colonial period and continuing to the present. We will examine how this pluralism necessarily includes the story of American religious pluralism, the rise of biomedicine, and the changing faces of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), while factoring in the roles of class, race, and gender. We will work with primary source materials, as well as sources from history of medicine, and medical anthropology. 4 cr, Spring sem. M 2:30-5:15, Charles River Campus.
• GMS MA 610: Reading Ethnography in Medical Anthropology
  [Not currently offered] This seminar will read medical anthropological ethnographies analytically. Starting with a review of the debates, going through selected classic ethnographic studies, the seminar will explore ethnographies that address different cultural meanings of human experiences of suffering and affliction, including illness and violence. Students will engage in studying the methodology, theoretical underpinnings, writing, and social positions represented in these ethnographies. 3 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS MA 615: Ethnographies of Religion and Healing
  This course presents different ways of studying cultural and religious pluralism in the United States through case studies written as ethnographies. We will analyze transformations or ethnicity, gender, race and national identity that have marked both historical and contemporary migrations of people to the United States. We will also explore the impact of intensified transnationalism on the identities of newer American groups, as they concurrently sustain ties to homelands and seek ways to form communities in the United States, and to formulate their relationships with the other groups among whom they find themselves. In particular, we will examine the roles of religious life and practice in relation to a range of healing ways in immigrant communities.
• GMS MA 620: World Religions and Healing
  An introduction to approaches to healing integral to Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, African, African-descended, Latin American, Chinese, Native American traditions, and to some of the outcomes of their interactions. Through readings and audio-visual materials, we will explore these practices as expressions of some of the ways that people from these traditions understand sacred realities, the meaning and end of human life, the experience of affliction and suffering, the role and authority of the healer or healers, and the nature of the transformations pursued by individuals and communities. 4 cr, Fall sem. M 2:30-5:15, Charles River Campus.
• GMS MA 621: Theory and Methods in Religion and Healing
  This course is an examination of the aim, function, justification and critique of classical and contemporary "theories" of religious traditions (social-scientific, psychological, phenomenological, theological, historical) using, as an organizing focus, the cross-cultural study of healing traditions. Laird. 3 cr, Spring sem.
• GMS MA 622: Religion, Culture and Public Health
  This medical anthropology course will explore relationships between religion, culture, and health in the context of public health projects. We will examine historical developments, examples of faith-based public health organizations, and current research on "religious health assets," both locally and internationally. Students will design and conduct qualitative research projects on the culture of a faith-based health organization. 3 cr, Fall sem Th 3:30-6:15, Charles River Campus.