Advisory Prerequisites: At least one college-level course in biochemistry and/or molecular biology that included basic concepts of cell and human physiology. An introductory course in toxicology or pharmacology, at either the undergraduate or graduate level, strongly encouraged.
Undergraduates are allowed to enroll in this course.
Description: This course will cover the cellular mechanisms by which acute and chronic exposure to chemicals cause harm, using a combination of case studies, scientific and lay articles, lectures and group discussions. The course will also touch on the systemic failures and environmental injustices leading to environmental disasters.
Learning Objectives: By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. Articulate specific molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying chemical-induced harm (endocrine disruption, oxidative stress, altered gene regulation, modulation of receptors, etc.).
2. Discuss how a chemical causes disease, starting at the molecular level, proceeding to the level of the organism.
3. Identify principal characteristics of classes of chemicals that may contribute to their toxicity.
4. Explain how chemicals, environmental factors, or disease states may modify the toxicity of a chemical.
5. Describe current laboratory methods for assessing and/or predicting toxicity of selected chemicals at the molecular, cellular, organ and tissue level.
6. Develop/deliver oral presentations and lead class discussions outlining case studies of exposures from environmental disasters (including those caused by environmental injustice) and molecular mechanisms of chemical-induced harm.
7. Critically review scientific and lay articles, orally and in writing.
8. Evaluate scientific presentations through the peer-review process.
