We create interactive lessons that help high school and college educators to engage their students in discussions of ethics and personal genetics. Each lesson can stand alone, or all the lessons can be taught as a unit.
Please visit the pgEd blog for links to recommended resources and current events and the “Professional Development” and “pgEd in your classroom” tabs for information on teacher trainings and classroom workshops. If you are interested in receiving updates from pgEd by e-mail two to four times a year, click here to join our mailing list.
Feedback is most welcome, and we would love to hear from educators about their experiences using these materials in the classroom.
Click here to let us know what you think!
Unit Overview: Preparing to teach the lessons
Download as a Word Document or PDF (updated for Spring 2013).
Lesson Plans
Genome sequencing and ethical issues: What is Personal Genetics?
Download lesson plan as a Word Document or PDF.
Download What is Personal Genetics? PowerPoint slides.
Genomes for all? Debating the merits and risks of direct-to-consumer genetic testing
Download lesson plan as a Word Document or PDF.
Genetics, Jobs, and Discrimination: Will Genetic Knowledge Shape our Career Paths? (**New for Winter 2012/13)
Download lesson as a Word Document or PDF.
Debating the Ethical Questions about Genetics and Reproduction
Download lesson plan as a Word Document or PDF.
Download Genetics and Reproduction PowerPoint slides.
Athletes, sports, and personal genetics: What are the ethical and scientific questions?
Download lesson plan as a Word Document or PDF.
Download an overview of Genetics and Sports and supplemental Sports and Genetics PowerPoint slides.
Protecting Athletes with Genetic Conditions: Sickle Cell Trait (**New for Fall 2012)
Download lesson plan as a Word Document or PDF.
What is Personalized Medicine?
Download lesson plan as a Word Document or PDF.
DNA and Crime
Download lesson plan as a Word Document or PDF.
Download DNA and Crime PowerPoint Slides.
Your genome: What does your DNA say about you? (A scientific primer)
Download PowerPoint slides
NEW: We are developing an annotated reading list - click here for a recently updated version.
We are always working to add new lessons to our curriculum. Here are a few of the topics currently under development:
Genetics in the media: How to become an informed consumer
Newborn screening: Debating how much parents should find out about their children’s DNA
Genetic information and privacy: Choosing to share your genetic information
Have feedback on our lessons? Let us know!
A note on the materials in our lessons: Some of the lessons contain a small amount of copyrighted material, from news and academic sites, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. As a non-profit educational organization, we are making these materials available to advance education and public engagement around ethics and genetics. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Photo credit: Michael York/MDIBL