Please advise if you have a physical, sensory, cognitive, or psychological disability and require special accommodations; you will need to provide documentation to University Disability Support Services.
Three multiple-choice/true-false examinations each worth 100 percentage points will cover the Preface (P) and Units I and II, Units III and IV, and Unit V. Content will directly reflect that emphasized by study questions/answers provided at the end of each unit.
A (final) fill-in-the-blank anatomy/identification (A/I) examination worth 100 percentage points will cover Units II-V.
Hypothalamus-Pituitary: Figures 2-1/2/3/5.
Male: Figures 3-1/2/3/4/6/7/10/11/12/13/14/18/23/26/28.
Female: Figures 4-2/3/4/6/10/11/12/13/19/22/25/29/30/34/37/38/43/57.
Mating, Embryogenesis, Pregnancy, Mammary Gland: Figures 5-3/5/15/16/19/20/22/24/25/26/27/30/35/40/41.
Each examination will consist of 66 responses worth 1.515 points apiece. Fractional percentages will be rounded up.
Extra credit (EC) essays:
1. What do you consider to be the most important discovery in the reproductive sciences? Justify your response.
2. Identify a controversial issue related to a reproductive technology - a method of abortion or assisted fertility, cloning, or therapeutic uses of embryo-derived stem cells or fetal tissues. Be specific in choosing a topic. Describe the methodology. Argue the pros and cons for societal application.
3. Propose a novel method of human male contraception OR a nonsurgical approach to castration in a domestic animal. Describe the theoretical mechanism of action. Indicate any potential complications.
4. Outline a specific protocol used to synchronize estrus/ovulation in a farm species. Describe the mechanistic basis and benefits/shortcomings.
5. Choose a human female contraceptive option (ie., a specific drug/device) currently available on the US market. Describe the mechanism(s) of action and advantages/disadvantages.
6. Should women use hormonal replacement(s) to treat symptoms of the menopause? Justify your response.
7. Why sexual reproduction - what are the advantages and disadvantages?
8. What type of drug(s) might you work on if you were attempting to develop a strategy to prevent premature labor OR induce/synchronize parturition? Indicate the target species and explain the prospective mode of action and potential pitfalls.
9. Select a (noninfectious) reproductive dysfunction (see Tables 1-4 and 1-5 for some examples); indicate the species. Describe the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, treatment options, and current research.
10. What do you believe is an important unanswered question in the field of reproductive biology? Justify your response.
11. Formulate and answer your own question relevant to any aspect of mammalian reproduction.
Each response is worth four possible points: 4 = excellent; 3 = very good; 2 = good; 1 = fair; 0 = poor. Total possible points added to the examinations point total = 44.
Lengths of responses will vary depending on question and choices of topics; be complete, but concise. Reading/research (beyond the information provided on the course website) will generally be necessary.
The following evaluation criteria (if applicable) will be taken into consideration when assigning a point value to an essay:
a) Is the topic/problem chosen focused enough to be adequately covered?
b) Does the topic reflect originality/creativity?
c) Does the content include an understanding of the background information (ie., a review of the scientific literature)? Are relevant references cited?
d) Is there a logical justification for the thesis proposed and(or) are the consequences recognized?
e) Is the presentation easy to follow/well organized and free of spelling/grammatical errors?
Need help locating resources?
PubMed is the premier bibliographic database for the life sciences: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
Listings of UW electronic journal/book subscriptions can be found via: http://vh7qx3xe2p.search.serialssolutions.com/
Submit one/complete file via e-mail as an attached word-processed document. Files will be screened for plagiarism (use of the language/thoughts of another author represented as one's own) using commercial detection software. Plagiarism is an act of academic dishonesty subject to administrative actions described in University Regulation 6-802.
Course % score = total examinations + extra credit points � 4.
Letter grade: A ≥ 90, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F < 60%.