COURSES TAUGHT BY DR. CORTHALS
BIO/Gen 255, Biology of Gender & Sexuality:
This course approaches the issues of gender and sexuality from the perspective of the biological sciences. By exploring the evolutionary origins of sexual reproduction, students will gain new insights into how and why sex and gender differences in animals, including humans, came to be. By gaining a solid grounding in basic sex-specific anatomy, physiology, and endocrinology, students will have a framework to consider several further topics, such as: gender-based medicine and the masculinized state of priorities in the biomedical industry; intersex and transgender identities and bodies; and reproductive biology and medicine. Finally, the course will examine sexualities in humans and in the animal world.
3 hours - 3 Credits
PREREQUISITES: ENG 201, and one of the following: SCI 110, SCI 112, SCI 114, NSC 107, EXE 103 (or any STEM Variant science course of at least three credits: BIO 102, BIO 103, BIO 104, CHE 102, CHE 103, CHE 104)
Molecular Biology provides an overview of the current concepts and techniques in molecular biology. Lecture topics include the molecular structure of cells, basic genetic mechanisms, control of gene expression in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, DNA replication, repair and recombination, and protein structure and function. The laboratory experiments introduce basic experimental techniques and research methodology, including cell culture, recombinant DNA techniques, transformation, DNA extraction, electrophoresis, Southern and Western blotting, and DNA sequencing and analysis.
9 hours: 3 hours lecture, 6 hours laboratory, 4 credits
PREREQUISITES: ENG 201, BIO 315, CHE 315
This course will provide a comprehensive introduction to human pathology with emphasis on mechanisms of disease and modern diagnostic technologies. Topics will include (1) General Mechanisms of Disease (Inflammation, Infection, Immune Injury, Host Response to Foreign Materials, Transplantation, Genetic Disorders and Neoplasia), (2) Pathology of Lipids, Enzymes and Molecular Transporters, (3) Pathology of Major Organ Systems, (4) Review of Diagnostic Tools from Invasive Surgical Pathology to Non-invasive Techniques such as Optical Spectroscopy, Functional Imaging, and Molecular Markers of Disease and (5) Ethics in Pathology (patients data, HIPAA regulation, Henrietta Lacks case study). The objectives of this course are achieved by a set of integrated lectures and laboratories, as well as a student-driven term project leading to a formal presentation on a medical, socioeconomic, or technological issue in human pathology.
6 Hours - 4 Credits
PREREQUISITES: ENG 201, BIO 104
This course will provide a comprehensive introduction to forensic pathology, a sub-category of pathology linked to criminal justice. The goal of this class is to provide a basic working knowledge for the interpretation of medical facts and the circumstances surrounding unexplained or violent deaths. Topics will include (1) Craniocerebral and vertebrospinal trauma and sudden neurological death, (2) Asphyxia and thermal injuries, (3) Penetrating trauma (firearm, sharp force), (4) Blunt trauma, and (5) Autopsy and Ethics linked to the practice of forensic pathology in the criminal justice system. The objectives of this course are achieved by a set of integrated lectures and laboratories, as well as a student-driven term project leading to a formal presentation and written report on a specific case in forensic pathology or a specific protocol related to the practice of forensic pathology.
6 Hours - 4 Credits
PREREQUISITES: ENG 201, BIO 104
FOS 761, Forensic Anthropology: (GRADUATE COURSE, can also be taken by undergraduate students with special permission from the Forensic Graduate Program Director, Dr. Mechthild Prinz)
This course will introduce students to methods in forensics, with applications ranging from the study of ancient civilizations to modern criminal cases. As part of the course, students will become familiar with crime scene investigation techniques and excavations of human remains in archaeological contexts. Students will be introduced to sample collection and identification methods for human and non-human remains, including DNA analyses, osteology, and facial reconstruction. The students will also develop skills in basic human skeletal anatomy, pathology and trauma investigation, sample/evidence collection, genotyping, and the study of changes occurring in bodies post-mortem, or taphonomy. Finally, the broader social and legal context of forensic analyses in different communities will be presented in the course by discussing well-known archaeological and criminal investigation cases.
This class also contains a practical exercise in Central Park: See this picture gallery
4 credits
PREREQUISITES: NONE
