120.620.81
Fundamentals of Reproductive Biology
Location
Internet
Term
1st Term
Department
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2024 - 2025
Instruction Method
Asynchronous Online
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
Yes
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Resources
Prerequisite
Introduction to Online Learning
Are you interested in the biology underlying issues in reproductive health? This course presents material and encourages discussion geared to enhance a student's reproductive biology literacy for tackling research literature as well as issues in current events.
Addresses the basic biological mechanisms that underlie male and female reproduction and that pertain to reproductive health issues, such as contraception, infertility, sexually transmitted diseases, and reproductive aging.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Explain the difference between peptide and steroid hormones and understand the mechanisms by which these hormones regulate reproductive function in their target tissues
- Explain how the integrated function of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and gonads (testis/ovary) are critical for normal male and female reproduction
- Explain how spermatogenesis in the testis and oogenesis in the ovary are regulated during normal fertility as well as understand the various causes of infertility
- Understand how sperm fertilize the egg, how the zygote implants in the uterus and how early embryo development progresses
- Understand which factors determine the sex and phenotypic differentiation of the fetus
- Apply your understanding of reproductive function and hormonal regulation to the various methods for male and female contraception
- Apply your understanding of reproductive function and fertilization to methods for assisted reproductive technologies to circumvent infertility
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
- 40% Final Exam
- 60% Quizzes
Enrollment Restriction
Priority given to graduate students in JHBSPH