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SCENARIO
This is a role-playing
tool to stimulate learning and spark students' curiosity
about the different aspects of genomics. It should promote
discussion, rather than provide all the answers – which
would be impossible anyway. |
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| Your
Scenario |
A young couple are sitting at a table together,
talking. The man surprises the woman by giving
her a promise ring. |
| They have pictures of their families. When
she sees her boyfriend's balding brothers,
the woman informs him that their relationship
is over because unfortunately she cannot stand
the idea of him going bald some day. |
| You Set the Scene |
The teacher and students work together to develop
the plot based on the scenario and decide on the
tone (humorous, serious, tragic, etc.). |
This presentation can be used as a springboard
for classroom discussion. You can also make use
of the questions and scientific facts on this
page. |
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Thought-Provoking Questions
- What would happen if we discovered a cure for genetic
baldness? Would people still be bald? (Right and access
to care, economic constraints, environmental conditions,
etc.)
- Animals have distinctive traits. Things like length of
fur, size of paw and their colour make them unique. Do you
have preferences when it comes to a cat or a dog? Will our
preferences always stay the same? (There is a vast diversity
of life on our planet.)
- Is there such a thing as genetic perfection? (Value scales,
discrimination, notions of tolerance)
- Do you think that in the future genetic information will
influence the way people choose their life partners? (Perhaps,
unconsciously, other people's traits influence our
choices.)
- Is it solely a question of aesthetics? Is external appearance
really that important? (e.g.: influence of society in general,
the media, etc.)
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For more information on genomics, check
out our partner's site:
Genome Canada
www.genomecanada.ca
You can find the Universal Declaration
on the Human Genome and Human Rights on the United Nations'
site
www.unesco.org/ibc |
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Scientific Facts
Baldness is hereditary 95% of the time and is passed
down on the maternal side of the family. Although the
responsible gene has been recently discovered, there
are other causes for nonhereditary baldness (hormones,
illness, stress, some kinds of medication, etc.). Baldness
is an example of a sex-linked hereditary condition;
it is dominant for males and recessive for females.
Dominant means that only one copy of the gene is needed
to cause the genetic condition, while recessive means
that there must be one copy from the father and one
from the mother for the genetic condition to appear.
"Everyone has a right to respect for their dignity
and for their rights regardless of their genetic characteristics.
That dignity makes it imperative not to reduce individuals
to their genetic characteristics and to respect their
uniqueness and diversity."
Article 2, Universal
Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights, adopted
at UNESCO's General Conference in 1997. |
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PDF Version (389 Kb PDF)
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