Anthropology Genetic Testing

Paper 1: Genetic Testing
Read the following articles/websites (all online in Unit 1 folder):
€¢ Grading the Gene Tests by John Rennie
€¢ Couples Cull Embryos to Halt Heritage of Cancer by Amy Harmon
€¢ A Baby Please. Blonde, Freckles €“ Hold the Colic.
€¢ Your Genes, Your Health- DNA Learning Center
Your assignment is to address one of the following disorders (from the Your Genes, Your Health
Website). Please write a letter to the parents (fictional) who just found out their baby or young
child has been diagnosed with the chosen disorder and advise them about their situation.
The disorders that I recommend that you choose from include those listed below. If you have a
different disease/gene that you would like to research it must be approved first by Dr. Shook.
Beta-Thalassemia
Cystic Fibrosis
Duchenne/Becker Muscular Dystrophy
Hemochromatosis
Hemophilia
Fragile X Syndrome
Marfan Syndrome
Phenylketonuria (PKU)
The Letter:
You are welcome to write from either the perspective of a good (and knowledgeable) friend of
the patient’s family or as that of a health care provider who has cared for the family. You must
address all of the following points, explaining it in common terms for your friend/patient to
understand. You are welcome to use diagrams if they are helpful.
Disease: Describe the disease. How is it diagnosed? How much of it is thought to be
environmental vs. genetic? What is the prognosis (range of possible outcomes)?
Is there intervention or preventative care that can be undertaken?
Inheritance: How is this disease inherited? Describe the family history.
Genetic Testing: What types of genetic tests are available? Who should be tested (if
they have not been tested already) and when?
Family: What are the responsibilities this disease places on family members? What
implications might the results of genetic testing have on family members? Might
other family members be at risk for the disease?
Living with the Disease: What will the daily life be like for this child? During their
adolecent years? As an adult? Assess any cultural, social, legal, or ethical issues
that might be associated with this disease €“ for example, will they encounter
discrimination? Will they need an advocate? What decisions might they face
making in their life? What type of support systems are out there for them? Etc.
Writing:
The paper should be three full to four full pages in length, double-spaced, typed, with a clear
introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Your paper will be graded on both content and
writing. Please write your paper early leaving ample time for you to edit your paper
appropriately. If you have questions about the writing, please see your Lab Instructor or Dr.
Shook.Research:
Much of the information that you will need to write this paper is available on the Your Genes,
Your Health website, or in the class readings (listed above). This website, sponsored by the Cold
Spring Harbor Laboratory is reliable and authoritative. You are required to use at least one
other source as well. Acceptable sources include other reliable websites (for example, the
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, or National Institutes of Health websites) or scholarly or review
articles found through the library. Please carefully evaluate any additional articles/resources for
authority, currency, reliability, etc. before using them. Be sure to take good notes along the way
to accurately record the original source of all information as you are required to cite and
reference where all of your information came from.
Citations and References:
You are required to cite (in text) and reference (at the end) where all of the information in
your paper is from using APA format. All information in your paper that you did not know
before researching this paper or that didn’t originate in your own head needs to be cited. Please
put the ideas/facts into your own words (paraphrase) and then at the end of each idea or sentence
(NOT at the end of the paragraph) record the author’s name and date; an example is (Jones,
1998). You are encouraged, but not required, to put a page number (Jones, 1998, p. 124). You
are highly discouraged from using direct quotes. Quotes are using another authors writing
word-for-word with quotation marks ( ) and citations. Without quotation marks and citations,
word-for-word excerpts are plagerism. Quotations are discouraged because it is not consistent
with scientific writing, it makes the flow of papers awkward, and does not give us (your
teachers) the impression you know what you are talking about. Each reference that is cited in the
text needs to be found in the references cited section at the end of your paper. Some examples
are provided below, but please see http://libguides.csuchico.edu/citingsources-APA for more
information on how to do this properly.