Human Disease OpenCourseWare: A Free Undergraduate Biology Course by MIT on the Study of Human Disease

Published Jan 31, 2009

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Students seeking a genetic understanding of human disease should take the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's free OpenCourseWare class, 'Principles of Human Disease.' This course covers how to use genetics to diagnose diseases and different types of gene therapies and is eared towards students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Bachelor of Science in Genomics or a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology.

Principles of Human Disease: Course Specifics

Degree Level Free Audio Video Downloads
Undergraduate Yes No No Yes

Lectures/Notes Study Materials Tests/Quizzes
No Yes No

Principles of Human Disease: Course Details

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) presents a free OpenCourseWare class, 'Principles of Human Disease.' This lecture-based course was originally taught by MIT Professors David Housman and Jacqueline Lees and investigates the field of human disease at the cellular and molecular levels. This online class provides you with a complete reading list covering a range of topics and focuses on genetic human diseases, like cancer. These include the genetics behind disease, karyotypic analysis and genetic diagnostics. Readings also discuss the relationship of environment to genetics, what we can learn about human disease from the animal kingdom and different gene therapy treatments. After completing the downloadable readings, you can quiz yourself by trying out one of the problem sets or taking on one of the written course assignments. If you're on your way to a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology or a Bachelor of Science in Genomics, this course is useful as a study aid or review for your main course of study. In addition, teachers who are preparing a course on a similar topic may find this OpenCourseWare a useful model for structuring lesson plans.

This free OpenCourseWare class offers a course syllabus and schedule, a complete list of downloadable readings, three problem sets and the descriptions of two written assignments. Students interested in this course should check out the human disease course page.

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