Guiding Students to Think Critically about Reproductive Development and Public Conversations on Sex and Gender.

Abstract

Developmental Biology is intricately connected to current issues of societal and political importance. Bringing these connections into the classroom makes the biology topics relevant to our students and, when students find classroom topics relevant, they are more likely to think critically about the material. In addition, this type of engagement encourages students to remain in science majors and pursue careers in biological and biomedical fields. The use of guided inquiry methodology, scaffolded discussions, and a variety of source material on sex and gender, has been successful in engaging students in an undergraduate Developmental Biology course.