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Journal Article
This case explores the fundamental principles of memory, eyewitness accuracy, and police questioning techniques in witness identification in a criminal case. Studying the details of an actual series of attacks and subsequent police investigation, stu...
Journal Article
This case uses the story of Dawn Langley Simmons, who may have been misidentified as male at birth, to illustrate the developmental basis of human sexual dimorphism and how gender misidentification may occur: Students also consider the emotional, leg...
Journal Article
The recent discovery of a mammoth frozen in the Siberian tundra is the backdrop for this case study, which explores the various theories for the extinction of the great Ice Age mammals and Homo neanderthalensis. Students research evidence for and aga...
Journal Article
In this case study, students grapple with the complex issues surrounding the use of DDT to control malaria, which affects millions of people in developing nations. In their examination of the issues, students consider risk/benefit analysis and the pr...
Journal Article
Spring Break: A Lesson in Circuits
This case, taught in a problem-based learning format, introduces students to the topics of electricity and circuits within the context of house wiring. Students explore the properties of series and parallel circuits, research local wiring codes, calc...
Journal Article
The Tokaimura Nuclear Accident
The 1999 accident at the Tokaimura nuclear fuel processing plant near Tokyo is the context for a student discussion on nuclear power and the consequences of a nuclear accident. The case covers issues ranging from chemical process safety to risk manag...
Journal Article
This case is based on the experience of 50 children who were displaced during Argentina’s “dirty war” of the 1970s, underwent DNA and protein analysis, and subsequently were reunited with their biological families. Students consider not only th...
Journal Article
Sonic Hedgehog: A Good Gene Gone Bad?
In this case of a baby born with the genetic condition holoprosencephaly, students explore the “Sonic hedgehog” gene, signal transduction, and the ethics of body and tissue donation. The two-part assignment involves students writing an informed c...
Journal Article
In this case, students enter the world of a forensic anthropologist who must determine the sex and age of an individual from a collection of bones. Students, in turn, simulate some of the actual procedures conducted in a forensic anthropologist’s l...
Journal Article
This case study tackles a tricky problem in probability based on the well-known carnival game Chuck-a-Luck, which, at first glance, appears to favor the bettor. Students must first correct a common fallacy in probabilistic reasoning and then extend p...