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In this activity, groups of students assume the roles of human body organs. They work together to acquire the knowledge needed to develop a skit to ““act out”” the argument that their selected organ is the most important one in the body. The students learn and reinforce their understanding of the composition and functions of organs and organ systems and how they interrelate to allow for the survival of the body as a whole while maintaining homeostasis throughout life.

Interdiction J J JThe proposed learning activity is designed for senior high school and lower-division college biology classes and for students with some biology background. It seeks to stimulate active learning by providing different modes of exploration through small-group interaction, communication, and research.The alternative model of human reproductive capability used in this activity is based on a number of similarities and key differences between humans and primates, and on some basic philosophical, as well as physiological, considerations. Engaging students in questioning norms, thought processes, common behavior, and the status quo generally, is one of the effective approaches in challenging the mind and its "mindset" to free the imagination to come up with unexpected alternatives. This effort becomes pedagogically even more powerful when it can be approached through formal curriculum and educational activities designed for such purposes. Hence, the proposed learning activity begins with a challenge to the imagination: conceiving an alternative scenario, researching and investigating the topic, and predicting the possible outcomes. So, if humans were biologically ready to conceive only during a particular period each year, what effects would this have on human life, society, and civilization?As far as we know, humans are the most intelligent primates, given our ability to store, retrieve, and process information in complex ways and apply the information to alter our lives and the environment in which we live. The ability to change our lives beyond those that might have evolved through nature alone is one feature that distinguishes us from other animals. Our cultural behavior, "our languages, societies, belief systems, norms of behavior, and scientific knowledge -all attest to these abilities" (Park, 1999, p. 141). Our bodies and body systems are also well developed to maintain homeostasis and participate in the survival of the individual. But unlike all other human body systems, the "normal functioning of the reproductive system is not aimed at homeostasis (that is, stability in the internal environment) and is not necessary for survival of an individual, but it is essential for survival of the species" (Sherwood, 2013, p. 734). In addition, and unlike many other aspects of physiology, reproduction is very dynamic -it can be turned on and off at different stages of life in the process of participating in perpetuating the species.Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of years of biological and social evolutionary processes, along with cultural and social development, have allowed humans to separate procreation from pleasurable sexual activity. Other primates and many mammals generally engage in sexual activity only when it can lead to reproduction, but humans engage in sexual activity for more than just reproductive purposes (Park, 1999, p. 67). Humans have evolved biologically, intellectually, socially, and culturally to be able to engage in sexual activity independent from reproduction, for pur...

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The human body is a remarkable biological machine maintained by interdependent body systems and organized biochemical reactions. Evolution has worked on humans for hundreds of thousands of years, yet the current pace of technological and social change have radically affected our life style and have exposed possible human frailties. This raises the question of whether or not nature’s work could be improved upon. We provide two-sided perspectives as a rationale for the need for the redesign of the human body. Then, we describe pedagogical strategy through which students study morphological and anatomical structures and the physiological functions of the human body systems and their respective organs and parts. The students select their own favorite system or organ to redesign in order to optimize the efficiency of the anatomical structural, physiological function, and/or the aesthetic and functional morphology; a redesign that might lead to, for example, lowering risk of diabetes, heart attack, and/or stroke. Through group work and interaction (student groups compete for a prestigious “in-house” patent award), students actively engage in the learning process in order to understand the role of design in the efficiency and functionality and vulnerability to disease of the human body system.