Syllabus
General Genetics Lecture (BIOL 2306)
Fall 2000
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I. Course Description:
Genetics is a course designed for biology majors and is part of the core
that all biology majors must complete who are working towards
an Associates in Biology
at Amarillo College. The objective of the course is to introduce the principles
of Mendelian, molecular, and population genetics, including the methods that various
scientists have used to solve different problems in genetics and the methodology
that was used to test competing theories.
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II. Pre-requisites:
You must have completed a general or introductory biology course and a college algebra
course with a C or better in both. The biology course will have given you the basics of the
terminology and major theories in biology. The college algebra course will have given you
the tools to manipulatemathematical equations that you need to understand genetics.
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III. Course Organization:
Your first introduction to the course material will be via the
genetics home page.
I have placed lecture notes for each chapter covered in this
course on AC's World Wide Web server. These notes are cross-referenced with figures and
tables from your textbook. Before each class, you must review the lecture notes and the
textbook. I will lecture over only selected topics. I will use the beginning of each
class to answer your questions about the material. In general, students who study the material before
class and come to class with prepared questions will do much better than those who do not.
If there are no questions, I will either lecture, start a class discussion, or assign
problems to be worked in small groups in class. The lecture notes will cover the points
to be learned and will direct your study from the text. You can not expect to pass
genetics without intensive study outside of lecture (2 hours of study for every hour in class).
Be sure to read the section on how to study. The material covered
in the latter part of the course will be based on material covered in the first part of the
course, therefore you will have to commit the material to long term memory. In addition,
the final exam is comprehensive.
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IV. Grading:
Your grade will be determined based upon the total points earned on examinations,
a term paper, and some small homework assignments. There is no provision for doing extra
or outside work to improve your grade.
A = 90.0% to 100%
B = 80.0% to 89.9%
C = 70.0% to 79.9%
D = 60.0% to 69.9%
F < 60.0%
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examinations:
Three tests plus a final exam are scheduled for the semester(see class schedule).
The final exam is comprehensive. Each test is worth 100 points. The final exam is worth
200 points (100 points over material since the last test and 100 points over material
from the entire semester). This yields 500 possible points on the exams. The exams
will be part multiple-choice and part essay. It will be important that you have practiced
working many problems before you come to the test, otherwise you will be too slow and not have
time to finish the test.
If you have to miss an exam for whatever reason, and you need to reschedule,
arrangements must be made beforehand to take the exam at another time. The make up
exam may not be the same test as that taken by the rest of the class; they are ususally
given before the rest of the class take the test.
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V. Material On AC's WWW Server:
The following materials have also been placed at
Genetics Note Page.
These materials will supplement the lecture and will give some additional insights into the
course material. I will expect you to review this material and some of it will find its way
onto examinations in one form or another. This material can be accessed through NETSCAPE or
any of several other web browsers. There are several computer labs around campus that you can
use to access the WWW server (see section below on the "Science and Engineering
Computer Lab"). Examples are the 3rd floor of Lynn Library,
Rooms 102 & 104 of Engineering Bldg., the English Bldg., Business Bldg., etc.
In all of these labs, there are assistants who can help you use a browser.
review problems: I have written out complete answers with
explanations to some of the problems that are at the end of the chapters in your textbook.
Also, the answers to all odd problems are found in the back of your text.
Some problems will likely be re-worded into multiple-choice examination questions.
practice tests:
On AC's WWW server, there are practice multiple-choice tests that will serve as a measure of how
you are doing with the material. You may see some of these questions on a test. For certain,
you will see questions over this same material that is covered in these questions.
lecture notes: The notes from lecture have been placed on AC's
WWW server. Each day , you must have studied these notes and the textbook before coming to
class paying particular attention to the tables and figures that have been referenced in the
notes.
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VI. Attendance:
I will not count lack of attendance
against you. However, if you do not come to class, you will be unable to check if your
understanding of the material is adequate. You should be committed enough to your education
to come to class, otherwise you are just wasting yourmoney.
VII. how to study for this class:
Genetics is a tough class. There is a lot of material to be learned, even though we
will not cover all that is in the textbook. Genetics is also a problem-based course.
While you will have to
memorize many facts, you will also have to be able to organize information, draw
conclusions, and work problems. Thus genetics will draw on your background in both
biology and mathematics. You should plan on 2 hours of study for every hour in class.
Some of you may be able to get by with less and some of you will need more.
You might plan on 1 hour of study per day for five days per week. The following
5-day plan is one of many plans that will help you to organize your study time.
However, to study and learn the material you will need to develop some sort of
study plan that spreads out the work over several days, rather than trying to do it all
the couple of days before the tests. Finally, as you study the material, you should be
taking notes and writing down comments. The act of writing the material seems to greatly
increase the retention of the material over that which is retained from simply reading.
There are no short-cuts, genetics only comes to those who spend the time to learn it.
As you prepare to study for each chapter, the first thing that you should do is print the
lecture notes for that chapter. On the first day, read through the notes to get a feel
for the material. If you find any words that you do not know the meaning of, look these up in
either the on-line glossary (words in blue in the lecture notes link to the on-line glossary
for the course) or look them up in the glossary of the textbook. Next go back through the
notes more carefully, making sure that you can follow the material. Do not try to memorize the
material yet, just make sure that it makes sense. As you find yourself with questions, write
them down. On the second day, read through the notes and cross-reference the notes
with the textbook, paying particular attention to the figures and tables that are referenced
in the notes. Look at your questions from the night before, do you still have questions?
If you do be sure to ask me in class or read the appropriate sections in the textbook.
On the third day, read through the notes and begin to memorize the material. You should
begin to redraw the figures in the textbook making sure that you can label them correctly. For
the chapter that you are studying, look at the problem set that is on the web site. First try
working the problems, without looking at the answer. Then look at the answer to see if you got
it right. As you work problems, look for patterns that are common to a set of problems. On
the fourth day, continue working problems and read carefully all of the sections covered
in the texbook. Continue to memorize the material from the lecture notes and the textbook.
On the fifth day, carefully go through the notes to see if there are any areas of
concern. If there are, be sure to ask me or restudy the material from the textbook.
Take the on-line test at the web site and make sure that you can answer these questions
or any that may be similar to them.
We will do a variety of things in class.
As I answer questions in class, even if they are not your questions, you should take notes.
As I lecture in class, you should also take notes. Even if you have the lecture notes from
the web site, it is a good idea to take additional notes. You do not need to write down every
word, but you should be able to follow the content of a lecture by reading your notes.
Finally, make sure that you can work any problems that we work in class.
About five days before the test, you should have completed all of your study
preparation for each chapter that will be on the test. Now is the time to really put all
of the chapters together. Look for relationships between the chapters. By now you will
also have the essay questions for the test. Study each question carefully and make sure
that you understand what the question is asking. Write out the answer completely, then look
up the answer to see that you got it right. Reread your answer out loud to yourself. Does
it make sense? About three days before the test, you might form a study group of fellow
students with whom you can go over the material. Keep your group on task, if you discuss
non-genetics topics, you will be wasting your study time. On the day before the test, you
should be ready for the test and you should be able to get a good nights sleep without worrying
about the test. There will be TOO MUCH material to expect to do well on a test by cramming the
night before the test.
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IX. MISCELLANEAOUS
1. COURSE WITHDRAWAL:
A student may withdraw from a class at any time prior to
upon completion of the withdrawal form in the Registar's Office.
This instructor will give no withdrawals after
. Therefore, it is up to each student to evaluate his/her standing
in the course prior to the above date as to whether he/she wants to continue
or withdraw from the course. If you have any difficulties, please
contact me as soon as possible.
2. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require
some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact
ACcessibility Services (L101, Phone 806-371-5436) as soon as possible.
3. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE:
If a student is having a problem with the course policies or
the instructor, he or she should first try and resolve any such problems
with the instructor. If the problem is not resolved the student may
proceed to the Department of Biological sciences Chairperson, the Division
of Sciences and Engineering Chairperson, the Dean of Instruction, and the
college President, IN THAT ORDER.
4. CLOSING OF THE COLLEGE DURING FINAL WEEK:
Should it become necessary to close the College during the week
of finals, the final schedule will move forward one day. (For example,
if the College were closed on Monday; Monday finals would be given on Tuesday,
Tuesday finals would be given on Wednesday, Wednesday finals on Thursday,
etc.) All closings will be officially announced through KGNC-AM radio
by 6:30 am for day classes and by 3:30 pm for evening classes.
5. The Biology Learning Lab (found in BIOLOGY 102):
The Biology Learning Lab has microscopes, films, videos, computer
assisted learning (Microbes in Motion), and many other items we will be
studying (see chronology for suggestions of helpful programs for each unit
of study). The Biology Learning Lab is staffed with someone to help
you with your studies. Use this resource to help your studies.
The times it is open will be posted in all biology classrooms and labs.
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6. The Science Computer Lab (found in ENGINEERING 102 & 104)
The Science & Engineering Learing Lab has several computer
programs available that will help the student retain the material.
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Topics are linked to the appropriate sections of the lecture notes.
Even if we do not have class on a particular day, you are still responsible for studying the
notes and material from the book. Each class day, you should come to class prepared to
ask and answer questions over the material.
| Indicates official school holidays
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| Indicates days that I will be gone. You are responsible for
studying this material and asking questions if you do not understand. There is a good
chance that I will not lecture over this material.
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| Days that papers are due or that tests will occur.
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| 28 Aug |
Introduction. mitosis |
| 30 Aug |
mitosis, meiosis |
| 1 Sept |
meiosis, Mendelian genetics |
| 4 Sept |
No Class, Labor Day |
| 6 Sept |
Rule of segregation, Rule of independent assortment |
| 8 Sept |
phenotypic ratios, epistasis |
| 11 Sept |
chromosomal theory of inheritance, sex determination,
twelth class day! |
| 13 Sept |
sex determination, X-linked inheritance
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| 15 Sept |
pedigree analysis |
| 18 Sept |
X-chromosome inactivation, probability |
| 20 Sept |
binomial theorem, hypothesis testing |
| 22 Sept |
chi-square analysis |
| 25 Sept |
exam #1, chapters 1-5 |
| 27 Sept |
linkage analysis |
| 29 Sept |
process of crossing over |
| 2 Oct |
chromosome mapping using three point crosses |
| 4 Oct |
lod scores, evaluation of risk
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| 6 Oct |
bacterial genetics, transformation |
| 9 Oct |
conjugation |
| 11 Oct |
variation in chromosome number |
| 13 Oct |
variation in chromosome structure |
| 16 Oct |
quantitative inheritance |
| 18 Oct |
additive genetic variance, heritability |
| 20 Oct |
response to selection, twin studies |
| 23 Oct |
exam #2, chapters 6-8, 18 |
| 25 Oct |
Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
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| 27 Oct |
non-random mating | |
| 30 Oct |
mutation, migration, |
| 1 Nov |
genetic drift, founder effects, |
| 3 Nov |
natural selection |
| 6 Nov |
Darwin's theory |
| 8 Nov |
DNA as the genetic material |
| 10 Nov |
structure of DNA
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| 13 Nov |
DNA replication
tuesday ... Last day to drop or withdrawl from class |
| 15 Nov |
central dogma, transcription |
| 17 Nov |
transcription |
| 20 Nov |
exam #3, chapters 18-21, 9
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| 22 Nov |
transcription, translation |
| 24 Nov |
Thanksgiving |
| 27 Nov |
translation |
| 29 Nov |
translation |
| 1 Dec |
genetic code |
| 4 Dec |
gene regulation: lac operon |
| ???? | lac operon, gene regulation: try operon
| | 6 Dec |
gene regulation in eukaryotes: embryonic development |
| 8 Dec |
gene regulation in eukaryotes: embryonic development
gene regulation in eukaryotes: cancer |
| 11 Dec |
final exam, ????
(100 points from the first three exams, 100 points from chapters 10, 11, 13, 15)
| | 13 Dec |
final exam, ????
(100 points from the first three exams, 100 points from chapters 10, 11, 13, 15)
| | 15 Dec |
final exam, ????
(100 points from the first three exams, 100 points from chapters 10, 11, 13, 15)
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Last updated on 23 August 2000.
Provide comments to Carl J. Shuster
at shuster-cj@actx.edu.
Return to the
General Genetics Home Page at
Amarillo College.
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