Loyola University Chicago Department of Biology Spring 2012 Semester BIO 282-002: GENETICS Course Syllabus

Class Meeting Time: MWF 1:40 2:30 p.m., Mundelein 514 Instructor: Gerald L. Buldak, Ph.D. Office: LSB-443 Phone: (773) 508-3717 E-mail: gbuldak@luc.edu Office Hours: Tu 8 a.m. 11 a.m., or by appointment Biology Dept. Phone: (773) 508-3620, LSB Rm. 317 Genetics: A Conceptual Approach 4/e Benjamin Pierce W.H. Freeman Publishers i>Clicker classroom response unit Mastering Genetics Suggested Text: Solutions and Problem-Solving Manual to Accompany Genetics: A Conceptual Approach 4/e Jung H. Choi and Mark E. McCallum How to Solve Genetics Problems Harry Nickla Benjamin Cummings Publishers Both books are available at the bookstore, with a limited number of Value Packs containing new copies of the textbook and study guide at a discounted rate. Exam Schedule: There will be a total of 4 examinations administered in this course. There will be 4 exams that will be administered on Mondays during the term. See the schedule at the end of the syllabus for the dates of exams. Dates in the first column of the schedule that are marked with an asterisk are the weeks in which exams will be administered.

Required Text:

Grading: Exams: All four examinations will each be worth 100 points. All students are required to take all exams. Exams will cover material presented in lecture, as well as from the textbook. The lecture is to be considered the primary source of material for the exam. You may be responsible for other material not covered in lecture; if so, you will be told where to find the material. Any student who arrives late for an exam will not be given extra time to complete it. If a student arrives so late that another student has already completed the exam and left the room, the late student will not be allowed to take the exam. No student will be allowed to take an exam in advance of the published date. The final is non-cumulative. Breakdown of points: Mastering Genetics: Exam 1: Exam 2: Exam 3: Exam 4: Clicker: TOTAL 100 points 100 points 100 points 100 points 100 points TBA 500 points + TBA

Homework: Homework will be given this semester in the form of exercises to be completed using the Mastering Genetics online system. These assignments will be collectively worth 100 points, with the final percentage of points as displayed on your Mastering Genetics page providing corresponding to your score out of 100 points. All assignments will have finite deadlines by which they MUST be completed. No excuses will be accepted for failing to complete assignments by the deadline; if its not completed by the deadline, you will receive a grade of ZERO (0) for the assignment. Homework assignments will be given in class. The only way you can get them is by coming to class. I will NOT post assignments on Blackboard. Homework assignments will not be collected, however, it is highly recommended that you do the suggested problems. Proper techniques for approaching homework will be covered in class. You will not be penalized for utilizing hints in the Mastering Genetics system. If you answer an item incorrectly, you will lose 3% of available points for that particular item. Clicker questions will be administered in class, and will serve as another means of gaining points. As long as you respond to a question, you get one point. If you get the question correct, you get two additional points. If you dont respond at all, you get zero points. No excuses will be accepted for not responding. Make sure that your clicker is functional, the batteries are installed correctly and that you are in class. Grade Disputes: When graded exams are returned to you, check all math in terms of grading. If I make a mistake in totaling your points that works against you, inform me immediately and I will make the necessary corrections. Improperly filling out a scantron sheet is not a

legitimate basis for a dispute. Pay attention to your answer sheet as you fill it out, as I will not go back and attempt to determine where your mistake was made. If you feel that you have been graded unfairly, you have one week to dispute the grade. You must provide me with a written (preferably typed) summary of your dispute. I will re-grade your entire paper. You could receive a better grade than the original; you may get the same grade, or you may get a worse grade. Regardless of which grade is better, the results of the re-grade will be final for computation of your course grade. Possession of Graded Exams: After graded exams are returned for your consideration, they must be turned back in to the instructor. Students may keep Scantron report sheets. Students may look at written exam components during office hours anytime they like during the course of the semester, however the scantron sheets will not be accessible. Make-up Exam: All students must take all exams. If you are unable to attend an exam and your absence is approved (see below), it is your responsibility to sign up with the instructor to take the make-up test. Make-up exams must be completed within one week of the published exam date. Grading Scale: The following scale will be used to determine final course grades. The instructor reserves the right to lower the cutoffs as necessary during the semester, and students will be informed of any such change. This preliminary scale will at least give you an idea of where you stand. Percentage-to-Letter-Grade Conversion 90-100 = A 80-89 = B 70-79 = C 60-69 = D 0-59 = F Expectations 1. ATTENDANCE: As the exams will be based primarily from the lecture, you need to come to class. This is not an online course. I will not be posting my lecture slides, but will instead provide the figures from the textbook that I use in my lectures in Powerpoint format. If you dont show up, you wont get this important material, which is fair game for the exams. 2. COURTESY: Most of this is a no-brainer, but please maintain basic courtesy toward the instructor and your fellow students at all times. This includes, but is not limited to: a. Show up on time; if youre a couple of minutes late, please be quiet and take the nearest available seat to the door.

b. Minimize interruptions in class that are not related to the class; DONT LET THIS DETER YOU FROM ASKING QUESTIONS! c. Turn off all electronic devices before entering class. These include: i. iPods ii. Cell phones, BlackBerries, etc. iii. Watches with alarms d. If you wish to take notes using your laptop/notebook computer, please feel free to do so. If you are caught doing anything on the computer that is not class-related, you will be asked to leave. Note that this is a privilege and not a right. If the privilege is abused, I reserve the right to revoke this privilege at any time during the semester. Once revoked, the privilege will not be restored. e. Bring your university ID and at least 3 #2 pencils to each exam. Calculators will not be allowed unless told otherwise in class. If a calculator is allowed into an exam, cell phones with calculator functions, as well as laptop computers and programmable calculators are all forbidden. f. Text messaging in class is absolutely not tolerated! If you do so, dont be surprised or offended if I single you out in class and ask you to leave. g. The instructor reserves the right to dismiss any student from class he deems as being disruptive or interfering with other students ability to learn in class. 3. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: You are expected to adhere to Loyola University Chicago policy regarding academic integrity. University sanctions against those found to be in violation of this policy can be severe, so dont do it. Anyone caught cheating on an exam will automatically receive a grade of ZERO (0) for that exam. All instances of cheating will be reported to the Department of Biology and the College or Arts and Sciences. Please note that the following will also be reported as instances of cheating: a. Use of any unapproved electronic device in a quiz or exam b. Cell phone of any type ringing during an exam The College of Arts and Sciences Statement on Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.luc.edu/cas/faculty_resources.shtml. See the attached document for the full statement. 4. BE PROACTIVE: It is your responsibility to stay on top of the material. If at any point you feel like youre not understanding it, either because it doesnt make sense to you, or because it isnt being explained well enough, either ask questions in class or take advantage of office hours. Please note that the last day to drop this course with a grade of W is 26 March, 2012. 5. ACCOMMODATIONS: If you have a chronic issue that you believe entitles you to extra time or other testing accommodations, it is your responsibility to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSWD) in the Sullivan Center. More information can be found at the SSWD webpage (http://www.luc.edu/sswd/register.shtml). Excused Absences

The instructor (Dr. Buldak) is the only person who can excuse you from an exam. If you know that you will not be able to attend an exam, you must inform Dr. Buldak as soon as you know about it. Please leave both voice- and e-mail messages. Medical excuses must be accompanied by a physicians note. All situations will be handled on a case-by-case basis between the student and the instructor. Note that it has come to the attention of the Department of Biology that a cottage industry exists online for the distribution of fraudulent excuse notes. All excuses will be followed up on by the instructor. If it is proven that a fraudulent note has been passed to the instructor, you will receive an automatic grade of F in the course, and a note will be placed in your student file. Bottom line, dont even think about trying it. I will work with you as much as possible, should you have problems during the semester. TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
Week Topic 16-Jan Introduction; DNA Structure DNA Organization in 23-Jan Chromosomes Recombinant DNA Technology; 30-Jan Genomics *6-Feb DNA Replication Transcription & The Genetic Code 13-Feb 20-Feb RNA Processing *27-Feb Translation SPRING BREAK - NO 5-Mar CLASSES 12-Mar DNA Repair Readings Ch. 10 Ch. 11.1-11.3 Ch. 19; Ch. 20 Ch. 12.1-12.4 Ch. 13 Ch. 14 Ch. 15

Ch. 18 Ch. 16 Ch. 17 Ch. 3 6.1-6.2 Ch. 4 & Ch. 6.2-6.4

Regulation of Gene Expression in 19-Mar Prokaryotes Regulation of Gene Expression in 26-Mar Eukaryotes *2-Apr Mendelian Genetics EASTER BREAK 4/5-4/9 9-Apr Pedigree Analysis 16-Apr Sex Chromosomes & Pedigrees

Chromosome Mapping in Eukaryotes; Chromosome 23-Apr Mutations (Book only)

Ch. 7

30-Apr

Immunogenetics

Tentative

FINAL EXAM (Non-Cumulative): Monday 7 May, 2012, 1-3 p.m.