CH 452A / BL 452A
Biochemistry I
Fall 2009 Syllabus
Course Description: An introduction to biochemistry at the advanced college level. The course
is centered around an in-depth study of proteins, notably enzyme catalysis
and kinetics. We will also examine the structure and biological function of
carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). You will learn
how to apply chemical principles to biological problems, which are among
the most important and exciting in modern science.
Instructor:
Dr. James P. McEvoy
Science 318
tel. 303-964-5731
email: jmcevoy@regis.edu
Office Hours:
Mon, Wed, Fri 9.00 – 10.00 AM, Tue 9.00 – 12.00 and other times
depending on my schedule. If you have a question you’d like to discuss,
come to my office and see if I’m there.
Class Meets:
Mon, Wed, Fri 1.30 PM – 2.20 PM
Classroom:
Loyola 10
Prerequisites:
Inorganic Chemistry (CH 460)
C– or better in Organic II (CH 350)
Physical Chemistry I (CH 430A) is recommended
Required Text:
Biochemistry (6th ed.) by J. M. Berg, J. L. Tymoczko and L. Stryer; W. H.
Freeman, New York (2006)
Expectations:
You will get the most out of the classes if you arrive well-prepared, ready
to ask questions, stimulate discussion, and point out my mistakes. That
means spending at least six hours a week outside class reading the
textbook, studying your lecture notes, and working on problems. These
include end-of-chapter questions, which will not be assigned as graded
problem sets but which I am always happy to look over and discuss with
you. After I’ve graded your answers, carefully read any comments I make
and ensure that you understand the corrections.
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Course Schedule (open to revision)
Week beginning
Aug 24th
Aug 31st
Sep 7th (no class on Monday)
Sep 14th
Sep 21st
Sep 28th (no class on Friday)
Oct 5th
Oct 12th (no class on Monday)
Oct 19th
Oct 26th
Nov 2nd
Nov 9th
Nov 16th
Nov 23rd (no class Wednesday)
Nov 30th
Dec 7th
Topic
Protein composition and structure (Chapter 2)
Protein composition and structure continued, Hemoglobin
(Chapters 2, 7)
Hemoglobin continued
Nucleic acids (Chapter 4)
Nucleic acids continued
9/28: First Exam
Enzymes: basic concepts and kinetics (Chapter 8)
Enzymes: basic concepts and kinetics continued
Catalytic strategies (Chapter 9)
Catalytic strategies continued
10/26: Second Exam
Regulatory strategies (Chapter 10)
Regulatory strategies continued
Carbohydrates (Chapter 11)
Carbohydrates continued
11/23: Third Exam
Lipids and cell membranes (Chapter 12)
Lipids and cell membranes continued
12/11: Comprehensive final exam at 10.10 AM
Homework:
Three graded problem sets will be given throughout the course, which will
be due on Sep 11th, Oct 14th and Nov 9th. You will be given a week for
each of these assignments.
Grading:
The best grades will be obtained by those students who demonstrate a
thorough understanding of the subject. Such understanding is principally
gained by solving problems and tackling questions, NOT by passively
reading the text-book and/or your lecture notes. Homework and
examination questions will be designed to test your understanding,
indicated by your ability to apply your knowledge and skills to new
intellectual situations.
Your final grade will be calculated according to the following formula.
Grades will be normalized (‘curved’) if necessary.
Three  1 hour exams
Final exam
Three homework sets
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1/3 of final grade
1/3 of final grade
1/3 of final grade
Course Policies
Disabilities
Regis University, in compliance with federal guidelines, is committed to equal educational
opportunity by assuring otherwise qualified students with disabilities equal access to Regis
University programs and activities that are provided to students without disabilities. An
otherwise qualified person with a disability is a student who meets the academic and technical
standards required for admission or participation in Regis University’s educational programs and
activities.
To ensure the provision of reasonable and appropriate services at Regis University, students with
disabilities must identify themselves in a timely manner to the Office of Disability Services
(ODS), Room 118B, Life Directions Center, 303-458-4941, disability@regis.edu, in order to be
eligible for requested accommodation(s). Current and comprehensive documentation must be on
file with ODS prior to approval of the accommodation. Following the meeting with ODS, please
make an appointment with me, as your professor, to discuss your accommodation request in light
of the course requirements. Please make arrangements with me at least one week before an
examination for special accommodations. It is strongly encouraged that students self-disclose
their disabilities at the beginning of their academic experience because accommodations are not
retroactive.
Attendance
Exams may be legitimately missed only in the case of emergencies. In such cases, a note from
your doctor or from the office of student affairs will be required, and I will average out that
grade. Unexcused absences will result in a zero for that exam. Under rare circumstances (major
surgery, or funeral) a student may be permitted to take an exam before the scheduled date. This
does not apply to the final exam.
NCAA Athletes
Members of a team in an NCAA sport should let me know as soon as possible during the first
week of the semester whether their sports schedule will cause them to miss any exams, and we
will try to reschedule these. You may not miss the Final Exam.
Academic Honesty
Cheating or plagiarism in homework or an exam will not be tolerated and will result in an F for
the course. You may work together on problem sets, but copying someone else’s homework is
considered cheating and will result in an F for the course. Answers must be in your own words
and demonstrate your own calculations.
Consistent with the College's Academic Integrity Policy, I will report all violations of this
course's academic integrity policy to the Dean's office. Students who have committed multiple
instances of academic dishonesty can be subject to insitutional penalties like probation,
suspension, or expulsion, in addition to the penalties for this course. The Academic Integrity
policy is described in the Bulletin; detailed information about the policy and the appeals process
can be found in the Dean's office
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