Biology 202 (001)- Molecular Biology and Genetics
Summer Session I 2013 Dr. Blaire Steinwand
Lectures: 107 Wilson Hall (MTWRF 9:45- 11:15 AM)
Recitations: (you must be registered for one of the 2 sections: 601 and 602); attendance required.
Section 601 - Artur Romanchuk
Monday
Tuesday
Thursday
12:00-12:50pm
12:00-12:50pm
12:00-12:50pm
GSB 1374
GSB 1374
GSB 1374
Section 602 - Eric Earley
Monday
Tuesday
Thursday
1:00-1:50pm
1:00-1:50pm
1:00-1:50pm
GSB 1374
GSB 1374
GSB 1374
Instructors:
Dr. Blaire Steinwand
Email: blairejs@email.unc.edu
Office location: TBA
Office Hours: Wednesday 1:00-3:15 and Fridays 1:15-3:30
You can also reach me by email to set up an appointment.
TAs:
Artur Romanchuk: romanchk@live.unc.edu
Eric Earley: earleyej@email.unc.edu
COURSE WEBSITE: http://sakai.unc.edu/ (you will need your onyen to log in)
This site will have postings from my lectures such as outlines, power point slides, supplemental material that we
mention in lecture. We will also post announcements on this site. It is your responsibility to check it regularly.
TEXTBOOK: Genetic Analysis, Sanders and Bowman.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Basic knowledge of biology and chemistry as demonstrated by a C or
above in BIOL 101 and CHEM 101 or 102 or equivalent.
COURSE GOALS:
1. To provide you with the core principles of genetics and molecular biology.
The lecture and the book will provide the basic content. We will take a historical approach at times to see how
famous experiments were performed. We will examine the basic “rules” of genetics that may then be altered to
account for more complex situations. After this class, you will be prepared to do research in a lab on campus and
to build upon this content with Biol 205 and upper level genetics courses.
2. To gain higher level thinking skills that are necessary for
scientists.
To the right you can see the “Amended Bloom’s Taxonomy” pyramid.
It was developed as a method of classifying educational goals for
student performance evaluation. You should be well –equipped at
remembering facts and content with good study habits. We are looking
for you to apply and analyze. You are UNC students, we KNOW you
can memorize! Move beyond this level of thinking. How can we
achieve this? We will have in-class questions to practice this
immediately and you will have homework problems to practice on your
own. We will also explore classic experiments as a way of thinking
through the logic of experiments and to see where the foundations of
this content come from. While these may be new ways of thinking for
you, practice is the most important way to gain these skills. FYI:
UNC’s medical school sees this is an excellent pre-req course for
medical school because it teaches students to think.
3. This course should excite you about basic science and its applications.
A foundation in genetic crosses with model organisms (basic science tool) allows you to understand human
genetic diseases. A foundation in making recombinant DNA constructs (basic science tool) allows you to
understand how plants are modified to be herbicide resistant or how recombinant proteins can be turned into
medicines. Genetics and molecular biology provide the “tools” that other disciplines call upon in biological
research. Plant biologists, evolutionary biologists, clinical researchers etc. all use these tools.
COURSE POLICIES
1. Exams:
Three semester exams and one final exam will be given. The final examination is cumulative. 80% of your grade
will be determined by the 4 exams (20% for each exam). All students are expected to take all exams when they
are scheduled. Students who are unable to take an exam must request permission to take a make‐up exam
(possibly an oral exam). Students are expected to notify the instructor prior to missing an exam and to assume
responsibility for scheduling a make‐up exam in a timely manner. If, for some reason, you feel an error has been
made in determining an exam score, you may submit the exam for a re‐grade within 3 school days after the exam
has been returned to the class. You must submit in writing your reasons for requesting a re‐grade. Staple the
request to your exam, and give it to the appropriate instructor or TA. Legitimate reasons for a re‐grade request
include, for example, incorrect summation of scores and bona fide errors in grading a particular problem; this
does not include student judgments about the amount of partial credit deserved for incorrect answers. Written
responses to student requests will be returned in class.
2. Recitation:
Attendance and participation in one of the recitations sections is required and critical for success in this course.
During recitation, you will be given an in‐class assignment or quiz, that is designed to reinforce and deepen your
understanding of the lecture material. You will either work out a problem in groups and turn in one answer on
behalf of the group or take quizzes individually during the recitation period. There will be no make-up
opportunities for in-class assignments if you do not attend a recitation in a given week. In addition, The TAs
will review questions you have about lecture material, homework problems, etc. during the recitation period. If
you are unable to attend the recitation for which you are registered one week, you may attend another section with
prior permission of the TAs if there is room in another section. There is a maximum capacity for each section so
please do not assume that you can attend another section if you miss a recitation.
3. Grading:
60% (three semester exams worth 20% each)
20% (final cumulative examination)
10% (participation – includes required recitation attendance/participation and poll everywhere)
10% (homework via mastering)
CLASSROOM PARTICIPATION (POLL EVERYWHERE):
To ensure that you have done the reading assignments BEFORE class, you will have poll questions based on
readings, as well as problems to solve during class. Each student must register for poll everywhere. See Sakai for
registration and troubleshooting. Registration is free but required so that each answer can be linked to each
student. It is the student’s responsibility to bring either their computer or cell phone to each class, there will NOT
be an opportunity to regain points if you are absent. Of course, I cannot make you participate in class or attend
each day, but I do believe that if you want to do well in this course, you WILL actively participate in your
education!
HOMEWORK: I expect you to do the guided reading assignment BEFORE class each day. In the past, students
have found these to be very helpful. They will guide you to the important concepts in the chapter – use them! In
addition, each week you will complete a Mastering Genetics homework assignment. These will be due every
Sunday by 11:55pm. Although some assignments may be quicker than others, you will be responsible for starting
them so that you can finish on time. Late homework assignments will be given a zero.
HONOR CODE: All work done in this class must be carried out within the letter and spirit of the UNC Honor Code.
You must sign a pledge on all graded work certifying that no unauthorized assistance has been given or received. You
are expected to maintain the confidentiality of examinations by divulging no information about any examination to a
student who has not yet taken that exam. You are also responsible for consulting with your professors if you are
unclear about the meaning of plagiarism or about whether any particular act on your part constitutes plagiarism.
Please talk with the professor if you have any questions about how the Honor Code pertains to this course.
Copyright Information: All materials used in this course including notes, tests and assignments are covered by copyrights, which forbid
you from sharing class materials with any group. The University’s Copyright Policy, which can be found at
http://www.unc.edu/campus/policies/copyright%20policy%2000008319.pdf indicates
"STUDENT WORKS THAT CONSTITUTE NOTES OF CLASSROOM AND LABORATORY LECTURES AND EXERCISES SHALL
NOT BE USED FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES BY THE STUDENT GENERATING SUCH NOTES." What this means is that you
are in violation of the law (and the honor code) if you post/text/share any course materials for use by others.
Lecture Schedule:
Date
Lecture #
To be completed BEFORE this lecture
Topics covered
05/14
Tuesday
1
Read articles (Personalized medicine, Born to
Run, and Genetic testing for sports genes
courts controversy) posted on Sakai.
Personal genomics
05/15
Wednesday
2
Reading posted on Sakai
Genetic variation
05/16
Thursday
3
None!
Structure and function of
genes and genomes
05/17
Friday
4
Guided reading Qs on Ch. 7
DNA replication
05/20
Monday
5
Guided reading Qs on Ch. 8
Transcription
05/21
Tuesday
6
Guided reading Qs on Ch. 9
Translation
05/22
Wednesday
Exam 1
Includes material from May 14 – May 20
05/23
Thursday
7
Guided reading Qs on Ch. 14
Prokaryotic gene regulation
05/24
Friday
8
Guided reading Qs on Ch 15
Eukaryotic gene regulation
05/27
Monday
No Class
Memorial Day!
05/28
Tuesday
9
Activity- Lick your rats!
NOVA video - Epigenetics
05/29
Wednesday
10
Guided reading Qs on Ch 2.
How genes affect phenotypes
(Mendelian genetics)
05/30
Thursday
Exam 2
Includes material from May 21- May 28
05/31
Friday
11
Guided reading Qs on Ch. 4
Dominance relationships
06/03
Monday
12
Guided reading Qs on Ch. 12
Genetic variation arises by
mutation
06/04
Tuesday
13
Guided reading Qs on Ch. 3
Genetic Variation also arises
by chromosomal
rearrangements and
homologous recombination
06/05
Wednesday
14
Video on genetic counseling on Sakai
Using inheritance to
investigate gene action
06/06
Thursday
15
Guided reading Qs on Ch. 4
Epistasis
06/07
Friday
16
None.
Cont.
06/10
Monday
Exam 3
Includes material from May 29 – June 6.
06/11
Tuesday
17
Guided reading Qs on Ch. 5
Linkage
06/12
Wednesday
18
Guided reading Qs on Ch. 3
Sex linkage
06/13
Thursday
19
Guided reading Qs on Ch. 22
Population genetics
06/14
Friday
20
CUMULATIVE FINAL EXAM: June 17th 8:00am-11am
TBA
TIPS FOR SUCCESS: Please read the assigned textbook pages twice! Read once before the lecture, look over the
text to familiarize yourself with what you will hear during the lecture. Go back to the reading assignment after the
lecture and re-read the portions that were stressed during lecture. The lecture material is the number one source of
exam questions. This is where you want to invest time for detailed understanding. Recognize that your attendance at
the lectures is the only way to clearly grasp what we stress, because we also present topics and material that are not
necessarily in the book.
Take notes in class; reinforce what you learned. Learning is an active process. If you get confused during a lecture,
mark in your notes the point during the lecture where you became confused. Mark in your notes the point where your
understanding returned (i.e. change of topic or new topic). This will allow you to clearly identify that part of the
lecture that you did not understand. Then go back to the assigned reading and seek clarification.
Immediate reinforcement is most effective directly after hearing the lecture. So, instead of leaving the lecture hall and
immediately checking your cell phone for messages, think calmly to yourself as you walk to your next class “What
are the main take home messages from today’s lecture?” Cramming is unlikely to be successful. Trust us.
Ask questions and participate in recitations! Raise your hand, be engaged! Ask for clarifications from the lecture
material; come to office hours, study with other students. Discussions help reinforce the material we learn.
Do the homework. It is much more useful to try to work out the homework problems before you know the answers.
This will help you realize what aspects of the material you are weak in, and the process of trying to work out the
answers will greatly help in your understanding and retention of the material. A portion of the exam questions will be
similar to the homework questions. So make sure you understand the answers. Do extra problems. More practice
thinking in this way will make a difference.