GENETICS 372 Winter, 2000
Walt Fangman
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To do well in the class, most students will need to spend 15 hours per week outside of class, reading and studying. There are no assigments to turn in. You will need to provide
your own discipline for keeping up. |
Lectures*
Study Questions*
Reading Assignments*
Quiz Sections*
| · Prerequisites | · Textbooks and Other Reading |
| · Course Approach | · Talk, Talk, Talk! |
| · Genetics 372 Course Books | · Questions to the Teachers |
| · *Lectures | · Student Group E-mail |
| · *Study Questions | · Class Web Site: News & Announcements |
| · *Assigned Readings | · Lecture Videos |
| · *Quiz Sections | · Disabilities |
| · Exams & Grading | · Contacting the Teachers |
| · Re-grading Exams | · Office Hours |
You should have taken BIOL 201 or GENET 371, and done well in them. You should have a good college introductory level understanding of Mendelian genetics (independent assortment) and of meiotic recombination as a way to map genes. You should have a good college introductory level understanding of DNA structure, DNA replication, the transcription of DNA into RNA, the translation of messenger RNA into protein, and the nature of the genetic code.
This course will examine a limited number of topics in molecular genetics. But, we will do so in some depth. The goal is to help you see how experimentation leads to understanding. Another way to say it -- the course emphasizes science as a way of knowing: asking questions, designing experiments, and deducing "pictures" of how things work based on the observations.
The major themes are - -
(1) Formal analysis and physical analysis of genetic material:
especially, using this information to clone specific genes.
(2) Information storage and retrieval: the genetic code, gene
structure, and gene transcription.
(3) Use of mutations and novel gene constructs to study biological
mechanisms.
Genetics 372--Book 1 as well as Genetics 372--Book 2, which can be purchased at Professional Copy 'N' Print , 4200 University Way NE, are compilations put together by me for the class. Book 1 contains (a) Organizational information for the course and (b) Lecture overhead copies. Book 2 contains (a) Study Questions, (b) Reading assignments, and (c) Last year's exams.
There are paper copies of overhead transparencies which will be used at each class in Genetics 372--Book 1 . You will need to take notes but, with an outline and drawings in front of you, you should have time to think through the material with me. Points that seem clear at the time of lecture are likely to seem obscure a little later unless you think through your lecture notes over and over, extending your review to new material as it is added. Discussing the lecture material with others will be an invaluable aid to understanding.
For two weeks, the class overhead transparencies will be posted--with annotations--on the world wide web, one or two days after a class. These annotated overheads and copies of much of the other class materials are located at http://depts.washing ton.edu/genetics/courses/genet372/org.html. They can also be accessed through "links" of the UW Biology Home Page (http://www.biology.washington.edu/bsa/ welcome.html). NOTES: (1). It is unlikely that the annotated Lecture material I prepare for you will adequately substitute for attending class to participate in thinking through the material. (2). Annotated notes will be provided only for the first two weeks; they may help you to adjust to the course's approach.
More than 150 Study Questions are included in Genetics 372--Book 2. The goal of these Questions is to stimulate you to think through concepts and experimental manipulations related to class material. Some concepts and technical approaches not given in Lectures are presented in the Study Questions. Study Question assignment dates are shown on the class Calendar and are also indicated within the Lecture Notes. Assignments should be completed no later than the dates shown on the Quiz Section Topics/"Due" Dates list in Genetics 372--Book 1. It will be important to think through the study questions more than once. Discussing the study questions with others will be an invaluable aid to understanding.
The Assigned Readings are included in Genetics 372--Book 2. Copies of additional assigned readings may be handed out. The readings are an important source of learning in the course. They are designed to reinforce concepts and some experimental approaches presented in Lecture and in the Study Questions. Three-fourths of the readings are research articles that have been adapted by me for use by undergraduates. These articles emphasize the contribution that the study of genes in "model" organisms make to our understanding of human genes.
Questions or Exercises accompany most of the reading assignments, or are inserted within them. They are designed to help you to work through the reading and to focus on key points in them. The exams will contain a question, or questions, to test your understanding of the Reading. Reading Assignment dates are shown on the class calendar. Assignments should be completed no later than the dates shown on the Quiz Section Topics/"Due" Dates section in Genetics 372--Book 1. It will be important to think through each Reading more than once. Discussing the readings with others will be an invaluable aid to understanding.
Attendance at quiz sections is expected. Some new material will be presented. Topics that will be emphasized each week are listed in the Quiz Section Topics/"Due" Dates section in Genetics 372--Book 1. There will be demonstrations of techniques and materials used in molecular genetics research. A few "homework" exercises will be given.
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Hitchcock 316 J-279 HSC* |
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Hitchcock 324 J-279 HSC* |
EXAM DAY DATE TIME POINTS 1st Friday Jan. 21 8:30-10:20 100 2nd Friday Feb. 11 8:30-10:20 100 Final Tuesday Mar. 14 8:30-10:20 200
All three exams will be about 2 hours long. However, the final exam will cover about twice as much new material as the others, and it has twice the point credit. If staying until 10:20 for the First or Second exam will be a hardship, let me know right away.
There will be no "extra credits."
Missed Exams: If you must miss an exam for a (non-emergency) reason that you feel meets the University Handbook guidelines, it must be discussed and approved by me at least one week ahead of the exam.
This course is not graded on a curve. I will set grade equivalents for exam scores after each exam. Classes differ in their abilities. The average grades in my Genetics 372 class for the past three years were 2.6, 2.9, and 2.9, and the percentages of 4.0 grades were 3%, 6% and 5%. Last year about 18% of the initial enrollees dropped the class during the quarter.
Exams will emphasize material since the previous exam. However, they will necessarily be somewhat cumulative because later material builds on earlier material in the course. Exam questions will cover Lecture material, the Reading assignments, the Study Questions and Quiz Sections.
Last year's exams are included in the Genetics 372--Book 2. The difficulty or perceived difficulty of this year's exams may be different than the difficulty or perceived difficulty of last year's exams. Last year's exams simply provide examples of the kinds of questions I have had on exams in the past. There will be some difference from last year in the coverage of specific material in the class, and some difference in the coverage of specific topics on individual exams.
The exams will be closed book/closed notes.
Exams will be graded carefully and consistently. If you feel that an error was made in grading an exam, state your case in writing and submit it along with your unaltered exam to the Department of Genetics office, J-205 Health Sciences Center, no later than one week after the graded exams are made available to you. I will do all of the regrading. Afterwards, if you wish to discuss your case, you can always make an appointment with me. I reserve the right to reassess the grading on the entire exam.
The course reading is in Genetics
372--Book 2 which can be purchased at Professional
Copy 'N' Print , 4200 University Way NE. There is no other required
textbook. General reviews and overviews on topics covered in lectures
can be found in most contemporary general genetics text books.
If you would like a good general genetics text with an emphasis
on molecular genetics you might consider buying Genetics, From
Genes to Genomes by L. Hartwell, L. Hood, M. L. Goldberg,
A. E. Reynolds, L. M. Silver and R. C. Veres, First Edition (McGrawHill)
2000, which is carried by the University Bookstore as a NOT REQUIRED
TEXT for this course. Genetics
372--Book 1 contains a list of sections in the Hartwell
text which are relevant to topics covered in the course, as well
as a few other readings in other sources which can provide background
or additional information on different topics.
ON RESERVE IN THE UNDERGRADUATE LIBRARY:
Genetics, From Genes to Genomes (above).
Molecular Medicine
R. J. Trent, Churchill Livingstone (Publishers), 1993
An excellent book on human molecular genetics--from diseases to
forensics.
Genes VI
Benjamin Lewin, Sixth Edition, Oxford University Press, 1997
A very detailed accounting of molecular processes.
The Metabolic and Molecular Bases of Inherited Disease,
[Chapter 6, "The Human genome project and its impact on the
study of human disease"], 7th ed., McGraw-Hill, 1995, pages
401-436.
A summary of human genome mapping and cloning.
The best way to learn the material well is to discuss it with other people. Ask me questions. Ask the TAs questions. We will help you understand while pushing you to think on your own. Discuss the Lecture notes, the Readings, and the Study Questions with other students. Introduce youself to other students in the class. Form a discussion group that meets regularly. Explaining things to someone else is the best way to learn.
Questions about course material can be discussed in person with me or the TAs after class, at office hours, or at Quiz Sections. The best time for questions about specifics of lectures, study questions & reading will be at our office hours. Otherwise, the best way to reach me and the TAs is by email (addresses are in the Contacting the Teachers section of this Course Mechanics). We will answer e-mail queries as quickly as we can. Questions that seem of general interest to the class will be emailed to all students in the class (see Student Group Email -- next section).
A Student Group E-mail address has been set up for students in Genetics 372, Winter Quarter, 2000. The e-mail addresses on the list are taken from the University of Washington Class List. To send a message to everyone on this email list, just send the message as a normal e-mail to: genet_372a1@u.washington.edu (or just: genet_372a1@u).
This Student Group E-mail address is meant to be used in two ways: First, it provides an easy way to discuss material from the class. You can ask questions or present ideas, and receive responses and feedback from other students. I or one of the TAs will be checking the messages sent to the Student Group E-mail list but will refrain from posting there unless, after some time, everyone seems stumped by a question. Even then, to push you to think, we're more likely to give hints rather than answers.
The second purpose of this group e-mail is to allow me to make announcements about the class. That way everyone in the class with an e-mail address will have immediate notice about any corrections or last minute news. We assume that you read your email regularly.
Questions addressed directly to me or to the TAs at our individual email addresses that seem of general interest, and not of a personal nature, will be forwarded to the group email address.
If you have a new or non-university address, and would like to be on the group email list, let me know. If you do not wish to receive these class emailings, tell me and I will have your name removed from the recipient list.
I will post new infromation about class material and activities at the class Web site: http://depts.washington.edu/genetics/courses/genet372/org.html. These announcements will also be sent to the Student Group E-mail address (see the Student Group E-mail section of this Course Mechanics) The Web site also contains the annotated class notes for the first two weeks (see the Lectures section of this Course Mechanics) and access to some Web sites relevant to the class.
Classes are being videotaped. The tape for a lecture will be available at the Media Center in the Undergraduate Library, probably the next day. The videotapes are meant to assist you if you must miss a class or if you feel you would benefit from hearing and seeing a topic a second time. The videos will not be a good substitute for attending lectures and participating in the class discussions directly.
To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz, (206) 543-8924 (V/TTY). If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services indicating that you have a disability which requires accommodations, please present the letter to me so we can discuss the accommodations you might need in class.
| Message phone # | e-Mail address | |
| Professor: Walt Fangman | 543-0334 | fangman@genetics.washington.edu |
| Teaching Assistants: Merrilee Robatzek | 543-1435 |
robatzek@u.washington.edu |
| David Tran | 543-1622 | dht@u.washington.edu |
All Office Hours are in HSC* K-121
| Monday | Fangman | 9:30-10:30 |
| Tuesday |
Robatzek Tran |
9:30-10:30 2:30-3:30 |
| Wednesday | Fangman | 1:30-2:30 |
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Thursday
|
Robatzek Tran |
9:30-10:30 1:30-2:30 |
| Friday | Fangman | 10:30-11:30 |
Any student can come to any of the office hours.
If you are unable to come to any of the office hours because
of your employment or class schedules, you can make an appointment
with a TA or me. Please let us know why the regular times cannot
work for you.
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If you do not feel challenged by the course material, please let us know. We can guide you to sources of stimulation.
Map from Hitchcock Hall to K-121
