BIOL 3100
GENETICS
4 Credit Hours

Course Information

Course Description:
In this course, the student will study the basic principles of  traditional transmission genetics as well as modern molecular genetics.  The student will apply these principles in problem solving.  The primary mode of delivery of course information will be PowerPoint presentations with an audio component.  The student will be evaluated by means of homework, quizzes, examinations, submission of news items and a term paper.
 
This course is for teachers who are seeking a Biology Add-on Endorsement ONLY.  It will not substitute for required genetics courses in the Biological Sciences or related majors.

Course Objectives:
The course will be divided into eight modules for the summer term.  The primary objectives for each module are as follows:
 
Module 1: To understand Mendel's Laws and to be able to apply them to solve basic problems in genetics.
 
Module 2: To understand the concept of linkage and the process of meiosis, to understand the meaning of Mendel's Laws in terms of the events of meiosis.  To understand basic rules for combining probabilities and to be able to use them to solve problems.
 
Module 3: To understand the basics of sex determination in various species of eukaryotes.  To understand the concepts of sex linkage, incomplete dominance and lethal genes and to be able to solve problems applying these concepts.
 
Module 4: To understand the concepts of multiple allelism, gene interaction and quantitative genetics and to be able to solve problems applying these concepts.
 
Module 5:  To understand the basic concepts of chromosome mapping using linkage data.  To understand the basic concepts of population genetics, including the Hardy-Weinberg Law.  To be able to apply these concepts in problem solving.
 
Module 6:  To understand the structure of DNA, the process of DNA replication, the concept of metabolic pathways and the process of protein synthesis.
 
Module 7: To understand the concept of operons, the basic nature of the process of mutation and basic concepts of human genetics.  
 
Module 8:  To understand some of the applications of human genetics, including mass screening for genetic disease, pre-natal diagnosis of genetic disease, and methods for treating infertility.  To understand the procedures involved in producing recombinant DNA and applications of such procedures.
Prerequisites and Corequisites:
The student must have completed BIOL 1110 and BIOL 1120 (or their equivalents) in order to have a working knowledge of basic biological concepts as well as an introduction to the topics to be covered in this course.
Course Topics:
The course will be presented in eight modules, each to be completed in a given calendar week.  It is imperative that these modules be completed in order, since it will be necessary to understand material presented in earlier modules in order to grasp concepts presented in later modules.  The eight modules are as follows:
 
Week 1 -- Course Introduction and Orientation
 
Week 2 -- Module 1
     Presentation No. 1:  Introduction
     Presentation No. 2:  Mendelian Genetics I
     Presentation No. 3:  Mendelian Genetics II
     Problem Set No. 1
     Submit News Item No. 1
     Quiz No. 1
 
Week 3 -- Module 2
     Presentation No. 4: The Branching Process
     Presentation No. 5: Linkage
     Presentation No. 6: Meiosis and Mendel's Laws
     Problem Set No. 2
     Submit News Item No. 2
     Quiz No. 2
 
Week 4 -- Module 3
     Presentation No. 7: Sex Determination
     Presentation No. 8; Sex Linkage
     Presentation No. 9; Incomplete Dominance/Codominance and Lethal Genes
     Problem Set No. 3
     Submit News Item No. 3
     Quiz No. 3
 
Week 5 -- Module 4
     Presentation No. 10: Multiple Allelism
     Presentation No. 11: Gene Interaction
     Presentation No. 12: Quantitative Genetics
     Problem Set No, 4
     Submit News Item No. 4
     Quiz No. 4
     Mid-Term Exam
 
Week 6 -- Module 5
     Presentation No. 13: Crossing Over and Chromosome Mapping
     Presentation No. 14: Three-Point Testcross
     Presentation No. 15: Population Genetics
     Problem Set No. 5
     Submit News Item No. 5
     Quiz No. 5
 
Week 7 -- Module 6
     Presentation No. 16: DNA Structure and Replication
     Presentation No. 17: Metabolic Pathways
     Presentation No. 18: Protein Synthesis
     Problem Set No. 6
     Submit News Item No. 6
     Quiz No. 6
 
Week 8 -- Module 7
     Presentation No. 19: Operons
     Presentation No. 20: Mutation
     Presentation No. 21: Basic Principles of Human Genetics
     Submit News Item No. 7
     Quiz No. 7
 
Week 9 -- Module 8
     Presentation No. 22: Applications of Human Genetics
     Presentation No. 23: Recombinant DNA
     Presentation No. 24: Applications of Recombinant DNA
     Submit News Item No. 8
     Quiz No. 8
 
Week 10 -- Course Wrap-Up
     Term paper due
     Final Exam
 
Specific Course Requirements:
Access to an up-to-date computer.
Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
Required Textbook:  It is highly recommended that student purchase the textbook for use as a reference.
Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com
Supplementary Materials:
Any additional materials will be supplied.
Hardware Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. 
Software Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. 
Instructor Information
Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.
Assessment and Grading
Testing Procedures:
All work for this course can be done online.  Evaluation will be based upon problem sets, submission of news items, quizzes, term paper, mid-term exam and final exam.
Grading Procedure:
Problem Sets:  Each problem set will consist of several practice problems,  for which answers will be supplied.  There will also be a problem included with each set for which answers must be submitted for a grade.  Each problem set will be worth 5 points, for a total of 30 points.
 
Quizzes:  Each quiz will cover the presentations and problem set for the week and each will be worth 25 points, for a total of 200 points.
 
News Items:  Each student is required to submit one current news item taken from the internet each week on a subject directly related to the content of the course.  In the event that the submitted item is determined not to be sufficiently related to the course content or is out-of-date, the student may be requested to submit a substitute item.  Each item will be worth 5 points, for a total of 40 points.

Mid-term Exam:  The mid-term exam will cover the first four sections and will be worth 100 points.

Term Paper: Each student shall select a human genetic disease and prepare a paper describing the manifestations of the disease, the genetic basis for the disease, available treatments for the disease, and other relevant information about the disease.  The paper will be due during the last week of class and will be worth 80 points.

Final Exam:  The final exam will cover the entire course and will be worth 150 points.

The total point value for the course is 600 points.
Grading Scale:
90 to 100 percent --- A
80 to 89 percent   --- B
70 to 79 percent   --- C
60 to 69 percent   --- D
Below 60 percent --- F
Assignments and Participation
Assignments and Projects:
          See Course Topics section under Course Information
 
Students are expected to communicate with the instructor at least once per week and are expected to submit all work in a timely manner.
Punctuality:
Students are expected to follow the course schedule as listed in the Course Topics section under Course Information. 
Course Ground Rules
Participation is required weekly, following the eight modules in sequence, Learn how to navigate in WebCT, Keep abreast of course announcements , Use the assigned college or university e-mail address as opposed a personal e-mail address, Address technical problems immediately, Observe course netiquette at all times. 
Guidelines for Communications
Email:
  • Always include a subject line.
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members
 
 
Chat (optional):
  • Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.
  • Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.
  • Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.
  • Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.
  • Be constructive in your comments and suggestion
Web Resources:

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the left to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support

Telephone Support:
 
If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the AskRODP Help Desk by calling

1-866-550-7637 (toll free)

or go to the AskRODP website at:

http://help.rodp.org