Syllabus for Biology K322 Genetics and Molecular Biology–Fall, 2016 Class Time: 10:30-11:45 Tuesday and Thursday Location: LE 100 Instructor: Benjamin Perrin, PhD Office: SL 336 Office Hours: By appointment Email: [email protected] Recitation Time: TBD, Will be posted on Canvas Location: TBD Teaching Assistant: Ryan Eller Email: [email protected] Tutor: Cameron Morris By appointment Email: [email protected] Please be advised that this syllabus is subject to change at any time. This includes changes to topics covered, course policy, exam schedule, etc. I will post revisions on Canvas. Course Description Students taking "Genetics and Molecular Biology" will study how genetic elements contribute to how organisms work and how genes themselves are regulated on a molecular level. By participating in lectures and homework, students will consider gene transmission to offspring, the molecular structure of genetic elements, how genes are expressed and how genes evolve. In addition, students will study experimental approaches used to study genetics and molecular biology with an emphasis on problem solving and data analysis. Class Materials Text: Concepts of Genetics 11th Edition By William S. Klug, Michael R. Ciummings, Charlotte A. Spencer and Michael A. Palladino Published by Pearson Sapling Learning – Online homework system. A subscription must be purchased via http://bit.ly/saplinginstructions Clickers – Turning Technologies. Clickers must be registered via Canvas because they will sometimes be used to document attendence or for quiz points. Lecture Slides: Available on Canvas Websites and other materials available on Canvas Prerequisites The prerequisites for this class are Biology K101-103 or an equivalent one-year Biology major’s course. It is important that you have these prerequisites if you are to do well in this class. Communication I will respond to emails within 24 hours or on Monday if you email me over the weekend. Please include “K322” in the subject line. Please check Canvas regularly for updatesCLASS WORKFLOW My goal is to use a significant amount of class time to clarify and expand on selected topics rather than only presenting conventional lectures. Therefore, I will depend on you to complete the assigned reading before class. ASSESSMENTS In-class work There will regularly be in-class work including assignments, activities, quizzes and opportunities to participate. This work will account for 15% of your final grade. I recognize that illness or unforeseen circumstances will sometime cause you to miss class. Therefore, your three lowest scores will be dropped. Clickers are also required as they will be used in class and sometimes used to document your participation. Finally, in some cases your in-class work will be spot-graded (~20% of the class will be graded for points while the rest of the class gets a pass). Over the semester, all students will be graded on the same amount of points from this type of work. Homework Homework will account for 15% of your final grade. It will consist of questions assigned after lecture to practice and reinforce important concepts. All homework assignments will be through the Sapling Learning web portal. Exams Exams will be based on lectures, reading assignments, and assigned problems. 70% of your grade is based on four equally weighted examinations. The first three will be non-cumulative. The fourth exam will be a final with questions covering material from the last part and cumulative questions that will cover important concepts covered during the semester. A cheap calculator that is not programmable is required for the exams. Any device that can communicate with others may not be used during exams. Missed Exam and Make-Up Exam Policy •! If you know you will miss an exam, you must notify me in advance and provide valid documentation for your absence (i.e. doctor’s note, etc). •! If your absence was unexpected (i.e. sudden illness, fender bender on way to school), you must contact me as soon as you are able and provide valid documentation for your absence (i.e. doctor’s note, police report, etc). •! Failure to provide valid documentation results in a 0 for the exam. •! Those who have missed an exam with valid documentation will be given either an oral or written exam at the instructor’s discretion. •! If you must miss the final exam with a valid documented reason, you may be assigned a grade of Incomplete. It will be your responsibility to contact me after the semester ends to schedule a time to complete the course requirements before a grade can be assigned. However, you must meet the requirements of IUPUI’s Incomplete Policy to qualify.http://registrar.iupui.edu/incomp.html (Links to an external site.) GRADE Exams 70% Homework 15% In-class work 15%Letter grades will be determined after the final exam and will be based on the total points earned from exams, homework and participation. The following scale will be used to determine letter grades. There is no rounding. For example, 92.99% is an A-. Grade A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F Minimum % 93 90 87 83 80 77 73 70 67 63 60 59 After the final exam, if the median number of points earned is significantly lower than 70%, the grade scale will be adjusted so the B-/C+ cutoff is close to the median. Corrections to this scale may be made. Extra Credit A few opportunities for extra credit will be offered along the way, but these points are unlikely to change your grade by very much. In addition, no extra credit will be offered on an individual basis to insure the entire class has similar opportuities. Considerations Students are strongly encouraged to attend and participate in class, stay current with the assigned readings, and do the assigned problems in a timely fashion. Please be seated at the beginning of the lecture period to avoid disturbing fellow students already seated and turn off cell phones. Also please do not carry on conversations that are distracting to other students. For the complete calendar http://registrar.iupui.edu/enrollment/4168/cal4168.html Information regarding drop dates and withdrawal policies is at the registrar’s office at http://registrar.iupui.edu/withdraw.html (Links to an external site.) Campus wide policies governing the conduct of courses at IUPUI can be found at http://registrar.iupui.edu/course_policies.html (Links to an external site.) Strict compliance with the IUPUI