Kirkwood Community College
Course Syllabus for Genetics (BI215T)

Robert Young, Associate Dean
Dr. Jill Scott, Instructor

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course "Genetics" has been designed to introduce the student to nearly all of the fundamental concepts of genetics. The first half of the course will focus on the basic principles of classical (Mendelian) genetics, while the second half of the course will deal with the modern discoveries of molecular biology and their applications in today's world. Although the primary function of this course is to prepare the biology major for more advanced course work in genetics, topics will be covered in sufficient detail to provide other science majors with a good understanding of the field of genetics.

CREDlT: 4 semester hours of transfer credit (3/2)

PREREQUISITE:
Students taking this course must have successfully completed (1) College Biology I or its equivalent, and (2) at least one semester of college chemistry. Completion of College Biology II is recommended but not essential.

CONTACT HOURS
Three hours of lecture/ discussion per week and two hours of laboratory work.

INSTRUCTOR:

Jill M. Scott
B. S. (Biology), Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Ph.D. (Molecular Biology), Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

COURSE ORGANIZATION:
This course will include 3 hours of lecture and one two-hour laboratory per week. In addition to the regularly scheduled labs, students will need to devote some additional time to laboratory work during certain weeks. The class size will be limited to 24 students so that classroom discussion can be incorporated into the lecture plan. This small class size will also permit adequate supervision for the laboratory sessions.

TEXTBOOKS:

Concepts of Genetics, (4th ed., 1994) by William S. Klug and Michael R. Cummings, Prentice-Hall Publishing

Genetics Laboratory Investigations, (lOth ed., 1995) by Thomas R. Mertens and Robert L. Hammersmith, Prentice-Hall Publishing


GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
  1. To provide students with a strong background in the principles of Mendelian genetics. Students will become familiar with Mendel's basic postulates and the additional insights that modern genetics has brought to this field.
  2. To provide students with the ability to solve problems and think analytically. Genetics, more than any other branch of biology, lends itself to problem solving and analytical thinking. Students will be assigned numerous problems in the text that will allow them to practice these skills. Exam questions will be designed to assess how well these skills have been mastered.
  3. To make students aware of the power of DNA technology. Basic concepts of DNA manipulations will be taught and examples of how these manipulations can be used in medicine and industry will be given.
  4. To help students become familiar with the language of genetics and the terminology of molecular biology.
  5. To prepare students for more advanced course work in cell and molecular biology.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
Specific objectives are reflected in the course content which follows.

SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES:

Kirkwood Community College Learning Resource Center has various scientific periodicals such as Scientific American, Science, Nature, etc. A complete selection of journals which pertain specifically to the topics of genetics and molecular biology, such as Genetics, Cell, Nucleic Acids Research, and Molecular and Cellular Biology, are available at the University of Iowa, which is located within 20 miles of Kirkwood campus. Additional genetics journals may also be found at Coe College Library in Cedar Rapids.

LABORATORY:

The laboratory portion of this course will be held in the newly constructed biology lab, which will be equipped with microscopes (1 per student) dissecting scopes (1 per 2 students), electrophoresis equipment (1 station per 4 students maximum), a microfuge, a dinical centrifuge and other equipment needed for DNA manipulations.

SAMPLE COURSE OUTLINE:

WEEK TOPIC CHAPTER
1 Brief history/basic concepts of genetics 1
Cell division and chromosomes 2
Mendelian genetics/monohybrid, dihybrid cross 3
Lab 1: Introduction to Fast Plants and Drosophila
2 Mendelian genetics/trihybrid cross, probability 3
Modification of Mendelian ratios/incomplete and codominance 4
Gene interaction 4
Lab 2: Set up Drosphila opened-ended cross Ex. #14
Principles of probability Ex. #3
3 Sex linkage/sex influenced inheritance 4
Linkage, crossing over and chromosome mapping 5
Lab 3: Pollinate Fast Plants
Remove parental flies
The Chi-square test Ex. #4
4 Sex determination 6
Dosage Compensation 6
Exam l
Lab 4: F1 Analysis of flies, set up test cross
Sex chromatin in human cells Ex. #10
5 Chromosome variations 6
Advanced topics in transmission genetics 7
Lab 5: Problem workshop
Remove parental flies
6 DNA structure and analysis 8
Lab 6: Isolation of DNA Ex. #15
Finish counting F2 flies
7 DNA replication and synthesis 9
DNA organization 10
Lab 7: Restriction of DNA and gel electrophoresis Ex. #16


(chapter readings are from Klug and Cummings text)
(numbered lab exercises are from Mertens and Hammersmith laboratory manual)

8 Organization of the Eukaryotic Genome 10
DNA mutations and repair 11
Exam 2
Lab 8: Analysis of Fast plants cont.
9 DNA cloning and manipulation 12
Applications of recombinant technology 13
Lab 9: Transformation of E.coli Ex. #17
10 Transcription in eukaryotes 14
Translation 14
Lab 10: Analysis of transformation Ex. #17 cont.
11 Protein structure and function 15
Prokaryotic gene regulation 16
Lab 11: Synthesis of B-galactosidase Ex. #18
12 Eukaryotic gene regulation 17
Bacterial mutation 19
Exam 3
Lab 12: Bacterial mutation Ex. #20
13 The genetics of cancer 18
Genetic control of development 21
Lab 13: Oral presentations
14 Genetic control of development cont. 21
Genetics of immunity 22
Lab 14: Gene recombination in phage Ex. #21
15 Population genetics 24
Evolutionary genetics 25
Lab 15: Population genetics: Hardy-Weinburg principle Ex. #23


(chapter readings are from Klug and Cummings text)
(numbered lab exercises are from Mertens and Hammersmith laboratory manual)


STUDENT EVALUATION:

The course grade will be based on exarninations, lab reports, an oral presentation and class discussion. Assigned genetics problems will be discussed during class but will not be collected. Students will be evaluated on their participation during these discussions and their participation during lab. The 3 one hour exams given during the semester will not be comprehensive. The two hour final exam will be comprehensive but the major emphasis will be on the material which follows the third exam. The relative weights of the evaluation are as follows:
Exam I: 15%
Exam II: 15%
Exam III: 5%
Oral Report: 10%
Class Participation: 10%
Lab Reports (3): 15% (5% each)
Final Exam: 20%