Johnson County Community College

Course Syllabus

Science and Math

Genetics

Biology 205

Fall 2005

Instructor Information:

• Dr. Paul Decelles
• Campus phone: 469-8500 ext. 3395
• E-mail: pdecell@jccc.net
• Web site: staff.jccc.net/pdecell
• Office GEB 153B
• Office hours: T: 4:00 - 5:00pm; W 1:00 - 3:00pm; F 1:00 - 3:00pm or by appointment.

Course Information:

• Credit hours: 4
• Prerequisites: Biology 122, Principles of Biology or equivalent college level biology course.
• Meeting times: Lecture T 6:00-7:20pm R 6:00 - 6:50pm, SCI 113 Lab R 7:00 - 8:50pm SCI 113
• Note the lecture and lab times carefully!

Course Description:

• This introductory course emphasizes human heredity using concepts from classical and modern genetics. Themes of advancing technologies and bioethical issues are interwoven in the basic background fabric of the course.

Rationale:

• Our understanding of genetics is increasing at a rapid rate and a knowledge of basic genetics is becoming essential not just for specialists in the field but for all areas of human biology from medicine to anthropology and even to education and psychology. New therapies and applications of genetics are also leading us to confront serious ethical problems that until recently were only thought about in an abstract sense. Dealing with these problems as biologists, physicians, counselors and citizens requires a grasp of modern genetics.

Required Textbooks:

• Russell, Peter J. 2003 Essential iGenetics. Benjamin Cummings, N.Y. xv +614 p

Supplies

• A basic scientific calculator is strongly recommended and you should plan on bringing it with you.

Caveats:

• Some computer use is expected in this course.. You should get an E-mail address through the college unless you have E-mail access at home. If you do not habe a computer, use the CASE lab (CLB 112A) for assignments. You must supply own discs. You must use your student account in Pipeline for correspondence with me. Pipeline can be accessed through the college website at www:jccc.edu. Do not your Hotmail, Yahoo or other private account and do make sure your subject heading is clear!

• I expect that you can do basic word processing tasks, be able to use a web browser and E-mail. It is also helpful if you have used spreadsheets and can do basic online searches. The final project will be an online project, but we will work through the technical details as we go along the semester.

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

• Describe important historical developments in genetics, particularly the contributions of Mendel, and Watson & Crick, and important research advances.
• Describe the structure and function of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells in enough detail to understand related genetic concepts.
• Describe mitosis and meiosis.
• Solve a variety of genetic problems using Punnett squares to illustrate Mendelian principles.
• Analyze human pedigree diagrams using examples from autosomal recessive and dominant traits, and sex-linked inheritance; predict the probability of carriers of a gene, and of occurrence of a trait among offspring.
• Describe the male and female reproductive systems, the formation of gametes, and the basic development of the embryo and fetus.
• Describe modern reproductive technologies such as artificial insemination, surrogate mothers, in vitro fertilization, and appreciate related bioethical considerations.
• Describe techniques of prenatal diagnoses such as amniocentesis and chorion villus sampling, and appreciate bioethical considerations related to genetic counseling and potential therapeutic abortion.
• Discuss basic ideas involved in the structure and replication of DNA, and the concepts of protein synthesis in enough detail to understand concepts such as the one gene one polypeptide hypothesis, gene expression, mutations, and genetic engineering.
• Discuss the most important types of chromosomal and gene mutations, their causes, and their important human consequences.
• Discuss the basic concepts of genetic engineering and gene splicing, and appreciate the future consequences of these powerful technologies.
• Integrate the basic concepts of human genetics with the interwoven themes of advancing technologies and bioethical issues to gain awareness of the complex problems facing society, and form a framework for personal values and decisions.

Course Outline and Competencies:

• On the JCCC Web site:http://www.jccc.net/home/course_outline/current/BIOL205

Essential Student Goals:

• Gaining factual knowledge (terminology, classifications, methods, trends).
• Learning fundamental principles, generalizations, or theories.
• Discovering the implications of the course material for understanding myself (interests, talents, values, etc.).

Course Requirements:

• You are responsible for all material presented in lecture and lab along with completing all assignments as outlined and responsible for participating in class. The tentative point breakdown is as follows:

• Missed exams must normally be made up in the in the testing center (Third floor student center) within one week of a scheduled exam date. It is your responsibility to contact me as soon as possible if you know you are going to miss an exam as I will not automatically place exams in the testing center.
• Make-ups will be allowed only for serious family or documented medical problems or for legitimate college activities.
• Late homework/ research projects will not be accepted unless advance arrangements have been made with me.

• Regular lecture exams will be a mixture of short answer, essay and problem sets as appropriate. Exams may have both individual and group evaluation components.

• Homework and quizzes will consist of problem sets and worksheets related to either lecture or lab designed to develop reasoning and research skills in genetics. Homework may involve library or online research.

Laboratory exams:

• Two laboratory exams will be given over material specific to the lab. These exams will be a mixture of identification, short answer and analytical problems related to the organisms and techniques covered during the laboratory part of the course.

• The final is an essay final worth 100 points and designed to assess your ability to synthesize material from the course as a whole. As part of each unit, possible essay questions will be provided and the final chosen from these questions.

• The research project will consist of a web project and in class presentation designed to give you exposure to the scientific literature and a chance to do in depth research on a topic in genetics of particular interest to you. The topic must be approved by me and you will be expected to report on your progress to me at regular intervals throughout the semester. Rather than a formal paper, you will be expected to produce an online presentation to be shared with your class mates. In addition you will be expected to give a 15 minute presentation during the last week of the course over your topic. The 15 minute presentation is required for completion of this project.

Laboratory activities:

• The laboratory is designed both to provide hands on experience in genetics and to reinforce concepts learned in lecture. Since interaction with your peers and with the instructor is important in genetics your attendance is required. In some cases limited work outside of class may be required. Laboratory activities may include using genetics simulations, models, and working with yeast as a model organism.

Safety Note:

Both lecture and Laboratory meet in the Microbiology Laboratory and we must adhere to some basic safety and hygiene rules. See attached sheet.

• Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be dealt with severely. All persons that knowingly participate in dishonest behavior are equally guilty and may be dealt with in the same manner. In addition to zero scores on assignments, papers and tests, the student can be dismissed from the class with an 'F', dismissed from the college and/or prosecuted. This statement should be considered your only warning about academic dishonesty.

Evaluation:

• I will use the following approximate point scale for evaluation purposes

Disability Statement:

• If you are a student with a disability and if you will be requesting accommodations, it is your responsibility to contact the Student Access Center on the second floor of the Student Center The Student Access center will recommend any appropriate accommodations to me and to the Academic Director. The Academic Director and I will identify for you which accommodations will be arranged. Students with disability or health related problems which require special attention may file an Individualized Evacuation Statement(IES) through Student Access. Assistance in completing the IES can be obtained in Student Access, room 292 of the Student Center. (913-469-8500 ext. 3521, TTY:469-3885).  

Withdrawal Deadline:

• The last day to withdraw and and receive a "W" is Tuesday November 15 2005