Genetics PCB 3063-001 Fall 2002
Dr. Garey
Note: This syllabus is subject to change, particularly the lecture topics. You will be notified by email or in class of changes.
Textbook: Genetics, Principles and Analysis, 5th Edition by Hartl and Jones
Location: ENA 105 TTh 4:00 - 5:50
Office hours: 9:00 - 10:00 AM Tuesday and Wednesday, BSF 215 and by appointment.
Lecture TA: Anna Bass, 974-5233, LIF 271, Office hours: Tuesday 10-12, Wed 10-11
Goals: This course is an introduction to genetics. By the end of the semester you should have a basic understanding of classical Mendelian and modern molecular genetics.
Review/recitation sessions (LSA 133):
1: Monday 5-6 PM, 2: Monday 6-7 , 3: Tuesday 5-6 , 4: Wednesday 5-6, 5: Thursday 6-7.
You will sign up for one of the five review/recitation sessions the first week of class. These optional sessions will be run by Anna Bass and will be your main opportunity for help in a less formal setting than the lecture. The time can be used for review, problem solving and discussion.
Grading: Grading will be based on three midterms, a comprehensive final and mailing list activities. Each midterm will be worth 100 points and the low score will be dropped. There will be no makeup exams. The cumulative final exam will be worth 150 points. You cannot drop the final exam grade so do not plan to begin your semester break until after the final exam. Because of the large size of the class, exams will be in multiple choice format. There are 20 points possible for posting messages to the Genetics03 mailing list (see below). This course is problem oriented. Problems in the back of each chapter will not formally be assigned, but it is expected that students will be able to carry out similar problems on the exams. Worked out solutions are available in the study guide. The exams will be multiple choice. S and U grade contracts must be signed and filed by the end of the third week of classes. See the current undergraduate catalog for policies on I grades. Plus/minus grading will not be used.
Note: If there are any questions about an exam grade, you must see me within one week after the exam has been returned to you during office hours or by appointment. A word of advice: legitimate inquiries concerning the grading of specific questions on exams are welcomed and encouraged. However, please do not come to my office “fishing” for points (e.g. you were 2 points from an A and came in to question each and every lost point hoping that you might get the 2 points). Cheating will not be tolerated in this class. See the current USF undergraduate catalog for policy on cheating. In short, cheating will most likely result in a failing grade for the semester.
Grading is based on percentages as shown below. Under extraordinary conditions I may curve grades on a sliding scale to raise grades, but never to lower grades!
200 Best two of three midterms 90-100% 333 - 370 = A
150 Final Exam 80-89% 296 - 332 = B
20 posting on genetics list 70-79% 259 - 295 = C
370 Total points possible 60-69% 222 - 258 = D
<60% < 222 = F
Mailing list for Genetics: A mailing list called “genetics03” is part of this class. All students enrolled in the course are required to have an email account and subscribe to the list. Visit room 608 at the library to apply for a USF email account if you do not already have one. Commercial internet provider accounts such as AOL are fine as long as you have regular internet email access. Note: USF email accounts are usually set up so that your last name is part of your email address. AOL subscribers often use email addresses that have nothing to due with their real names. To be certain you will be credited for your messages, be sure to enclose your real name within each message you send so that proper credit can be assigned. It is your responsibility to have a functional email account. Information on how to subscribe to the genetics03 list is provided with this syllabus.
The list is a good way to ask questions, coordinate studying, and to get help from other students in the class. These kinds of lists are a common way scientists communicate with one another. The lecture TA and Dr. Garey will monitor the activity on the list, but will not necessarily reply to all postings. Dr. Garey will also post important messages to the class concerning grades, assignments, and corrections or elaborations on subjects from the lecture. It is very important that each student subscribes!! Students will get two points (up to a maximum of 20) for each posting to the list that contributes in a positive way to the purpose of the list. The first message must be posted by the end of the fourth week of classes. Posting 10 messages all in the last week will not result in the full 20 points. You will only receive the messages posted to the list from the time you subscribe. For example, if you subscribe to the list halfway through the semester, you will never see the messages that were posted in the first half of the semester. Do not use the list for urgent or emergency communications with Dr. Garey. Instead email or phone him directly.
Attendance and class notes: Attendance is mandatory. If you miss a class for any reason you are responsible to get lecture notes from another student. You may tape the lectures for your personal use but not for resale. Please turn off cell phones during class. You may use simple calculators during exams (e.g. can multiply, divide, add and subtract). Calculators that are programmable, have downloading capabilities or extensive alphanumeric capabilities may not be used during exams. Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class due to the observation of a major religious observance must provide notice of the date(s) to Dr. Garey, in writing, by the second class meeting. Students with USF recognized disabilities with special needs should contact Dr. Garey by the second class meeting.
Contacting Dr. Garey: Before you contact me, try the genetics03 list for help. If that fails, try meeting with Anna Bass, the lecture TA. Her office hours are listed above and she is prepared to help with understanding the lecture material and working out the problems. If you still need help you may contact me by email for simple inquiries or notifications. I cannot reply via email to questions such as “What can I do to improve my grade?”, but I can answer simple questions. For more complex or general questions it is best to make an appointment to see me in my office or talk to me immediately before or after class. The best way to make an appointment is to send an email with several possible times. I can then consult my calendar and confirm an appointment. My office is BSF 215 and my office hours are 9:00 - 10:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday. My office phone number is 974-3900, my email is garey@chuma1.cas.usf.edu and
my website is http://chuma.cas.usf.edu/~garey/index.html.
Study Tips: Genetics is a problems oriented course. You must have good study habits and spend the time to work out problems at the end of each chapter. In general, the more chapter problems you can solve, the better you will do on the exam. You will not do well if you wait until two or three days before the exam to study. Use the email list and form study groups. Make sure you understand the general principles, which can help you understand which details you need to memorize. Use the web site associated with the text: http://www.jbpub.com/genetics and the Cogito CD-ROM if you have it.
Lecture and Exam Schedule: This is subject to change. Use common sense. Keep track of where we are by the content of lectures. We may get behind or ahead of the schedule but it is less likely that the order of topics will be changed. Exams will be on material that has been covered in lecture. We may not cover every topic in every chapter. Exams will be based primarily on lecture content, so by attending lectures, you will know what parts of each chapter to study, and which problems in each chapter you need to understand.
Week Date Day Subject Reading (Chapters)
1 27 Aug Tue Introduction 1
29 Aug Thu DNA Structure and Manipulation 2
2 3 Sep Tue DNA Structure and Manipulation 2
5 Sep Thu Principles of Genetic Transmission 3
3 10 Sep Tue Principles of Genetic Transmission 3
12 Sep Thu Principles of Genetic Transimission 3
4 17 Sep* Tue EXAM 1
19 Sep Thu Genes and Chromosomes 4
5 24 Sep Tue Genes and Chromosomes 4
26 Sep Thu Genetic Linkage and Mapping 5
6 1 Oct Tue Genetic Linkage and Mapping 5
3 Oct Thu Genetic Linkage and Mapping 5
7 8 Oct Tue DNA Replication and Recombination 6
10 Oct Thu DNA Replication and Recombination 6
8 15 Oct* Tue EXAM 2 6
17 Oct Thu Mutation and DNA Repair 7
9 22 Oct Tue Mutation and DNA Repair 7
24 Oct Thu Chromosome Organization 8
10 29 Oct Tue Chromosome Organization 8
31 Oct Thu Karyotypes and Chromosome behavior 9 Nov 1: last day to drop
11 5 Nov Tue Karyotypes and Chromosome behavior 9
7 Nov Thu EXAM 3
12 12 Nov Tue Gene Expression 11
14 Nov Thu Gene Expression 11
13 19 Nov Tue Gene Expression 11
21 Nov Thu Regulation of Gene Activity 12
14 26 Nov Tue Regulation of Gene Activity 12
28 Nov Thu Regulation of Gene Activity 12
15 3 Dec Tue Population Genetics 17
5 Dec Thu Catch Up & Review 14
12 Dec Thu Final Exam 3:30 - 5:30 in ENA 105
Sample Exam Questions Genetics, Exam I Dr. Garey
1. What F2 genotypic ratio would you expect if you crossed a pure breeding brown guinea pig with a pure breeding black guinea pig?
A. 3:1
B. 1:2:1
C. 9:3:3:1
D. 2:1
E. None of the above
2. In the following pedigree, the filled in circles and squares represent individuals with PKU. Heterozygotes are not indicated. What would be the probability of the first child of couple marked A and B having PKU?
A. 0
B. 1/4
C. 1/12
D. 3/4
E. None of the above
3. A couple are heterozygous for two autosomal recessive diseases: Cystic fibrosis and PKU. The two diseases are inherited independently of one another. What is the probability of their first child having either CF or PKU?
A. 0
B. 1/4
C. 1/2
D. 9/16
E. None of the above
4. What is the probability of rolling 3 sixes in a row?
A. 1/3
B. 1/6
C. 1/36
D. 1/216
E. None of the above
5. In a plant of 2n = 24, what is the total number of chromatids (sister chromatids count as 2) present during prophase I of mitosis?
A. 6
B. 12
C. 24
D. 48
E. None of the above
6. The following pedigree is for a rare genetic condition. Which mode of inheritance is most likely?
A. autosomal dominant
B. autosomal recessive
C. X-linked dominant
D. X-linked recessive
E. cannot tell from this pedigree
7. A man is heterozygous (Bb) for gene B and heterozygous (Aa) for an independent gene A. What portion of his sperm will be AB?
A. ½
B. 3/4
C. 1/4
D. 1/16
E. None of the above
Genetics03 Mailing List
To subscribe, go to this website:
http://www.cas.usf.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=genetics03
You can bookmark this page for faster access.
Click on the “Join Genetics03” button.
You will need a List Password to join the list. This password is “mendel” (without the quotes).
Fill in the rest of the requested information, including your first and last name, your email address, and a password of your own (not the List Password above). You have the opportunity to set how often you want to receive mail and if you want to receive postings you sent to the list. Use the default for now. When you are done, click the “Save” button.
You can read or post messages to the list through the above web page, or you can use your regular email software. To send messages to the list with your own email software, simply send it to this address: genetics03@lists.cas.usf.edu
Messages must have a subject, or they will be refused.
User guide for the list software can be accessed at http://www.cas.usf.edu/lyris_user_guide
Note on list etiquette: Be polite. Think before you push send. Stick to the subject of genetics. Avoid personal attacks and diatribes. This is not an appropriate forum for general griping about the class. Be constructive. Dr. Garey reserves the right to ban students from the list, in which case they will not get the points.