BIO 1315 HEREDITY & EVOLUTION Summer I 2k2/Dr. Ratterman

OFFICE 226 SC, PHONE 610-660-1822, FAX 610-660-1832, EMAIL dratterm@sju.edu

Course Description and Expectations

Course Description Have you ever wondered how all the information for the development of a human infant can be contained in the tiny egg and sperm of the parents? Why are some diseases passed on from generation to generation whereas others are not? Just what are "genes"? What is the "human genome"? How can one type of organism evolve, over time, into a different organism? These are the types of questions we will be answering in this course as we discuss the basis of the inheritance of traits, genes & reproduction, DNA & genetic disorders, and human evolution.

Course Goals There is more and more information about human genes and genetic diseases being discovered every day----my goal for this course is not to tell you all the current information but rather to help you build a foundation that you can use to learn and understand all new information you read and hear about DNA, genes, heredity and evolution. I will work to help you build a strong framework of the basic ideas so that you can continue to learn without fear or confusion. Your own curiosity and life events will determine what later avenues you pursue--hopefully keeping biology as one area you enjoy learning about.

Course Structure Our study of genetics will focus on three different levels. It may be helpful to use a three subject notebook to follow a line of notes for each level of investigation:

1. Cells & Chromosomes. Relationship between genes and chromosomes; how the genetic information is maintained when new cells form during the development of an individual; how defective genetic information affects cell structure and activity; parental contributions to the genetic information of offspring; genetic maps; changes in the genes and chromosomes (mutation); chromosomal abnormalities & cancer.

2. DNA & Genes. The molecules of inheritance and how they work (molecular genetics); how cells build proteins using genetic information; gene expression; the molecular basis of genetic disorders; molecular evidence for the relatedness of organisms (molecular evolution).

3. Inheritance & Evolution. Inheritance of traits from parent to child (transmission genetics); pedigree analysis; change in populations over time (population genetics, evolution); the process of natural selection; our relatedness to other organisms; how we are similar/differ from other primates; human ancestors.

We will also split up the long time period into three lecture periods with short breaks between them. This will make it more like taking 3 classes instead of one very long class. We switch to a different topic after the breaks.

6:30 - 6:45 pm questions/homework answers

6:45 - 7:35 pm

7:45 - 8:35 pm

8:45 - 9:45 pm

This will allow us to take a break and change the subject after 50 min or so.

Hour exams will be followed by lecture times -- we can't afford to miss them.

Watch for the many interconnections between the three levels; in many instances we will use what you have learned in one section in the others. Remember, we are building that foundation of understanding about genetics so we need not only the parts but also see them put together. The final exam will be cumulative and bring together the three parts.

Textbook & Materials

r Human Heredity: Principles & Issues. 5th Edition (2000) Michael Cummings.

ISBN 0-534-52372-2 Brooks/Cole/Thomson Learning (www.brookscole.com)

r It is recommended that you use a 3-subject divided notebook for notes. We split the lecture into three parts, following three themes in Genetics and Evolution. Some students prefer the divided spiral so they can keep the three topic areas separate and in each section start where we left off last class.

Schedule of Topics & Readings Assignments

On the web page this is a link to the Course schedule. As a handout, the schedule is on a separate sheet.

DON'T MEMORIZE -->WORK TO UNDERSTAND.

Use your lecture notes and study guides as primary study tools, to use while reading in the book. I also provide homework problems to help you study. The chapters 8 & 9 may seem difficult to follow, but we will take them piece by piece. These are some of the MOST IMPORTANT CONCEPTS IN BIOLOGY, so read, study, and later re-read (and re-read) so that you begin to feel comfortable with these molecular areas. We will also visit and re-visit Ch 10. Do re-read this midway and then at the end of the class – it should REALLY make sense to you then. Ch 10 is a good stepping stone for any later reading you may do about genetic disorders or the genetic basis of disease (this is in the news nearly every day).

Start studying from the very start! The class only lasts 6 weeks but we have a whole semester worth of material to cover. Keep up & don't let any week go by without studying for the next exam. It is recommended that you study 2-3 hours for every hour of class. We have 6 hrs of class most weeks so that means 12-18 hrs of studying. You cannot cram the night before a test and make up for 27 hrs of missed studying! There will be some time devoted to review questions during the class period just prior to each exam so come with your questions.

Questions If you have any questions: ASK!! I am generally around during the day and I want to help you learn as much as you can. Please feel free to come and talk with me at my office (226 Science Center). My phone number is x1822 (there is answering machine there, so you can leave a message if I'm out of my office). You can ask me questions via email at dratterm@sju.edu -- I check it Monday-Friday, but not on the weekends since I'm not hooked up at home.

Grading

Assignment	Total Possible	Approx % of grade
2 hour exams	2x100 = 200 pts	each 22%
Final exam = 3rd test & cumulative section	total of 200 pts	44%
Homework assignments	50 pts	11%
Total	450 pts	100%

The final grade will be decided on a straight, not a curved, scale:

92-100% A, 90-91 A-, 88-89% B+, 82-87% B, 80-81 B-, 78-79% C+, 72-77% C, 70-71 C-,

67-69% D+, 60-66% D, 0-59% F. You will need to maintain at least 60% average to pass the course. This means 59.5 % does NOT pass --- stay above this 60% border, it represents a minimum of understanding of the material!

Make-up exams and Late assignments. You must take all three exams. You must have a very good & verified reason for requesting a make-up and arrange this with me in a timely & responsible manner. Your make-up exam may be different in content from the regular exam. Any exams or homework not turned in will result in a zero for that exam or assignment. Late penalties will be charge for late assignments (better to turn it in the next day rather than wait

until the next class -- so I can correct it with the others).

Honesty Anyone caught cheating on exams will be given a zero for that exam and be reported to the SJU Board on Academic Honesty. Homeworks found to be identical or otherwise obviously copied will win zeros for both the copier & copied and those involved will be subject to SJU policy regarding Academic Dishonesty.

Attendance You have enrolled in this course and therefore should attend all classes and stay for the entire period (6:30 pm -9:45 pm, there will be breaks). You should not take on any other commitments or appointments that would cause you to miss class, arrive late or leave early.

Even if you are a CA&S or CB&A student during the Fall/Spring, be aware that you are now attending a University College class. The University College has strict attendance policies and does not allow instructors to excuse class absences. This policy is explained in the Summer Schedule Bulletin. You may miss no more that 2 classes. Students who have overcut must have permission from the Associate Dean of the University College to be readmitted to class or will receive an FA. I reserve the right to take attendance at any time during the three hour period or repeat roll after breaks.

Hooked to the internet??

I will encourage email exchanges between class sessions, so feel free to email me, especially over the long Wed to Mon stretch. The pipeline.sju.edu allows me to email the entire class so visit pipeline.sju.edu to set your current email address preference. Let me know what on the web site can be/is useful for you.

Heredity & Evolution Home Page at :	www.sju.edu/biology/dratterm/he.htm
Bio 1315 CourseInfo site at	courseinfo.sju.edu
Dr. Ratterman's home page at	www.sju.edu/biology/dratterm.htm
Email Dr. Ratterman at	dratterm@sju.edu

Students currently-enrolled in BIO 1315 will have already been enrolled in the courseinfo web site. Your login is the part of your email address before the @. For example, Jon Smith with ID number 00123456 would have js123456@sju.edu as his email address. This make-believe student would use js123456 as his login name (there are no spaces between the letters and numbers). On your first visit to the site, this is also your first-time password. The first thing you should do when visiting the courseinfo site is to change your password to something you will remember and only you know. Change your password by clicking on TOOLS, then “Personal information”, then "Change Password”. Send me an email telling me you have changed your password. I will post grades only for students who have changed to a secure password.

Summer I 2k2 Bookstore Hours (x3171):

q Sunday May 19: 8:30 am -3:00 pm

q Wk of May 21: M-Th 9-6:30, F 9-4

q Sat May 25 10-2

q Wk of May 27: Mon-closed, T-Th 9-5, F 9-4

Summer Library Hours:

please call 610-660-1901 for updates

Last Revision: 5/17/2k2

A full copy of the course expectations text can be found at:

www.sju.edu/biology/dratterm/hece.htm