Students’ performance on this course will be evaluated as follows: Lecture: 60% of final grade based on 4 exams. Lab: 40% of final grade, based on quizzes, homework, and formal lab report. Assignments Points Note Laboratory Grading There are 4 quizzes, which will account for 50% of the final lab grade. Quiz 1 5% Letter grades will be determined using a standard percentage point evaluation as outlined below: A: 93-100 A-: 90-92.9 B+: 87-89.9 B: 83-86.9 B-: 80-82.9 C+: 77-79.9 C 70-76.9 D: 60-69.9 F: Below 60 Quiz 2 5% Quiz 3 5% Quiz 4 5% Homework assignments (5) worth 25% of the final lab grade 10% The final laboratory report is worth 25% of the final lab grade 10% Lecture grading Exam 1 15% Percentage Category: Exam 2 15% Lecture Exams 60% Exam 3 15% Laboratory Quizzes 20% Exam 4 15% Lab Homework 10% Total 100% Final Lab Report 10% Grading Policy (Lecture) - 60% final course grade
Academic Integrity at City Tech and CUNY Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. Final Laboratory Report Students are responsible for one full laboratory report related to EITHER the genetically modified organisms (GMO) laboratory exercise, PTC exercise, or barcoding exercise. This should be formatted as a full scientific paper with the appropriate sub-headings (Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion). The report should be 5-7 pages (double-spaced) exclusive of references. At least five (5) references from the primary literature should be used in the report. These generally include journal articles. Websites (including Wikipedia) and popular news articles are not acceptable. The library is an excellent resource for help performing a literature search. Be careful of plagiarism and cite appropriately. Any idea that is not your own or is not common knowledge needs an appropriate citation. Reports are due on the last day of class (Week 15) and will count as 10% of the final course grade. Grading follows the rubric below. Homework (Laboratory) Throughout the semester there will be five (5) short homework assignments/summaries related to the laboratory experiments. Summaries should be approximately one page in length that highlights the goals of the experiment, the methodology, results and conclusions. Tables and figures may be included. These assignments are not a full laboratory report, but short summaries of the respective exercise. Thus, you are NOT required to format the summary into specific subsections. All homework assignments are due in class one week following the relevant laboratory exercise. A grade of zero will be given for any homework assignment submitted late. Grading follows the rubric below.
Grading rubric for one page summaries Score Criteria Excellent (5 pts) Very Good (4 pts) Good (3 pts) Fair (2 pts) Poor (1 pt) Background, scientific accuracy and relevance Provides an excellent, yet brief background of topic and clearly states the goals and objectives of the experiment. Provides a succinct out rationale for experiment and provides accurate background information. Provides an adequate explanation of background information and purpose, but may deviate at times. Provides little background information and context. Does not demonstrate a clear understanding of purpose. Background information is missing or is inaccurate. Demonstrates lack of understanding of experimental goals Methods and results Analyses and results are clear and present with little to no errors. Reader gains important insights. All tables and figures contain informative legends and are appropriately referenced in text. Analyses and results are clear and present. Reader gains important insights, though some sections may be confusing. Tables and figures appropriate with informative legends. Analyses and results present, but are unclear. Context is provided, but may be difficult to comprehend Analyses and results basic. Tables and/or figures lacking context and appropriate legends. Analyses and results missing. Conclusions Provides an excellent conclusion to the summary that reiterates the primary purpose, major findings, and potential explanations for unanticipated results. Provides acceptable concluding remarks and demonstrates knowledge regarding purpose. May not include potential explanations for unexpected results. Adequate concluding remarks included. Some statements may stray from primary purpose of experiment. Few concluding remarks included that may deviate from the purpose of experiment. No conclusions are provided. Reader is confused as to purpose. Quality of writing, language and presentation Excellent spelling and grammar used throughout summary. Reader gains important insight. Summary exhibits excellent clarity that conveys meaning. Adequate spelling and grammar that conveys meaning. Reader gains important insights, though some statements may be confusing. Spelling and grammar are generally adequate and text conveys meaning, although writing is relatively basic and confusing in some places. Multiple instances of poor spelling, grammar, and sentence structure that impedes meaning. Reader gains some insight. Multiple instances of poor spelling, grammar, and sentence structure that significantly impedes meaning. Reader gains little insight. Document length Summary is between 1-2 pages Summary is over 2 pages in length or summary is less than half a page.
Chapters are indicated for the 2nd Edition of “Concepts of Genetics” by R. Brooker McGraw Hill Publishers Unit 1 – Patterns of Inheritance Week 1 Overview of Genetics Gene expression Genotype & phenotype The study of genetics Reproduction and Chromosome Transmission Chromosomal features Mitosis & meiosis Sexual reproduction Ch. 1 Pg. 1 – 19 Ch. 2 Pg. 20 - 41 Week 2 Mendelian Inheritance Gregor Mendel and his pea plants Laws of Segregation and Independent Assortment Inheritance patterns and probability Ch. 3 Pg. 42 - 72 Week 3 Sex Determination and Sex Chromosomes Genetics of sex determination Dosage compensation & X-chromosome inactivation Sex chromosome properties and transmission patterns Extensions of Mendelian Inheritance Dominant vs. recessive alleles Gene expression and the environment Dominance and allele interactions Sex-influenced inheritance Pleiotropy, epistasis and gene interactions Extranuclear Inheritance Chloroplast DNA Mitochondrial DNA Theory of endosymbiosis Ch. 4 Pg. 73 – 89 Ch. 5 Pg. 90 – 112 Ch. 6 Pg. 113-120 Week 4 EXAM 1 (Background, mitosis, meiosis, Mendelian genetics, sex determination, extranuclear inheritance) Genetics of Bacteria Overview of bacterial reproduction Conjugation, transduction, and transformation Evolution of antibiotic resistance Genetics of Viruses Structure of viruses Viral reproduction Ch. 9 Pg. 184 – 205 Ch. 10 Pg. 206 - 219
Unit II - Molecular Structure and Genetic Replication Week 5 Molecular Structure of DNA and RNA DNA and genetics Molecular structure of nucleotides Discovery and structure of the DNA double helix Molecular structure of RNA Ch. 11 Pg. 220 - 241 Week 6 Molecular Structure and Organization of Chromosomes Organization and structure of bacterial chromosomes Eukaryotic genome sizes Organization and structure of eukaryotic chromosomes in dividing and non-dividing cells Ch. 12 Pg. 242 - 261 Week 7 DNA Replication Overview of DNA replication Bacterial DNA replication – replication forks Bacterial DNA replication – synthesis Bacterial DNA replication – accuracy Eukaryotic DNA replication Ch. 13 Pg. 262 - 285 Unit III – Molecular Properties of Genes Week 8 EXAM 2 (Bacterial and viral genetics, molecular structure of DNA, RNA, chromosomes, DNA replication) Gene Transcription and RNA Modification Overview of transcription Transcription in Bacteria Transcription in Eukarya RNA editing Ch. 14 Pg. 286 - 312 Week 9 Translation of mRNA Genes and proteins The genetic code and protein synthesis Structure and function of tRNAs Structure and function of ribosomes Stages of translation Ch. 15 Pg. 313 - 342 Unit IV: Genetic Technologies Week 10 Biotechnology Microorganisms and biotechnology Genetically modified animals Stem cells and cloning Genetically modified plants Human disease and gene therapy Ch. 21 Pg. 477 - 501
Week 1 Introduction to Genetics Probability, Mendelian Genetics, chi-square and measurements, Date Week 2 Cytogenetics and Karyotyping Chromosomal alterations and human disease Date Week 3 Mitosis & Meiosis Sordaria recombination and genetic crosses Homework 1: Cytogenetics write-up due Date Week 4 Quiz 1 – Introduction, Cytogenetics, Mitosis, Meiosis Monohybrid and Dihybrid Crosses Fruit fly (Drosphila) genetics Lab 1 Population Genetics Human blood type frequencies Lab 1 Homework 2: Sordaria write-up due Date Week 5 Monohybrid and Dihybrid Crosses Fruit fly (Drosphila) genetics Lab 2 Population Genetics Human blood type frequencies Lab 2 Date Week 6 Monohybrid and Dihybrid Crosses Fruit fly (Drosphila) genetics Lab 3 Simulating Population Genetic Processes Genetic drift, mutation, gene flow, natural selection Date Week 7 Monohybrid and Dihybrid Crosses Fruit fly (Drosphila) genetics Lab 4 Lab Review (Crosses and Population Genetics) Date Week 8 Quiz 2 – Inheritance and Population Genetics