Genetics is the study of inherited variation and traits. Although genetics is often associated with disease, our genes provide a great variety of characteristics that create much of our individuality, from our hair and eye color, to the shapes of our body parts, to our talents and personality traits. Principles of genetics also touch history, politics and economics. For instance, genetic manipulations can provide new agricultural variants. Are these genetically modified plants safe to eat? Are they safe for the environment?

1. To prepare students for more advanced course work in cell and molecular biology by
        a. providing a strong background in the principles of Mendelian genetics as well as an introduction to the study of complex                   multifactorial characters
        b. making students aware of the power of DNA technology. Basic concepts of Recombinant Technology and Genomics will                 be explained and examples of how DNA manipulation is used in medicine, agriculture and industry will be given
        c. developing in students an understanding of the principles of population genetics and evolution via natural selection

* Genetics, a conceptual approach by Pierce, B. (2005, 2d edition)(edited by Freeman).The textbook has a website (http://whfreeman.com/pierce2e). The wevbsite for the textbook contains animated tutorials for most chapters to review and synthesize the main topics of each chapter.

*MegaManual, Solutions and problem-solving (2005, 2d edition)(edited by Freeman). This book contains the solutions to all the exercises of your textbook. It also comes with a CD-ROM (Interactive Genetics) that contains many exercises that I will assign to you. Last, it contains internet-based activities that help you explore international genetic databases.

*Genome. The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters (2006) by Matt Ridley. This is a book written by a former editor of the Economist Magazine. It tries to explain to a non-specialized audience how mapping out our human DNA could change everything from medicine and politics to what it means to be human.
 

COURSE WEBPAGE

Visit this website before every lecture or lab. This is where I will post updates of the syllabus, links to potentially interesting websites, powerpoint notes (see below), digital movies to help you grasp genetic concepts, solutions to the problem sets (see below), grades (with your codename instead of your real name), etc...
 

LECTURE PART 

    I will post the Powerpoint presentations presented in lecture.  The posting will be organized by topics and will be available from the course website (from the lecture syllabus page) by 4 pm the day BEFORE lecture. I encourage you to print those notes BEFORE class using for instances the many computer classrooms available to you on campus (including the computer room bor Biology and Biochemistry students located next to 109 CNS).  If you print 3 slides per page, you are left with enough room to add the notes you take in class. Note that these lecture notes  are not complete, and are not intended to serve as a subsitute to coming to class! 
    I will also post digital movies as needed. You will need a password to access these notes and movies (will be given in class). Each lecture note file and movie will be posted for at most 2 weeks because of limitations in the amount of room allocated to this class on the IC server. Please visit/call/e-mail the helpdesk of ITS for help on that matter if you need it.
    I believe that the ability to solve new problems is a sign of the mastery of the material. For every topic covered, I will assign in class specific problems of the textbook for practice.The answers to these problems are in the MegaManual book. I encourage you to keep up with your work, as solving genetics problems is not learned in one night of study.
 

LABORATORY PART

     It is important that you do not miss any laboratories. You are encouraged to attend a different laboratory session of the week if circumstances require it.  However, wanting to come back to town on Monday evening, or exams scheduled in other classes are not sufficient reason to change lab sections.  Be sure to make prior arrangements with me.
    You will have many "write-ups" due a the end of lab OR quizes OR short presentations during lab (each worth 1-3% of the grade).
    You will write TWO laboratory report to present the experiments performed during labs 5-7  (lab report 1) and labs 8-11 (Lab report 2) and describe the results you obtained. Each will be 5-10 pp. long. A description of the expectation for this report will follow.      
    You will prepare a poster presentation for the last week of lab. You will be assigned a peer-reviewed article. You will search the web as well as databases available at the library to obtain detailed information on the scientific background of the paper. You will organize a presentation of the scientific article in the form of a poster that will be exhibited during a croissant-fueled poster session in late April . Instructions for this assignment will follow.

    Exams will mostly consist of short answers and problems (previous exams: exam 1, exam 2, exam 3, final exam). The final exam will be a take home exam and will be comprehensive.

ASSESSMENT
 

Attendance	5 %
Exams  (3 at 13% each)	39%	assess learning objectives 1 and 2
Final exam  (Take Home)	18%	assess learning objectives 1 and 2
Lab Report 1    Lab  Report 2	7% 7%	assess learning objectives 3, 4
Lab "Write-ups" (each 1-3%)	14%	assess learning objectives 2 and 3
Poster Presentation	10%	assess learning objectives 4

 THERE IS NO EXTRA CREDIT

Students at Ithaca College are expected to attend all classes, and they are responsible for work missed during any absence from class. Students should notify their instructors as soon as possible of any anticipated absences, especially for examinations. Written documentation that indicates the reason for being absent may be required.

In accordance with New York State law, students who miss class due to their religious beliefs shall be excused from class or examinations on that day. Such students must notify their course instructors before any anticipated absence so that proper arrangements may be made to make up any missed work or examination without penalty.

Any student who misses class due to a verifiable family or individual health emergency or to a required appearance in a court of law shall be excused. The student or a family member/legal guardian may report the absence to the Office of Student Affairs and Campus Life, which will notify the student's dean's office, as well as residential life if the student lives on campus. The dean's office will disseminate the information to the appropriate faculty. Follow-up by the student with his or her professors is imperative. Students may need to consider a leave of absence, medical leave of absence, selected course withdrawals, etc., if they have missed a significant portion of classwork.

A student may be excused for participation in College-authorized cocurricular and extracurricular activities such as athletic events, musical and theatrical performances, and professional conferences.

ACCOMODATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodation will be provided to students with documented disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Students must register with the Office of Academic Support Services and provide appropriate documentation to the College before any academic adjustment will be provided.