BIO 304: General Genetics

 

Course Description: Physical and chemical basis of inheritance in cells, individuals and populations, including molecular mechanisms of heredity. Prerequisites: BIOL 201 and 202 or 203; CHEM 211.

Course Philosophy:

1. Genetics is a branch of biology that deals with the heredity and variation of organisms.

2. These days rarely does a day go by without some genetics based item or issue in the news. The overall objective of this course, therefore, is to provide you with a greater awareness and appreciation of genetics so that you can analyze and interpret “genetics in the news” and come to your own conclusions based on what you KNOW about genetics.

The specific goals of this course are:

1. To introduce you to the fundamental concepts of classical (Mendelian), molecular and population/evolutionary genetics with emphasis on the formation, transmission, function and organization of the genetic material.

2. To provide you with the ability to solve problems and think analytically.

3. To help you become familiar with the language and terminology of genetics.

4. To prepare you for more advanced course work in cell and molecular biology.

 

Syllabus for Spring 2009

 

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Date PowerPoint Pdf Lab/Discussion Material
April 2 Lecture 1 Lecture 1  
April 7 Lecture 2 Lecture 2 Mitosis and Meiosis Exercise
April 9 Lecture 3 Lecture 3 Intro to Probability and Chi-Squared Analysis
April 14 Lecture 4 Lecture 4 Segregating Maize Kernels
April 16 Lecture 5 Lecture 5 Trihybrid cross and ABO Blood Typing problem
April 21 Lecture 6 Lecture 6
April 28 Lecture 7 Lecture 7 Sex Determination Exercise
April 30 Lecture 8 Lecture 8
May 7 lecture 9 Lecture 9
May 12 Lecture 10 Lecture 10
May 14 Lecture 11 Lecture 11 3-Point Test Cross
May 26 Lecture 12 Lecture 12
May 28 Lecture 13 Lecture 13 Transcription and Translation Exercise
June 2 Lecture 14 Lecture 14 Quantitative Genetics Exercise
June 4 Lecture 15 Lecture 15 Hardy-Weinberg Exercise