GN 301: Genetics in Human Affairs Fall 2010 Distance Education Section 601 Instructor: Dr. Marian B. Gardner Office: 2526A Thomas Hall Email: bgardner@ncsu.edu Phone: 515 5776 Office Hrs: Walk in office hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:30 am 1:00 pm. Other times are by appointment. Please email to set up appointments. Time and Location: This is an internet based class. Students must take their tests/final exam at the DE Testing Services on Centennial Campus or with an approved remote proctor during the times/dates specified in the syllabus. All lecture material and other assignments are completed online. Optional: GN 301 Honors/Scholars: The honors/scholars subsection of the course holds one hour meetings several times during the semester. GN 301 H/S takes a deeper look at selected topics than class time permits. This option is available to distance education students, but participants are required to attend the honors/scholars section meetings on campus. The first meeting is 4:45 pm on Tuesday, August 24 in room 2211 Gardner Hall. You should attend this meeting if you wish to receive Honors/Scholars credit for GN 301. Required Course Material: You should plan to do one of the following: Purchase the recommended course pack from Sir Speedy s or print the PowerPoint lecture slides from the Moodle website. Most students learn better if they have written notes to work from so ensuring that you have one of these is important to your success in the course. I recommend that you purchase the course pack and supplement the course pack material by printing select slides from the lectures that you think will help you understand the material better. The online lectures contain more information and pictures than the course pack, so it may become costly to print all of the lecture slides. The choice is yours, but please plan to have either the course pack or printed lecture slides in front of you when you listen to the lectures and please take notes during the lectures. Web Sites: Recommended Course Pack: GN 301: Genetics in Human Affairs, by Marian B. Gardner. This course pack is available at Sir Speedy located at 2526 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC 27607. Phone number: (919) 834 8128 Optional Text: Human Genetics: Concepts and Applications, by Ricki Lewis; 2009, Ninth Edition. This text is an excellent reference, but is not required for your success in the class. (The 7 th and 8 th editions of this text are also excellent references). Most students will choose NOT to buy this book. Site http://moodle.wolfware.ncsu.edu/ https://www.webassign.net/ncsu/login.html Use Contains course lectures and instructions for written assignments as well as general course information and useful links. You should refer to it often as it will be updated during the semester. Used to submit all homework, reports, papers, tests, and the final exam. You are required to purchase access to the WebAssign site for GN 301. (cost about $ 20) Material on Reserve at the D.H. Hill Library (partial list): Lewis: Human Genetics: Concepts and Applications, Eighth Edition, 2008
Course and Student Objectives: To gain an enhanced understanding of the principles of genetics as they relate to human development, diversity, diseases, and disorders To survey the rapidly emerging science of human genetics To consider and discuss numerous world wide problems whose solutions require an understanding of genetics, such as birth defects, normal human development, prenatal screening, intelligence, cancer, organ transplantation, mental illness, exposure to mutagens and carcinogens, gene therapy, the Human Genome project, cloning, genetic engineering, and possibilities for the future To become proficient in searching the popular media and scientific literature for information pertaining to Genetics in Human Affairs To complete written assignments addressing the Genetics (scientific aspects) and Human Affairs (individual, family, societal impacts and issues) regarding selected relevant topics. Special Needs: Every effort will be made to accommodate students with special needs. Please contact Dr. Gardner ASAP so that appropriate arrangements can be made for you. Students should also contact DSS at (919) 515 7653 and arrange for proper documentation of their needs. Assignments and Grading: Your grade is based on the number of points you accumulate during the semester. It is unlikely that there will be a curve in this class, so it is to your benefit to accumulate points at every opportunity during the semester. A few extra credit opportunities will be provided during the semester. All assignments are due prior to 8 pm on the due date. Assignment Due Date Point Value My Score Homework Throughout Semester. Please see the Lecture 40 Schedule and WebAssign for due dates. Summary Report #1 Wednesday, September 1 10 Position Paper #1 Wednesday, September 8 10 Test #1 Wed or Thurs. Sept 15 16 (1 hour time limit) 100 Disorder Report Friday, September 24 10 Summary Report #2 Wednesday, October 6 10 Test #2 Wed or Thurs. Oct. 13 14 (1 hour time limit) 100 Position Paper #2 Monday, November 1 10 Test #3 Wed or Thurs. Nov 10 11 (1 hour time limit) 100 Summary Report #3 Monday, November 15 10 Final Exam Dec. 6 Dec. 10 (2 hour time limit) 100 The Final Exam is cumulative and must be submitted prior to 8 pm on Dec. 10. Total 500 Total Points Grade Total Points Grade 490 500 A+ 390 399 C+ 460 489 A 360 389 C 450 459 A 350 359 C 440 449 B+ 340 349 D+ 410 439 B 300 339 D 400 409 B Below 300 F Note: A grade of Incomplete will only be considered for a serious, documented problem that prevents completion of the semester work. It may not be used as a substitute for a failing grade and will only be considered for students who are making satisfactory progress in the class.
Tests/Exams: All tests and the final exam will be submitted using WebAssign. You are required to have all tests and the final exam proctored at DE Testing Services on Centennial Campus on the dates specified above. Students living more than 50 miles from campus may petition for off campus test/exam administration. Contact DE Testing Services for additional information. The location and proctor must be approved by the Distance Education testing facility and Dr. Gardner no later than August 25, 2010 and may require earlier approval based on the proctoring facility. The remote proctor must be able to provide a secure computer for accessing the WebAssign tests and final exam. Students who plan to use a remote proctor should set this up immediately through the Distance Education office. Tests/Final Exam must be taken on the dates specified above and submitted prior to 8 pm on the due date. Sign ups for proctored test/exam spaces fill rapidly so you need to make your arrangements early in the semester to secure a space! You are allowed 1 hour each for Tests 1, 2 and 3. You are allowed 2 hours for the cumulative final exam. Please refer to the sites below to schedule your exams. http://distance.ncsu.edu/students/localproctor.html http://distance.ncsu.edu/students/remoteproctor.html Since you will be setting your exams at your convenience, it is unlikely that extensions will be necessary. Extensions will be given only for University approved reasons and must be documented in writing. Your failure to schedule the test during the proper time frame is NOT considered an approved excuse! Student Health Services or a physician must document medical illnesses in writing. This written documentation must be presented to Dr. Gardner as soon as you are able to return to your computer and not later than one week after the missed test. Please note that you do not need an appointment to be seen at Student Health Services! They will see sick students on a walk in basis. If you miss a test/exam due to illness, you are expected to go to the doctor or Student Health Services on the test day and obtain written documentation of your illness. Written documentation for absences due to University sponsored events, court attendance, or other approved reasons must be cover all dates that the test is offered and must be provided prior to the date of test/exam, and provisions for taking the test prior to the regular testing date should be made at the time documentation is given to the instructor. Absences due to deaths of family members will be handled on a case by case basis, but students should make every effort to inform Dr. Gardner prior to the missed test/exam. Other absences are considered unexcused absences. Students who miss a test/exam and have a properly documented excuse will be allowed to reschedule their test within one week of the missed test/exam. Students who miss a test/exam due to an unexcused situation or who fail to take the makeup test within the required timeframe will receive a grade of 0 on that test/exam and will not be allowed to reschedule their test/exam. Report and Papers: All reports and papers will be submitted using WebAssign. Report and paper files should be submitted in pdf or Microsoft Word 1997 2003 file (.doc) format. All assignments must be submitted prior to 8:00 pm on the due date. You may turn your assignments in as early as you wish. WebAssign will stop accepting assignments at the due date/time so it is important that you do not push the deadline in case you have technical problems with your submission. Late work will not be accepted, and deadlines will not be extended. There are no excused absences or extended deadlines for reports or papers. Homework: Homework exercises are designed to help you learn some of the key points and/or give you opportunities to think about ethical issues presented in the lectures. There will be 50 homework points available through WebAssign during the semester. You need to earn 40 points for full credit for the homework portion of the semester points. You will receive extra credit for every extra homework point that you earn, giving you an opportunity to earn up to 10 extra credit points by correctly completing all homework exercises. There are no excused absences or extended deadlines for homework. All homework exercises must be submitted prior to 8:00 pm on the due date.
Class Attendance and Participation: Regular and attentive involvement by viewing the online lectures and completing assignments is expected, essential, and vital to your success in and enjoyment of this course. Extra credit points may be earned by completing the extra credit review assignments on WebAssign. Academic Integrity and the Honor Pledge: You are required to work independently on each assignment, i.e., Tests, Reports, Papers, and Final Exam. To indicate that you have done so, you will be asked to sign the following statement: I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this assignment on all assignments in this course. Cases of academic dishonesty will be handled by the Office of Student Conduct. Hints for Success in GN 301 Print off the syllabus and keep a hard copy in the front of your GN 301 course pack. Log on to both web sites immediately and bookmark them on your computer. Email me if you cannot log on to both sites! Check your email and the web site DAILY for class announcements. Read the Distance Education FAQ on the Moodle web site for additional course information. Explore the WebAssign site and Guide on WebAssign so that you will be able to use WebAssign effectively. The lectures will be available on Moodle. They are viewed more easily/better with Mozilla Foxfire than Internet Explorer. Lectures are in PowerPoint show format and include sound. If you choose to print the lectures, you may find that it is easier to print them using Internet Explorer as your browser. It is possible to save the lectures on your computer in the PowerPoint presentation format (as opposed to the show format). You may have to work with it a bit to see which method of downloading works best for you. Either purchase the course pack or print the online lectures Take notes on your printed material as you listen to the lectures. Keep up with the online lectures. Work the problems in the lectures and then check your work by looking at the next slide. Answer the Review Questions (found online and in your course pack). These are not answered for you, but you should be able to find the answers from the lecture material. Explore the information on the class web sites regularly. The Moodle web site contains the lectures course information and helpful links. The WebAssign site is used for submission of all graded assignments. Answer all homework problems on WebAssign. Take advantage of the opportunity to earn extra credit points by answering all the homework problems correctly! Start and finish your Reports and Papers early and be sure to submit them on time. Participate in discussion forums. They will be announced during the semester. Ask for help if you are confused about a concept. Sign up for your test and final exam times with DE Testing Services ASAP! You should allow 1 hour each for tests 1, 2 and 3. You should allow 2 hours for the cumulative final exam.
GN 301 Lecture Schedule Fall 2010 Date Lect. # Topic Course Pack Pages Lewis Chapters Aug. 18 1 Course Policies, Introduction 1 2 Aug. 20 2 Preliminary Quiz 3 1 Aug. 23 3 Ethical Issues: What do you think? Why? 4 5 1 Aug. 25 4 Cells Types and Components 6 8 2 Aug. 27 5 Chromosome Terminology, The Cell Cycle and Mitosis Homework #1 due prior to 8 pm 9 12 2, 13 Aug. 30 6 Meiosis, Gametogenesis, Nondisjunction 13 20 3, 13 Sept. 1 7 Fertilization, Early Development and Prenatal Testing Summary Report #1 due prior to 8 pm 21 24 3, 13, 20, 21 Sept. 3 8 Video: Life s Greatest Miracle Homework #2 due prior to 8 pm Sept. 6 Labor Day: No Class Sept. 8 9 The Central Dogma of Genetics, DNA Function Position Paper #1 Due Prior to 8 pm Sept. 10 10 RNA, Transcription and Translation Homework #3 due prior to 8 pm (Timed: 20 minutes) 25 29 9 30 37 10 Sept. 13 Review #1 38 42 Extra Credit Review #1 due prior to 8 pm Sept. 15 16 Test #1 Due prior to 8 pm on Thursday, Sept. 16 Sept. 17 11 Biochemical Pathways and Genetics 43 45 10 Sept. 20 12 Mutations and Effects of the Environment 46 52 12, 13 Sept. 22 13 Chromosome Variation 53 54 12, 13 Sept. 24 14 Mendelian Inheritance, Pedigrees Disorder Report due prior to 8 pm 55 61 4 Sept. 27 15 Mendel s Laws and Applications 62 67 4, 5 Homework #4 due prior to 8 pm Sept. 29 16 Epistasis and Gene Expression 68 71 3, 5 Oct. 1 17 Living with Down Syndrome (Gillen Family on Campus)** Oct. 4 18 Sex Chromosomes, X linked and Y linked Inheritance Homework #5 due prior to 8 pm Oct. 6 19 Sex Determination and Development Summary Report #2 due prior to 8 pm Oct. 8 Fall Break: No Class 72 76 6 77 82 3, 6 Oct. 11 20 Sex and Gene Expression, X linked Traits and Pedigrees 83 87 6 Homework #6 due prior to 8 pm Oct. 12 Review #2 88 93 Extra Credit Review #2 due prior to 8 pm Oct. 13 14 Test #2 Due prior to 8 pm on Thursday, Oct. 14 Oct. 15 21 Linkage and Linked Genes 94 98 5
Date Lect. # Topic Course Pack Lewis Chapters Pages Oct. 18 22 Multiple Alleles and Immunogenetics 99 109 5, 17 Oct. 20 23 Immune System, Organ Transplants 110 115 17 Oct. 22 24 Stem Cell Research Homework #7 due prior to 8 pm 116 118 2 Oct. 25 25 Human Genome Project and GINA 119 120 22 Oct. 27 26 DNA Technology for Identification and Forensics 121 128 7, 19, 20 Oct. 29 27 Ethical Issues in Genetic Testing 121 128 20 Nov. 1 28 Quantitative Genetics, Twins and Twinning 129 133 7 Position Paper #2 due prior to 8 pm Nov. 3 29 Heritability Studies, Intelligence, Mental Retardation 134 139 7, 8 Nov. 5 30 Behavior and Mental Health Homework #8 due prior to 8 pm 140 143 8 Nov. 8 Review #3 144 150 Extra Credit Review #3 due prior to 8 pm Nov. 10 11 Test #3 due prior to 8 pm on Thursday, Nov. 11 Nov. 12 31 Cancer Genetics 151 155 18 Nov. 15 32 Epigenetics 156 Summary Report #3 due prior to 8 pm Nov. 17 33 Genetic Counseling (Guest Speaker on Campus) ** 157 20 Nov. 19 34 Population Genetics Homework #9 due prior to 8 pm 158 161 14, 15 Nov. 22 35 Evolution Homework #10 due prior to 8 pm Nov. 24 Thanksgiving Vacation: No Class Nov. 26 Thanksgiving Vacation: No Class 162 165 16 Nov. 29 36 Where is Genetics Going? 166 Dec. 1 Review #4 167 169 Dec. 3 Extra Credit Review #4 due prior to 8 pm Dec. 6 10 Cumulative Final Exam: 2 hours allowed. Due Prior to 8 pm on Dec. 10 Note: This is a proposed schedule of lectures. Some changes should be expected during the semester. ** Dates for the Gillen family visit and the Genetics Counselor guest lecturer are likely to change. Distance Ed students are invited to attend the campus sections of GN 301 for these guest speakers. Details will be provided through email. All homework assignments, papers, reports, tests, extra credit, and the final exam must be submitted PRIOR TO 8:00 pm on the due date! Material for tests and the final exam will come from the lectures and required videos (links are available on Moodle and/or are given in the lectures). Lecture Number refers to the Lectures posted on Moodle. It is recommended that you follow the schedule above to complete the material in a timely manner. Chapters from Lewis are recommended readings, but are not required. Material that is in Lewis, but is not covered in lecture will not be on the test.