Note added in 2011: Here is the syllabus, with links to lecture outlines and problem solutions, that I used when I taught Genetics in the fall semester of 2005.

Prerequisites: The formal pre-requisite is Bio Core I: Cellular and Molecular. Beyond this, an additional informal pre-requisite for this course is that you be truly interested in studying the biological sciences.

Textbook and additional resources: The textbook for the course is Genetics: Analysis of Genes and Genomes, 6'th edition, 2005, by Hartl and Jones. Associated with this course is the one credit Genetics Laboratory course. Updated analyses on complete genomes of a variety of species are available at the Ensembl Genome Browser. The international journals Science, Nature, and Nature Reviews Genetics are excellent ways of keeping up with advances in genetics.

Lecture and Section Meetings: New material will be covered in lectures. Section meetings will be for questions, going over problems, and review.

Grading: There will be five exams ( 100 points each ), with the fifth (final) exam being able to count double and substitute for one of the first four exams. There will be no make-ups; if you miss an exam, that's the one that the final exam will replace.

Part One: Genes, Chromosomes, and Mendelian Inheritance

Aug 29          Introduction: Generation upon Generation                   

Aug. 31         Genotype to Phenotype                                                   Ch. 1 & 2, Problems S-1 & 1.18

Sept. 2          Inheritance, Darwin, and Mendel                                   Ch. 1 & 2, Problems 2.8 & 2.12

Sept. 5          Fundamental Mendelian Genetics                                  Ch. 3, Problems 3.4, 3.8, & 3.12.

Sept. 7          More Mendelian Genetics                                              Ch. 3, Problems 3.14, 3.16, & 3.22.

Sept. 9          Chromosomes in Mitosis and Meiosis                           Ch. 4, Problems S-2, S-3, & 4.6.

Sept 12          Sex Chromosomes & X-Linked Inheritance                 Ch. 4, Problems 4.16, 4.17, & 4.20

Sept 14          Probability/Statistics in Inheritance                               Ch. 4, Problem S-4.

Sept 16          Solutions to Problems S-1 through S-4                

Sept 19          Question/Answer Opportunity                        

Sept 21          EXAM 1. Overall results (class average and rough letter grade ranges) are listed here .

                                                                                   
Part Two: Recombination and Chromosomal-Genome Analyses

Sept 23          Crossing-Over & Recombination Frequency I             Ch. 5

Sept 26          Crossing-Over & Recombination Frequency II            Ch. 5, Problems S-5 & S-6.

Sept 28          Chromosomal Maps & Mapping Functions                  Ch. 5, Problem S-7.

Sept 30          The Human Genome: Karyotypes & Variations I        Ch. 8, Problem 8.6

Oct. 3             The Human Genome: Karyotypes & Variations II      Ch. 8, Problems 8.8 & 8.16

Oct. 5             Comparison of Human & Chimpanzee Genomes         

Oct. 7             Question/Answer Opportunity               Solutions to Problems S-5, S-6, S-7

Oct. 12           EXAM 2. Overall results (class average and rough letter grade ranges) are listed here .

Part Three: Gene Expression and Regulation

Oct. 14             Gene Expression I: In the Nucleus                                 Ch. 10, Problem 10.10

Oct. 17             Gene Expression II: In the Cytoplasm                           Ch. 10, Problem 10.26

Oct. 19             Regulation I: Initiation of Transcription                         Ch. 11, Problem S-8

Oct. 21             Regulation II: Processes in Eukaryotes                         Ch. 11, Problem S-9

Oct. 24             Regulation III: Programmed DNA Rearrangements    Ch. 11, Problem S-10

Oct. 26             Transgenics                                                                      Ch. 12, Problem 12.22

Oct. 28             Functional Genomics                                                        Ch. 12

Oct. 31             Question/Answer Opportunity.             Solutions to Problems S-8, S-9, S-10

Nov. 2              EXAM 3 . Overall results (class average and rough letter grade ranges) are listed here .

Part Four: New Alleles, Populations, and Evolution

Nov. 4              Mutations and New Alleles I                                          Ch. 14

Nov. 7              Mutations and New Alleles II                                        Ch. 14

Nov. 9              Example Gene: Alleles of CFTR                                   Ch. 14, Problem S-11

Nov. 11            Population Genetics in Equilibrium                                Ch. 17, Problem S-12

Nov. 14            Population Genetics with Evolutionary Change            Ch. 17, Problems 17.10, 17.12, 17.14

Nov. 16            ( Completion of Nov. 14 lecture material. )

Nov. 18            Question/Answer Opportunity                 Solution to Problem S-11

Nov. 21             EXAM 4. Overall results (class average and rough letter grade ranges) are listed here .

Part Five: Complex Traits, Updates, and Perspectives

Nov. 28           Genetics of Complex Traits                                      Ch. 18

Nov. 30           Medical Genetics Perspective ( by Dr. Larry Dennis, M.D.)

Dec. 2             Some "Why" Questions about the Genetic Code                                                            

Dec. 5             Review and 4'th 2005 Update: "A haplotype map of the human genome"

Dec. 7             Review and 4'th 2005 Update (continued)

Dec. 9             An End-of-Journey Perspective               

The Final Exam on December 18 will be in Packard Auditorium (101) and start at 9 AM. It will be the same length and format as the previous exams, and thus should take about one hour. You may have as much of an additional hour (10 to 11 AM) as you wish.

Dec. 18           EXAM 5 ( FINAL EXAM ): ( 10-15% from part 5 and 85-90% from parts 1-4 ). Starts at 9 AM.