Bio 320 - Cell Biology

            COURSE SYLLABUS FOR SPRING 2005

DECRIPTION

Examination of the cell as the unit of living matter using molecular and experimental approaches. Theory and laboratories in gene expression, protein activity, subcellular structure and function, cell regulation, and cell-to-cell communication.

OBJECTIVES

This course is designed to provide students with an in depth perspective on biology at the molecular and cellular level. This will be accomplished through a combination of lecture and laboratory exercises providing students with both theory and application.

TEXT : ESSENTIAL CELL BIOLOGY , 2 nd Edition. Authors: Alberts, Bray, Hopkin, Johnson, Lewis, Raff, Roberts, and Walter. Garland Science (2004)

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

* Note changes in the schedule during these weeks (No class on Fri. 2/11 and Mon. 2/21)

** Note Thursday 3/24 is a Friday Schedule

*** Note there are no classes on Monday 3/28 and Wed. 3/30 is a Monday schedule

GRADING

The final grade will be based on the results of four hour exams, lab reports, and a paper based on an important research article in the area of Cell Biology. The hour exams and final may include questions based on material covered in the laboratory portion of the course.

EXAM SCHEDULE

LECTURE

This will be a challenging course so it is important to attend all lecture periods and be on time. You are responsible for all material presented in class regardless of attendance. This includes any discussions and class-related decisions made during lecture periods.

LAB

Each student is required to attend all lab periods. In addition, some of the experiments will require attention outside the normal lab period. Unexcused absences of more than two lab sessions will result in automatic failure of the lab component. The lab grade (30% of final grade) will be based on three components: lab reports (20%), paper discussion (5%), and a paper (5%) summarizing a current research article in the field of Cell Biology.

Lab Reports : these will be brief, typed reports discussing the purpose, methods, and results from each experiment and will represent 20% of the final grade in this course. In addition, results from the paper discussion should be included in the report when relevant (see below).

Although you will be working in groups, these reports must be written independently . Evaluation will be based on completion of experiment, quality of the results and discussion, and clarity and conciseness of writing as well as level of understanding the research paper.

Paper Discussions : Approximately every two weeks we will discuss a research paper during the lab period which utilizes one of the techniques covered in lab. Students will be expected to read the papers prior to class and be ready to discuss them. The relevant results within these papers should be incorporated into your lab reports on that topic.

Summary of a current research paper : Each student will be required to find a current research paper in the field of Cell Biology and write a short summary including the hypothesis being tested, methodology used to test the hypothesis, results, and conclusions.

MAKE-UP EXAMS/QUIZZES

I do not give make-up exams or quizzes unless a VALID excuse is provided prior to the time of the exam or quiz. Unexcused absences will result in the grade of zero.

CHEATING

York College has a clear policy towards plagiarism and cheating (see page 29 of the College Bulletin). It states, “The penalty for academic plagiarism or cheating shall be failure in the course”. This policy will be strictly enforced!