Syllabus

Instructors:

Office:

Phone:

E-mail:

Office hours:

Class Meetings:

M-W 1:15-2:30, Seaver Biology 111

Goals:

Molecular Genetics of Cancer is an advanced, literature-based course that emphasizes oral presentations. Bio 40 and 41C are pre-requisites. By the end of the semester, students will:

• Learn how geneticists approach biological problems.
• Become proficient in reading, critically evaluating, and presenting original research literature.
• Gain an appreciation for how basic research in “simple” organisms, in association with applied research, has shaped our current view of cancer.
• Develop an understanding of the basic biology of cancer.

Presentations:

Over the course of the semester, each student student will present two journal articles and a final research project. Plan and practice each presentation. For the journal article presentations aim for approximately 60 minutes to cover the paper, followed by 15 minutes of discussion for class sessions in which a single paper is scheduled.  For session with two papers, aim for 30 minutes per paper to allow 15 minutes for discussion.  Aim for 15-20 min for the final research presentation.

Note that the presentation of scientific research is a highly structured endeavor — please refer to the format instructions on the Presentations page.

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with a professor prior to their first presentation, and a professor will be available to help with subsequent presentations as necessary. Note that you need to come prepared to these meetings; your professors are glad to help answer your questions, explain techniques you don’t understand, etc., but they will not explain the whole paper to unprepared students.

Discussion and participation:

We expect everyone to participate in class and contribute to class discussion. Making sure you understand the papers is your responsibility, so if you don’t understand something in the reading or presentation, be sure to ask. If you’re confused, other people probably are, too. Do note questions as you do the reading and bring them to class for discussion. The more interactive the class is the more successful it will be, so don’t be shy!

Feedback and improvement:

After each presentation, each student (except the presenter) will complete an online evaluation. These evaluations should emphasize both the positive (what worked well) and the negative (how the speaker can improve for future presentations). The evaluation forms are administered via SurveyMonkey.com, and they are accessed by links from the Schedule page.

Evaluations must be completed Friday of the week of the presentation; forms will not be available after this time. The professors will summarize this information, add their own comments, and provide this feedback to the presenter in a timely fashion. Each student will be expected to incorporate suggestions from prior presentations into subsequent presentations. Note that completing speaker evaluations is a component of the final grade

Reading:

Most class meetings will be organized around student presentations and student led discussions of original research papers. It is essential that each student reads and thinks about the assigned paper. To guarantee this preparation, non-presenters will be required to hand in short assignments for each paper (see below). Links to papers for discussion are available on the Schedule page.

Written assignments for readings:

A written assignment will be due at the beginning of each class for which there is assigned reading. The assignments will be in one of three formats:

1. When readings are assigned in the text book, please submit:
   • Three questions that arose during your reading — be sure to bring these to class for discussion.
2. For some journal articles, questions will be provided. Your assignment for these articles is to answer the questions. The questions are linked to the assignment in the Schedule.
3. For other journal articles, your assignment will be to write a News Release. Specific instructions are linked to the assignment in the Schedule.
4. For journal articles without specific questions, submit a short written “summary” in the following format:
   • State the hypothesis being tested in the paper. If you can’t identify an hypothesis, state the main question being asked.
   • Identify the single experiment that is most important in testing the hypothesis or answering the question.
   • Describe that experiment (what was done, what was found, relevant controls, etc.). Do not describe other experiments.
   • Explain why you feel this was the key experiment.
   • Write a thoughtful question to stimulate discussion.
   • Was there anything in the paper you didn't understand? If so, note it for discussion.

   Choosing a single key experiment may be difficult and a bit subjective. There may not be a single correct choice for a given paper — that’s OK, just be able to justify your choice.

All written assignments are to be typed, not handwritten. Note that late summaries will not be accepted except for excused absences

Final Projects:

Grading:

Attendance Policy:

A significant portion of the course grade is based upon class participation, paper summaries, and speaker evaluations, and your active participation in class is essential.

Absences may be excused for legitimate reasons such as illness, medical school interviews, athletic events, and family emergencies. Students wishing to have an absence excused must e-mail the instructors as soon as possible, preferably before the absence explaining the reason. Be sure to include the word “ABSENCE” in the subject line. Be prepared to provide written documentation for your excuse if requested. Students with excused absences will be excused from writing speaker evaluations, but will be expected to hand in paper summaries upon their return to class.

Sakai:

Copies of exam materials, PowerPoint slides from presentations and lectures, the discussion site for posting summaries and questions on textbook reading will be posted on Sakai: http://sakai.claremont.edu