Instructor: Dr. Ruth Chesnut

Office: LFSB 2021

Office Hours: 11-12 M through Th, and by appointment

Office Phone: 581-2928

E-mail: rlchesnut@eiu.edu

Course Website: www.ux1.eiu.edu/~rlchesnut (That's "ux one" and "r el chesnut, with no "t" in middle.)

Text: Human Heredity: Principles and Issues, Cummings, 7^th edition

COURSE DESCRIPTION

A 3-semester hour course that provides an overview of genetics, demonstrates the relevance of genetics to contemporary society, and examines controversial issues in modern genetics. Designed for students who are not majoring in biology. Credit will not be granted to those with credit or concurrent enrollment in BIO 3200.

DESIRED STUDENT OUTCOMES

An average or above average grade in the course will imply that the student can:

1. Describe what genes are and how they work

2. Explain genetic variation and its causes

3. Work problems in Mendelian genetics and explain its basis in molecular genetics

4. Summarize the structure and function of chromosomes and events in cell division

5. Describe modern biotechnology methods and ethical issues they raise

6. Find and interpret current news stories related to genetics

7. Develop and defend positions on controversial genetics issues

GRADING

Points Grading Scale:

Exams (75 points each) 300 A 90-100 % Earn at least 405 points.

Position papers (15 each) 30 B 80-89.4 Earn at least 360 points.

In-class assignments 120 C 70-79.4 Earn at least 315 points.

450 D 60-69.4 Earn at least 270 points.

F 0-59.4

Borderline Grades: Borderline grades will be decided on the basis of whether or not you could have done something more to pull your grade up. Final grades from X9.5% to X9.9% will be rounded up to X0.0% if you did all assignments on time throughout the semester. They will not be rounded up to X0.0% if assignments were missed. For example, if you earn 79.5% and did all the assignments, you will get a B. (You demonstrated that you were trying to earn all possible points.) If you earn 79.5% and missed an in-class assignment for an unexcused reason, you will get a C. (Earning the three points on the assignment would have put your grade over 80%, but you didn't take advantage of that opportunity.)

Grade Records: Keep track of your grade and compare your records with mine when grade updates are provided. Notify me promptly of any discrepancies. Keep all returned, graded papers so that grades can be verified if necessary.

EXAMS

There will be four 75-point exams. Each will be primarily over material covered since the last exam, but will integrate previous information with the new.

Exams must be taken at the scheduled times. Exceptions will be granted at the instructor's discretion. Proper documentation must be provided on request. It is the student's responsibility to arrange promptly for an absence to be excused. If the absence can be anticipated, you must make arrangements with me in advance of the exam. Unexcused absences will result in a grade of zero for the exam. Examples of proper documentation would be:

University-sponsored events: official notice of your participation

Illness: confirmation that you were ill enough to be absent from class. Doctor's appointments that could be scheduled for times that do not conflict with class do not qualify for an excuse.

Funerals: program from funeral or note from funeral director; must give the time, date, and location of funeral

Accidents and legal matters: document showing the relevant date, time, and location of the event that made the absence necessary.

POSITION PAPERS

You will write two short papers (approximately 300 words each) describing your positions on assigned topics. The assignments will be posted on the course web site. There will be four topics to choose from; you need to do only two of them. The paper must be in your own words. One brief quote of up to 30 words may be included if it contributes something important to the paper and if the source is identified with a footnote. Copying or extensive quoting from any source is unacceptable. Copying without acknowledging the source is plagiarism; see the section below on academic misconduct. The papers will be graded for correct English grammar, sentence structure, spelling, and punctuation in addition to content, logic, and organization. The papers must be typed. Which side of the issue you support will not affect your grade. One point per day will be subtracted from the grade for unexcused late papers.

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS

Every day class meets, a three-point assignment will be done in class. These will include problems, short writing assignments in which you give your opinion on a controversial topic, and quizzes over material covered in class previously. You will need to be present in order to participate and earn credit. Excused absences will not count against you (see criteria above).

On four occasions (see schedule for dates), the in-class assignment will require you to bring a genetics news item to class. The news item must be from the dates listed in the course schedule. Only those news sources listed on the course web site will be acceptable unless the student gets prior authorization from the instructor. Turn in a copy of the story if it is from the web or a print publication. For TV or radio stories, provide the name of the program, the date, and a one-paragraph summary of the story.

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

Honesty is expected in this course. All work turned in for credit must be your own. The penalty for cheating on an exam or assignment, for plagiarism, or for unauthorized collaboration will be an F in the course plus any penalties imposed by the Office of Student Standards.

DISABILITY

If you have a documented disability and wish to receive academic accommodations or services, please contact the Office of Disability Services at 581-6583. If you need to know where the areas of rescue assistance are located in case the building must be evacuated, please notify me.

SCHEDULE

(subject to minor changes)