• Attend EVERY class.
• Be prepared: Complete all assigned reading by the date assigned on the syllabus (i.e. before class).
• Participate actively in class discussion. Your silence tells me that your understanding of the topic is complete, and I am moving too slowly through the material. Your questions direct me to revisit difficult concepts. Your insightful comments demonstrate hard work and commitment to learning biology. Thorough preparation and class participation are viewed very favorably in determination of final grades.
• For additional practice, do the problems and tutorials (found in web notes, text, and text CD) promptly.  These are good preparation for the in-class or take-home quizzes that happen most Fridays.
• Attend weekly reviews. Optional Q&A sessions are held Thursdays at 11:10 AM (Common Hour) in FSH 103.
• Attend review sessions held before tests. These optional sessions offer you another chance to ask your own questions and review difficult topics.
• Review your chemistry. This course presumes a thorough knowledge of at least high school-level chemistry. Get comfortable with electrons, hydrogen bonds, and the important functional groups.
  
• Stay in contact with your instructor. I read e-mail several times daily. I also have plenty of office hours; please stop by.

Grades.  Grades are based on:

• 20% each of four one-hour Exams
• 20% on ten (10) Friday Quizzes. Please note: Make-up quizzes will not be possible. The eight (8) highest quiz scores count toward the quiz average; drop your two (2) lowest. The dropped quizzes are intended to compensate for conflicts due to illnesses, athletics, performances, etc.
• A two-hour, comprehensive final exam is OPTIONAL, to substitute for your lowest single exam grade of the semester. The final exam cannot substitute for the quiz average.

Academic Honesty.  Do not lie, cheat, or plagiarize. This class will follow the official Kenyon College position on academic honesty. It is your responsibility to review and observe the official College policy on academic honesty (see Kenyon College 2003-04 Course of Study, pp. 26 - 29).

Special Needs. College policy provides for reasonable accomodations for documented physical, psychological or learning disabilities that may impact your ability to participate fully in the course. Please speak with me and with Erin Salva, Coordinator of Disability Services (PBX 5453; salvae@kenyon.edu). All information and documentation of disability is confidential. Please see the Disability Services web site for more information.

Jan 21

Chromosome structure

Ch. 15 p. 298-299 (Fig. 15.3)

Mendelian inheritance
QUIZ 2

Ch. 10 pp. 206-207;Ch. 17 pp. 339-341; X and Y

Feb 16

Applying Central Dogma Concepts I:  Cell cycle and cancer. QUIZ 5

Handy techniques, continued.

Handy Techniques III: PCR, RT-PCR, and DNA Sequencing; QUIZ 6 (take-home; due Monday March 29)

Ch. 12 pp. 240-244

Prokaryotic Gene Expression II:  Operon Analysis; Regulons, Promoters

Ch. 14, pp. 274-295; Activity 14.1

Eukaryotic Gene Expression I:  Transcriptional Activation. QUIZ 7

Ch. 15 pp. 296-305

Ch. 19 pp. 382-389; Activity 19.1

Apr 23