Joan Slonczewski
Office: HIG 302
Hours: M:1-3, TR:9-11
BIOL 116 
Info in Living Systems
SURVEY
MWF 10:00am 

Tomsich 103

MSSC Tu & Th 7:00pm
Scott Freeburg, tutor

Fall 2013 Course Outline (in progress)
Bookmark on your phone. Check for updates.
Date
#
Subject
Required Reading
Assignments:
Moodle 
Aug
30
What is life? Green Pigs. PPT00.
DNA and Evolution. 3D-DNA.
Wikipedia.
Nucleobase
X
X
Sep 02

04


06

DNA and RNA. DNA Quiz. PPT01A.
(IE only) tRNA.
DNA replication.
Photo 51. PPT01B

Mutation & Repair. Okazaki. RNase H
Nucleotide excision.
PPT01C

Freeman Ch 4

Freeman Ch 15



Practice

Quiz A sample
Thur 11:59pm

Sep
09

11

13
Cell Cycle, Telomeres. PPT02A.
Tumor Mitosis. Germline Mitosis
Meiosis.
PPT02B.

Mendelian Inheritance. MendelCat.
PPT02C.
Freeman Ch 12

Freeman Ch 13

Sec 14.1-14.2

Practice_2

Quiz B
Thur 11:59pm
Sep 16

18

20
Mendelian Inheritance. MendelAlien
Crossover.
PPT03A.
Practice and Review.
PPT03B
Neural protein. Shiga toxin.
TEST 1 
Key
Freeman Ch 14 Practice 3
Sep
23

25

27
Genes and Genetic Code. PPT04A

Gene Mutation.
PPT04B
Proteopedia.
Mutant Baby.
Myostatin. PPT04C
Freeman Ch 16



Mutant Baby
Practice 4


Quiz C
Thur 11:59pm

Sep

Oct


 
30

02

04
Transcription to RNA. PPT05A
OMIM.
Translation by Ribosome.
PPT05B.
Printing Microarray
Evolution of Drug Resistance
. PPT05C
Freeman Ch 17



MRSA (pp 1-5)
Practice 5


Quiz D
Thur 11:59pm
Oct
07

09

11
Processes of Evolution. Lactase.
Driftworms. PPT06A.
Genes in populations. PPT06B.
Cell Transcriptomics. Ram horns
FALL BREAK
Freeman Ch 26


Practice 6.
Oct
14

16
17

18
Microsatellite DNA. Ant genetics.
Kin selection. PPT07A.
Practice and Review.
PPT07B. Thursday 4:10 Seminar Required
TEST 2
Deborah Gordon.
Ant DNA.

Oct
21

23

25
Gene Expression in Bacteria. PPT08A.
MicrobeWiki

Bacterial Regulons.
PPT08B.

Start Wiki in class. Template to copy.
Freeman Ch 18 
Oct



Nov
28

30

01
Expression in Eukaryotes. PPT09A.

Transcription Factors.
TF Metabolism.
PPT09B.
Genomics; Bioinformatics.
PPT09C.

Freeman Ch 19



Sec 21.1 - 21.3

Practice 9

Quiz F

Thur 11:59pm

Nov
04

06

08
Phylogeny. Sample. PPT10A.

Phylogeny. Creature.
PPT10B.

NO CLASS

Freeman Ch 28




Wiki Progress
Thur 11:59pm
Nov 11

13

15
Evolution. PPT11A.
 
Practice. Lemmings.
PPT11B.

TEST 3
Freeman Ch 25 Vonnegut Practice 11
Nov 18

20

22
Speciation. Denisovan. Neanderthal.
PPT12A.
Bacterial Speciation.
PPT12B.

Hybridization; Mating with Aliens?
PPT12C.
Freeman Ch 27; 44-chrom

Practice 12


Quiz G
11:59pm
THANKSGIVING BREAK
Dec
02

04

06
Genetic Engineering. Sleep gene.
Placenta. PPT13A.
Viruses. 
PPT13B.

Viruses cont. AIDS Quilt.
PPT13C.
Sec 20.1-20.4

Freeman Ch 36
Wiki at MSSC


Wiki DONE 11:59pm

Dec
09

11

13

AIDS & Lentiviral Gene Therapy.
Vector Const.
Lentivirus. PPT14A. Evolution of Development. PPT14B.

Practice since Test 3.
PPT14C.

Lentiviral Gene Therapy
 
MSSC: Test 1

MSSC:
Test 2
Practice 13-14
Dec 17

1:30PM FINAL EXAM
-- NO OTHER DATE

Sunday review



INTRODUCTION. BIOL 116 introduces genetics, molecular biology, and evolution--the basis of modern biology. We assume you have AP credit,  or have previously taken BIOL 115. Because of your advanced status, you get to try out this innovative all-electronic course. A theme of this course is information, including the parallels between electronic information and the information of living organisms.

BRING YOUR PC, Tablet or Smart phone. Bookmark this syllabus for the daily surveys and exercises.

Your MSSC tutor is Scott Freeburg. He will be at the MSSC in Tomsich on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00pm. The MSSC is a great place to network with advanced science majors.

Required reading:
Freeman, 5E online eBook. Click Begin Price Comparison (below) and then Add to Cart  (right). Your 180-day rental beats the purchase price of the whole book, which you don't need. The ebook 5E (not 4E) is required for use in class. Additional required readings are assigned on syllabus or in class.

Google and Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a useful tool to get a first introduction to new concepts in science. It is not a primary source on any subject, but it does cite primary sources, and goes into depth beyond your textbook. We will discuss and practice the effective use of Google and Wikipedia for finding information.

Recommended: Moonwalking with Einstein, by Jonathan Foer. This book explains the "memory palace" method of learning and remembering new knowlege. It worked for the ancient Greeks--and it will work for you throughout your studies at Kenyon.

Assignments. All assignments are due electronically Thursday 11:59pm on Moodle. Only Word files accepted. No work accepted after the specified date and time. NO EXCEPTIONS to any of the above. No paper accepted (other than in-class tests). All documents are Turnitin-tested.

Attendance.
100% attendance is expected.
More than 2 absences for any reason, including sports, will detract from your grade.

MicrobeWiki page. Each student authors a page on a topic of microbial genetics or evolution. Your page will go public on MicrobeWiki--the most heavily trafficked site on Kenyon's web.

GRADES. Your grade is based on the following:

10% Attendance and Participation. All assigned reading need to be read and annotated for discussion in class. E-mail discussion also receives credit. 
30% Quizzes and Wiki page.
60% Three tests plus final exam.

Standards for Quizzes, Wiki pages and Exams. The standard College guidelines on individual authorship and plagiarism apply to all work, as stated in the Student Handbook 2013. All work must include reference citations. Each quiz, wiki page and exam must represent the work of one individual student. All submitted text passes through Turnitin.

Disabilities. If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may affect your ability to carry out assigned course work, please contact the Office of Disability Services at 5453. The Coordinator of Disability Services, Erin Salva, will review your concerns and determine, with you, what accommodations are appropriate. All information and documentation of disability is confidential.