156:201 Principles in Molecular & Cellular Biology
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The goals of this course are to familiarize new graduate students with important principles and key concepts in contemporary molecular and cellular biology; to help students develop the skills required to critically evaluate current research publications; and to familiarize students with the experimental techniques utilized to test specific hypotheses.
These goals will be achieved through formal lectures on specific topics and small discussion groups that will focus on evaluation of published research papers (recent or classical). Students are encouraged to ask questions for clarification and to seek out individual faculty members for additional assistance when needed.
Students are expected to attend all lectures and all assigned discussion groups. Attendance at the weekly review sessions is optional; however, they are designed to enhance your learning experience through an open discussion with the course Teaching Assistants. Scheduling conflicts should be discussed with the Course Director in advance.
Points and Grading
Small Groups (100 total points)
All students will participate in a small group with a faculty member serving as a Facilitator. Each week, a research paper will be assigned by the Instructors. Each paper will be made available approximately one week in advance of the discussion section. The Instructors may also provide optional review papers that will provide additional background information. All papers will be made available electronically as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file on the course web site on ICON (http://icon.uiowa.edu/).
Attendance is Required.
Students must attend all small group meetings, discuss the assigned papers, and write a short report each week (total of 12 reports). Students must read and evaluate each assigned paper, and prepare a 1-page report to hand in at the beginning of the discussion section each week. No late reports will be accepted.
Reports should be no longer than 1 page (single-spaced).
- Each report is worth 5 points (total of 60 points).
- Discussion over the semester is worth a total of 40 points
- Students will be penalized 5 points for each unexcused absence
- Students will be penalized 5 points for each report not turned in
Reports should address the following points:
1) Hypothesis:
What was the author’s idea (question, theory, model, etc) before they started the study?
Frequently not included in the title. Title is more often a conclusion of the study.
Usually find the hypothesis in the introduction, typically in the 2nd half of the intro.
2) Select one key experiment:
This would be an experiment that tests the hypothesis. The experiment should result in an answer that either supports or refutes the hypothesis.
3) How does it test the hypothesis?
Explain what was done in the experiment to either prove or disprove the hypothesis.
4) What were the controls? (positive and negative)
Positive controls usually test if the methodology is working. If you do an experiment and the parameter you measure doesn’t change is it because your treatment had no effect or because your experimental system isn’t working? Positive controls often employ something previously shown to alter the parameter you are measuring and confirm that your experimental system is working.
Negative controls are usually used to account for all variables in the system other than the one you are testing. They are used to determine whether any of these other variables produce a change. When negative, they show that changes in measured parameters can be attributed to your specific treatment. Negative controls should include everything in the system that might change in your experimental samples except what you are testing.
Are they adequate? Do they meet the above requirements?
5) What do the authors infer from these data?
These are the conclusions that the authors derive from their results.
Examinations (400 total points):
4 exams will be given. Each exam will be worth 100 points for a total of 400 exam points.
- Exams will be held in the evenings from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The day and place will be announced in class
- Exams will consist of short answer and essay questions.
- For the most part, the exams will be closed bool. Sometimes part of an exam will be a graded take home
- Any changes to the examinations will be announced in class
- Anyone requiring special testing arrangements must see the Course Director in advance
Grading:
All students will receive a final letter grade based on their performance on the 4 examinations, as well as their performance in their discussion group. This course will be graded on a graduate scale with an average score being equivalent to a B. Plus and minus grades will be awarded.
Letter grades will be based on the following:
- 400 exam points
- 100 small group points (60 points for reports + 40 points for discussion)
- Any unexcused absence from a small group will be an automatic 5-point deduction
Two graduate TAs work with the faculty in this course. The TAs conduct weekly review sessions and are available to help students with their questions.
The Thursday class is a weekly course review session with the TAs.
The texts are Molecular Cell Biology (6th ed.) by Lodish, et al. (eds.). Molecular Biology of the Cell (5th ed.) by Alberts, et all (eds.). The textbooks are available at the IMU Bookstores. Students may purchase one or both textbooks.The Thursday class is a weekly course review session with the TA.
Biosciences Program
The University of Iowa
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Phone: 1-800-551-6787 or 319-335-8305
Fax: 319-335-7656
E-mail: biosciences@uiowa.edu
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