Online
This course exposes students to a breadth of biological concepts including the scientific method, evolution, cell and molecular biology, genetics, heredity and biotechnology. The relationship of human genetics and inheritance to society is emphasized. IAI: L1 906.
Course Alignment
General Education Outcomes are the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the college, including courses, programs, and student services, both inside and outside of the classroom. The General Education Outcomes specifically learned in this course are:
- Critical Thinking
This course exposes students to a breadth of biological concepts including the scientific method, evolution, cell and molecular biology, genetics, heredity and biotechnology. The relationship of human genetics and inheritance to society is emphasized. IAI: L1 906.
Faculty Contact Information
By appointment.
Dr. Jonathon P. Cohen 815-802-8776 jcohen@kcc.edu LAS
Course Information
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability to use the scientific method.
- Explain the structure and function of a cell.
- List and describe the sequence of molecular level processes that comprise the central dogma of biology.
- Diagram and explain the steps of mitosis and meiosis.
- Differentiate between genes, genomes, DNA and chromosomes.
- Compare and contrast the different types of inheritance.
- Demonstrate the ability to apply Mendelian genetics to interpret hereditary patterns.
- Describe current methods used in biotechnology and their purpose.
- Describe natural selection and its role in human evolution.
- Evaluate the quality of scientific information.
- Examine the impact of genetics and biotechnology in today’s society.
- Scientific Method
- Cells and Cell Division
- Structure and function of a cell and its parts
- Cell cycle, mitosis and meiosis
- Types of Inheritance
- Mendelian Inheritance
- Variations of Mendelian genetics
- Polygenic traits
- Multifactorial traits
- Heritability
- Pedigree Analysis
- Understanding a pedigree
- Determining inheritance from pedigrees
- Cytogenetics
- Karyotypes and other techniques
- Variation in chromosome number and structural changes
- Prenatal testing
- Sex Determination
- Stages of human development
- What determines sex
- X inactivation
- Sex influenced traits
- Chromosomal sex vs. phenotypic sex
- DNA, RNA and DNA replication
- DNA, its chemistry and structure and organization into chromosomes
- RNA, its types, chemistry and structure
- DNA replication
- Genes and Gene Expression
- What is a gene and what does it do?
- Central Dogma of biology
- Proteins and their levels of structure
- Gene expression
- How Genes Influence Phenotypes
- Relationship of proteins to phenotype
- Enzymes, metabolic pathways and transporter proteins
- Pharmocogenetics and Ecogenetics
- Genetic Changes and Epigenetics
- Mutations, causes and kinds and their relationship to phenotype
- Epigenetics
- Cancer
- Causes and treatments of cancer
- Role of genomics
- 12. Biotechnology
- Basic Methods like cloning, PCR, sequencing, DNA microarrays, gene modification and DNA profiling
- Genomics and related projects
- Gene therapy
- Societal issues
- 13. Population Genetics and Human Evolution
- Natural selection and population genetics
- Genetic disorders
- Human Evolution, modern human variation and the concept of race
Human Heredity: Principles and Issues, 11 th ed by Michael Cummings, Cengage Pub., ISBN 9781305251052 (2016) or 9781305683952 for eBook
Goals and Objectives
Upon completion of this course, the successful student will:
1. Demonstrate the ability to use the scientific method.
2. Explain the structure and function of a cell.
3. List and describe the sequence of molecular level processes that comprise the central dogma of biology.
4. Diagram and explain the steps of mitosis and meiosis.
5. Differentiate between genes, genomes, DNA and chromosomes.
6. Compare and contrast the different types of inheritance.
7. Apply Mendelian genetics to interpret hereditary patterns.
8. Describe current methods used in biotechnology and their purpose.
9. Describe natural selection and its role in human evolution.
10. Evaluate the quality of scientific information.
11. Examine the impact of genetics and biotechnology in today’s society.
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Dean, Jennifer Huggins; 815-802-8484; R310; jhuggins@kcc.edu; Division Office- W102; 815-802-8700
Participation: Completing the reading assignment, watching lecture videos, and being an active participant are crucial to your success in this course
Make-up policy:
Articles, Discussions, Homework, and Reading Quizzes: One article, homework, and reading quiz will be dropped in Canvas. Therefore, there are no make-up reading quizzes. Furthermore, due to the dropped assignments, no late articles, discussions, or homework will be accepted. All articles, discussions, homework, and reading quizzes will be opened at the beginning of the semester. The specific due dates can be found in Canvas.
Exams: You will have 3 days during which you can take the online, timed exam. The midterm will be 50 multiple choice questions and the final will be 100 multiple choice questions. Both the midterm and final exam will be worth 50 points total.
Communication: You will be expected to log into Canvas at least three times per week to stay current with class announcements. If you need to contact me, please do so via email. My email address is jcohen@kcc.edu, you can plan on a response from me within 24 hours during the week and 48 hours on the weekend.
Week 1 Introduction Chapter 1 Discussion- Introductions
Week 2 Cells and Cell Division Chapter 2 Mitosis and Meiosis
Week 3 Mendelian Inheritance Chapter 3 Scientific Method
Week 4 Pedigree Analysis Chapter 4 Draw a Pedigree
Week 5 Other Types of Inheritance Chapter 5
Week 6 Karyotypes Chapter 6 Karyotyping
Week 7 Sex Determination Chapter 7 DNA Replication
Week 8 DNA and DNA Replication Chapter 8 Discussion- Post-Midterm Reflection
MID TERM EXAM
Week 9 Gene Expression Chapter 9 Central Dogma
Week 10 Genes to Phenotypes Chapter 10
Week 11 Epigenetics Chapter 11 Epigenetics
Week 12 Cancer Chapter 12
Week 13 Intro to Biotechnology Chapter 13 and 14
Week 14 Genomes Chapter 15
Week 15 Population Genetics Chapter 19 Out of the Ashes
Week 16 FINAL EXAM Discussion- Post-Final Reflection
College Policies, Resources and Supports
For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide.
KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:
- Clubs and organizations
- Counseling and referral services
- Office of disability services
- Student complaint policy
- Transfer services
- Tutoring services, etc.
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
|Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change.