Molecular Biology
BIOL410
Focuses on essential biological processes at the molecular level
Course Directors: James Burke and Ian J. MacRae
Term: Fall
Credits: 3.0
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is a hybrid lecture/literature-based course that exposes students to fundamental principles and emerging issues related to molecular biology. An understanding of molecular biology is essential for both the theory and practice of modern biological science. The class will be presented with specific weekly topics that cover focused aspects of molecular biology. Each weekly topic will be presented on Tuesday by expert faculty to provide context for the students to understand critical aspects of molecular biology. Thursday classes will involve a student-led discussion on recent literature related to the weekly topic. Students will be asked to interpret results and assess conclusions in the papers discussed in the class, and to propose "next experiments" that arise from the work and the experimental means to address them. Written assignments will include "next experiments" for each paper discussed in class. In addition, students will take midterm and final exams to cover each of the weekly topics discussed in the faculty lectures.
