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BIOL 302, Molecular Cell Biology I

Fall, 2012
Lecture Section
BIOL 302-01

Days/Times
MWF 11:00 11:50 AM

Location
LEE Auditorium (Lecture Hall 1)

BIOL 302-02

MWF 12:00 12:50 PM

LEE Auditorium (Lecture Hall 1)

Discussion Section
Days/Times
Location
BIOL 302-36
M 4:10 5:00 PM
Baer Fuller (Lecture Hall 2)
BIOL 302-38
T 4:10 5:00 PM
Baer Fuller (Lecture Hall 2)
BIOL 302-40
W 4:10 5:00 PM
Baer Fuller (Lecture Hall 2)
BIOL 302-42
R 4:10 5:00 PM
Baer Fuller (Lecture Hall 2)
*You are required to go the section in which you are registered, as the Clicker system will be
utilized during these sessions, and you will not be given credit for your responses unless you are
in the correct section.
Instructors:
Dr. Yuqi Wang
Dr. Blythe Janowiak

Office
MW 224
MW 227

Phone
977-4178
977-3912

Teaching Assistants:
Christina Kim
Jessica Liu

Office
MW341
MW341

Phone

Email
ywang8@slu.edu
bjanowia@slu.edu
Email
ckim18@slu.edu
jliu12@slu.edu

Office Hours
Thu, 10:00 noon
Tue 10-12, Thurs 1-3
Office Hours
To be announced
To be announced

Required Text and Materials:


Textbook:

The required textbook for this course is BIOCHEMISTRY, Seventh Edition by


JEREMY S. BERG. There is a very helpful, free Web site to accompany the book
at http://bcs.whfreeman.com/berg7e/. This site (from the publisher) has activities
and simulations for the more challenging concepts, as well as self-quizzing (two
for every chapter) to help you prepare for exams. E-book access: The e-book
version of Biochemistry includes activities, simulations, exercisesall integrated
with an electronic version of the text. For direct purchase, go to
ebooks.bfwpub.com.
The recommended additional book for this course is Biochemistry Student
Companion, 7th Edition by Frank H. Deis. This Study Guide summarizes chapters
and highlights common problem areas and study strategies for the topics covered
in the textbook. If you feel you need extra help to do your best in this course,
working through the Study Guide is a good investment of your time.

Clicker:

Interwrite Personal Response System (PRSRF)


- available for purchase in the bookstore.

Course Description:
Molecular Cell Biology I (BIOL 302) is designed as the first in-depth course in cellular/molecular
biology for undergraduate students beyond General Biology (104/106). Specifically, the processes
of information flow from genomes (DNA (replication)) to gene expression (RNA (transcription)
and protein (translation)), the function of macromolecules (RNA and protein) in cellular biology,
and the protein-mediated storage and extraction of energy from nutrients (metabolism) to drive
these processes are focused upon in this course. As proteins mediate all of these processes, the
first segment of the course covers protein structure and function (enzymology). Throughout the
course, an introduction to molecular techniques that enable the study of DNA, RNA and protein
in modern biomedical research will be covered and integrated with the relevant lecture material.
Finally, this course is intended to serve as a cornerstone / prerequisite for subsequent upper
division biology courses such as Genetics (BIOL 303) and Molecular Cell Biology II - Cell
Structure/Function (BIOL 304), which in turn serve as prerequisites for upper division biology
courses like human cellular physiology (BIOL 454), developmental biology (BIOL 460),
microbiology (BIOL 464) and immunology (BIOL 463).
Prerequisites/Requirements:
Prerequisites for this course are a grade of C or better in Principles of Biology I/II (BIOL
104/106) and Introduction to Chemistry I/II (CHEM 161/162), or equivalent AP or transfer
credit. Co-registration in one of the discussion sessions (BIOL 302-36,-38,-40,-42) is also
required. Each student is expected to be able to access the Internet and to have an e-mail account.
We will utilize Blackboard; as a registered student, you should have access to the Blackboard
site for BIOL 302. If you do not have access to Blackboard, it is your responsibility to see Dr.
Wang or Dr. Janowiak.

Blackboard is a web based learning management system. You will be able to access all
PowerPoint lectures, class syllabus, lecture schedule, most handouts, and Web links for tutorials
on the Blackboard sites. You will have access to the PowerPoint lecture slides (as .pdf files) and
other class materials before class. You may find it useful to download these files, print them out
and bring them to class so that you can supplement them with your own notes.
Got Questions?
If you have a question concerning the course you should first discuss your question with a
Teaching Assistant. If you feel your question is not answered satisfactorily then you should
discuss your question with the appropriate faculty member during their scheduled office hours, or
if it is of a brief nature, immediately after lecture.
Email Policy:
We want to answer all of your questions in this course, but there is a preferred and stratified
process to achieve that goal: 1) TAs 2) professor inquiries after class or during office hours 3)
email. As such, please do not send spontaneous emails to the instructors regarding questions in
the course that can be handled via discussion session, quickly after class, or during regular office
hours. None of the instructors text, blog or IM, so please do not expect immediate
responses to your emails. They will be answered in a time frame that faculty schedules permit.

Rarely do we check emails at night or on the weekends, so dont send a Saturday email and
expect a reply on Sunday morning. Also, do not send last-minute emails to faculty just prior to an
exam (e.g. the night before) and expect to be accommodated. Please understand that your
professors run active research labs and have substantial service commitments outside of the
classroom, so the time they spend on email is already onerous. There are > 300 students in this
course. If you have a question that you must have answered before the next available class,
discussion session, or office hours, please be succinct and specific with your email question. Do
not send emails with questions like how do I study for this exam? or what do we really have to
know for the test? We refuse to respond to these types of open-ended inquiries; instead, adequate
guidance will be given to students in other forums (e.g. discussion sessions, website) on these
topics.
Learning Objectives:
While learning objectives will be provided for each specific topic covered in the course, the
following are the global objectives of Biology 302:
1.

As preparation for advanced study, students completing this course should have acquired
a firm understanding of the fundamental processes of the biochemistry and molecular
biology of living systems, including DNA (structure, replication, maintenance,
recombination), regulated gene expression (transcription, RNA processing, translation),
protein structure and function, metabolism and the role of water, free energy and cellular
compartmentation in these processes.

2.

Students should develop extensive knowledge in the structure and function of


macromolecules as they relate to cell function and integrate into broader cellular
processes.

3.

Based on the principles and mechanisms covered in class, students should be able to
apply deductive reasoning and critical thinking skills to problems in biochemistry and
molecular biology. These skills will be developed through assigned problem sets and
discussion sections.

4.

Students should develop skills of inquiry-based learning as well as a general


appreciation of the scientific method as it relates to the process of discovery and
dissemination of new information in molecular/cellular biology.

Assessment Tools of Learning Objectives:


Student mastery of the learning objectives for specific topics will be assessed by a total of 4
one-hour exams administered monthly throughout the semester:
1. September (Protein structure/function)
2. October (DNA)
3. November (Gene expression (transcription and translation))
4. December (metabolism)
Each monthly exam will mainly cover all material since the previous exam but some questions
may be cumulative inasmuch as the major concepts covered earlier in the course apply, integrate
and relate to new material. A comprehensive two-hour final examination covering the major
concepts from the entire semester will be administered during final exams week.
Assessment of student learning will also be periodically monitored through in-class questions
via the PRS (clicker) systems.

We will also assign problem sets, which will be accompanied with an answer key. Questions
about these problem sets can be addressed during discussion sections or TA office hours.
During the discussion sections, problem-based learning will take place. As such, preassignments will be posted before the discussion section and should be completed prior to
attending the discussion section. During the discussion section, new assignments will be
completed in groups of four and final assessment of the problems will be achieved using
clickers. Both the problem sets and the problem-based learning taking place during the
discussion sections will emphasize material that is more difficult or time intensive, develop
deductive/applied reasoning skills, place facts and concepts covered in class into a functional
biological context, and will help to reinforce concepts that may be covered on upcoming exams.
Exams:
There will be a total of four hour-long exams given during class time each worth 100 points.
The cumulative final exam covering major concepts and principles from the semester will be
given during finals week and is worth 100 points. Each regular exam will primarily cover all
material from lectures and corresponding textbook and reading assignments since the previous
exam but may also rely on material from earlier in the semester. Exams will be in a multiplechoice format. You must bring sharpened #2 pencils with an eraser and your student photo I.D.
to each exam. You may not use a calculator, phone, or any other electronic devices during an
exam.
Exam Policy:
Exams must be taken during your regularly scheduled lecture time. If you must miss an exam
you must contact the instructor for that exam and submit a written request for a makeup exam at
least two weeks prior to that exam date. You will need to provide in the request what your
conflict is and provide documentation of the conflict and contact information.
Legitimate conflicts and excuses require written documentation, and are limited to death or
near-death instances in the immediate family, a students illness that requires immediate
doctors care, and participation in an out-of-town university-scheduled athletic event (not club
sports). Excuses that will NOT be considered include personal travel arrangements, nonUniversity sponsored events, a conflicting appointment, a previous illness or situation that
interfered with your study time or an illness that does not prevent you from coming to the exam.
Unexcused exam absences will be counted as zero in the calculation of your final grade. If
granted, the format of the make-up test will be at the discretion of the instructor, and may
consist of an oral or written examination of the material. Make-ups must be taken within 72
hours of the originally scheduled date. Exam scores will be posted on Blackboard and the exams
will be returned during your normally scheduled lecture period (not before). This is a large
class and every effort will be made to return your exams to you as soon as possible.
Please do not contact us to ask when the exam scores will be posted. We will announce on
Blackboard as soon as they are posted.
Re-grades:
We will maintain a photocopy of each scantron exam form for each student for each exam. If
you have a question about an exam question or scantron grading you must submit a written
request via e-mail within one week of the return of the exam to the class. After one week, you
can no longer request a re-grade of any exam. You may request a re-grade if you can
demonstrate that your exam was scored incorrectly. Requests for re-grades due to scantron
errors should be directed to your specific Lecture Teaching Assistant. You may also request a
re-grade if you can sufficiently demonstrate from course material that your answer is better

than the official answer. This request must carefully document any and all pertinent information
regarding the question material. If your request is granted, the change of score may be applied
to all students who have answered as you did.
Grading Criteria:
Exams (4)
Final Exam

75% (lowest test score dropped)


25%

The grade you earn will be based on your performance on the lecture exams and final exam.
The lowest score from the 4 regular exams will be dropped. The final exam score cannot be
dropped. Your final grade will be calculated based on the total points you earn on these exams.
But what about a curve?
Yes, there will be a curve in this course. Each exam will be individually curved. Heres how it
works:
If the highest grade on an exam is 96, then everyone adds 4 points to their score for that
exam (the concept is that 4 points were unattainable if no student out of 300 scored 100;
100-96 = 4). So, if you scored a 78 on that exam, then your curved score is 82.
At the end of the semester, the sum of the curved exam scores for an individual student will be
divided by 400 (the total number of possible points) to yield a percentage. Grades will be
assigned based on this percentage according to the scale below, as per the College of Arts &
Sciences letter-grading policy:
Percentages for Grade Calculation:
A
93-100%
A90-92.9%
B+
87-89.9%
B
83-86.9%
B80-82.9%
C+
77-79.9%
C
73-76.9%
C70-73.9%
D
60-69.9%
F
0-59.9%
Extra Credit
The only opportunity for extra credit to improve grades that have already been earned based
on exam scores is attending the lectures and participating in quizzes using the Personal
Response System (clicker). Clicker points will not be used to set the curve; in other
words, if we asked 80 questions throughout the semester at 0.2 points each (total of 16
possible points), the denominator does NOT become 416 (400 + 16). You can expect 2-3
clicker questions during each lecture; each correct answer is worth 0.2 extra credit. During the
discussion sections, you can expect 4-6 clicker questions, each correct answer worth 0.1 extra
credit.

Bargaining for grades (e.g., I need a B because) will not be tolerated. We do NOT
negotiate grades with students. The only way to achieve the minimum grade that you
require is to attend class, study suitably for exams and successfully complete all assignments.
Final grades will be posted on Banner. We will announce on Blackboard when the grades are
posted. Blackboard and Banner will be the only access to your final grade. Instructors cannot
give out grades over the phone or through email or in person. We will release your final course
grades after you complete the teaching evaluations and assessment for this course (per
Departmental policy see below).
Saint Louis University Withdraw/Drop Policy:
The deadline to drop this course without receiving a W is Friday, September 7. If a student
withdraws from the course without authorization or, when the student is dropped from the
course because of excessive absence, the course grade will be AF. In order to withdraw from
this course see your academic advisor.
Class Evaluations:
At the end of the semester students are required by the University to fill out an electronic
evaluation of the course before his/her grade will be released.
Classroom Activity:
In this course, we will explore the central dogma of biology: from DNA to RNA, from RNA to
Protein, and from Protein to function, and the energy metabolism that makes these processes
possible. You will have a variety of resources available to you to guide your studies including
your textbook, its enclosed DVD with animations and figures, and the course website where
additional readings (pdf) and web resources will be posted.
Reading Assignments: Readings from your textbook (Biochemistry), and occasionally, from
supplemental sources, will be assigned for each lecture. You will be responsible for the material
assigned on exams; use your lecture notes to guide your in-depth reading and studying of the
specific information referred to during the lecture period. It is strongly recommended to read
the assigned material PRIOR to attending lecture. As an incentive, we often ask a clicker
question at the beginning of class covering the assigned reading. Reading the material will
allow the lecturer to highlight the important points and go more in-depth on the historically
more confusing points.

Slides: PowerPoint slides (and PDFs of those slides) presented in lecture will be available on
the course web page prior to class. These are intended to enable students to better listen to the
lecture and clarify points missed in class. They are NOT intended to be a comprehensive
summary of the lecture material, and students are expected to supplement these slides with their
own class notes and with the assigned reading for each lecture. We generally provide the
student version the night prior to class, and the live version after class. The live version
may include clicker questions, animations, and/or videos that were presented during class.
Problem sets: Problem sets will be posted periodically on Blackboard. You are encouraged to
use these questions as a way to informally test your understanding of the lecture material.
Answers to these questions will not be collected or graded. If you have difficulty answering
these questions, please come see the lecture TAs (first) or instructor during office hours for help
with the material; however please come with specific questions. How do you do these
problems? is not a valid inquiry, and we dont have time to answer questions of this nature
with >300 students lined up at our door. Answer keys will be provided (by the instructor, on
Blackboard) for the problem sets. If these answers are not sufficient, please ask questions first
to your TAs during the discussion section and/or their office hours.
Problem-based learning: You will have weekly discussion sections led by your T.A.. Prior to
each discussion section, a pre-assignment will posted. Please complete the pre-assignment prior
to your assigned discussion section. During these discussions, you will be broken into group of
four and will be given problems based on the lecture material. Completion of the preassignment will ensure that you have the appropriate background to complete the in-class
problems with your group. These in-class problems will be graded in the sense that 4-6 clicker
questions will be asked during the session, each correct response worth 0.1 extra credit points.
Attendance: Class attendance is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Exam questions will be
heavily weighted toward material discussed during lecture, making it advantageous to be
present in class. Not all concepts discussed in class will necessarily appear on the posted lecture
slides; therefore, do not view the posted slides as a comprehensive list of what will be asked on
the exam. In addition, extra-credit questions will be asked during class via the Interwrite PRS
(clicker) or other means during the course of the semester. These questions will not be available
for make-up if class is missed. If you miss a class it is your responsibility to obtain the lecture
notes from a classmate. If you miss a lecture you will have to rely on classmates to supply you
with notes and with any announced changes in readings or schedules. Do NOT contact faculty
for information about missed classes (i.e. what did I miss today?). Instead, we recommend
that you exchange names and phone numbers with at least two other students in the class for
this purpose, but it is understood that no student is obligated to share notes or other information
with any other student. Additionally, the instructors will make every effort to utilize TegrityTM
to record what is presented during class. This is a useful review tool for you.
**Due to the large enrollment in this course you MUST ATTEND only your regularly
scheduled lecture section. There are not enough seats in the lecture halls to accommodate
students in other lecture sections.
Personal Response System (Clickers): These will be used during class and the discussions to
encourage class participation and to assess students level of understanding of recently covered
material. Each correct answer to a question asked in class will be worth 1/5 (0.2) point extra
credit, while each correct answer to a question asked in discussion will be worth 1/10 (0.1)
point extra credit, and will be added to the students total points for the semester. Each

students extra credit points will be tabulated quarterly and posted on Blackboard. It is the
responsibility of each student to bring a working PRS to class. There are NO make-ups for
extra credit questions under any circumstances and NO hand-written answers will be
accepted due to dysfunctional or missing clickers. It is your responsibility to make sure that
you bring a fully functional clicker to class. If it is defective, the bookstore will replace it. Use
ONLY your clicker. Students found using more than one clicker will have them confiscated
until the end of the semester (see clicker policy below).
Extra Help and Review:
Both the TAs and the instructors are available for extra help with class material during office
hours or by appointment. The TAs will also conduct weekly discussion sessions to go more indepth with the material. You are strongly encouraged to attend these sessions regularly; they are
the best method to keep up to date on material and prepare for exams.
Classroom Conduct:
Our primary objective for meeting as a class is to further your mastery of the knowledge and
process of biology. Your professors are facilitators of that process. The assumption is that you
genuinely want to learn biochemistry and molecular biology, and that you come with high
motivation to master the subject. The study skills that are required for science and math courses
are quite different than those that may be adequate for other disciplines and from those that you
may have utilized in your high school career. We can provide you with information (both in
class and on the Blackboard site) on how best to acquire the appropriate study skills for this
course. While students differ in their study habits and efficiency, a general estimate on the
standard amount of time you should be prepared to spend outside of class preparing for the
lecture portion of the course is three hours per each credit hour each week. This means that for
every lecture hour you should be spending an additional three hours reading and studying the
lecture material or doing assigned problems.
This is obviously a large class and you are an important part of this course. Our goal is to
provide you with an environment in which you feel at ease in being an active participant but
also one in which you are stimulated to push the boundaries of your knowledge and
understanding. It is your responsibility to maintain respect for yourself, your fellow students
and your instructors during this learning process. Learning the course material is your right and
responsibility and it is also your responsibility to not deprive others of this right. You and you
alone are accountable for your actions. Bottom line: dont be disrespectful, distracting or
disruptive to others in this admittedly very large class.
Student Conduct:
In order to maximize the achievement of your goal of learning and our ability to facilitate your
learning experience, we have the following expectations:
We expect that you will:
Attend all scheduled classes and arrive on time; late arrivals and early departures are
very disruptive for your fellow students and your instructor; if you must be late or leave
early be sure to sit toward the rear of the lecture hall;
Not schedule other activities or engagement during your lecture time. We have invested
a great deal of time and effort into the preparation of this course and will make every
effort to make class interesting, fun and informative. However, we can not learn the
material for you.
Be courteous to your fellow students and instructors by not creating or contributing to

any distractions during lecture time. If you have trouble hearing or concentrating during
the lecture due to a distraction please quietly ask those responsible for the distraction to
stop. Please inform us (either during class or after) if the distraction continues.
Distractions hinder the learning process for those involved, others in the class and also
your instructor. We have a ZERO tolerance policy for individuals who disrupt the
classroom by talking or any other disruptive conduct. Individuals who talk incessantly
when the instructor is lecturing will be asked to leave the lecture hall and may miss inclass assignments. There is NO makeup for any assignments missed if you are asked to
leave the lecture hall for disrupting the lecture.
Cell Phone Policy:
The use of cell phones or other electronic devices (e.g. pagers, text messaging, blackberrys
etc.) is NOT permitted during class and or exams. Be sure that you have your cell phone, etc
turned off and stored before coming to class. Use of a cell phone, PDA, or other similar
electronic devices during an exam, quiz or assignment are grounds for receiving a failing grade.
Laptop computer Policy:
If you have a laptop computer you are welcome to bring it to lecture to take lecture notes.
However, all laptops must be put away, closed and turned off or on sleep mode during any
lecture quizzes or assignments or exams. Saint Louis University is a wireless campus. Do NOT
use this during the lectures. This is extremely distractive to students around you and behind
you. Any student who is found using the web (e.g. YouTube, Facebook, Myspace, etc.) and
distracting other students will be required to turn off their computer during the lecture and may
not be permitted to use a computer in future classes.
Clicker Policy:
Please only use your registered Personal Response System (clicker) during class. DO NOT
bring your friends clickers to class so they get credit for attendance/participation, when in fact,
they are doing neither. Anyone found using multiple clickers during class or discussion will
be subject to having them confiscated until the end of the semester, receiving a failing
grade, or both. This is a form of academic dishonesty (see below).
Students with Special Needs - Disabilities Services:
Any student who feels that he/she may need academic accommodations in order to meet the
requirements of this course as outlined in the syllabus due to a disability, should contact the
Office of Diversity and Affirmative Action. Please telephone the office at 314-977-8885, or
visit the SLU Student Success Center, Room 331 of the Busch Student Center. Confidentiality
will be observed in all inquiries.
Please note that it is the students responsibility to notify the instructor and the University of
any needs that require accommodations in a prompt manner. You must meet with Drs. Wang or
Janowiak concerning any accommodations during the first three weeks of the semester in order
to make arrangements for any approved accommodations. Accommodations for exams must be
requested at least one week prior to an exam.
Academic Integrity and Honesty:
The University is a community of learning, whose effectiveness requires an environment of
mutual trust and integrity. Academic integrity is violated by any dishonesty such as soliciting,
receiving, or providing any unauthorized assistance in the completion of work submitted toward

academic credit. While not all forms of academic dishonesty can be listed here, examples
include copying from another student, copying from a book or class notes during a quiz,
submitting materials authored by or revised by another person as the students own work,
copying a passage or text directly from a published source without appropriately citing or
recognizing that source, taking a quiz or doing an assignment or other academic work for
another student, securing or supplying in advance a copy of a quiz without the knowledge or
consent of the instructor, and colluding with another student or students to engage in academic
dishonesty.
All clear violations of academic integrity will be met with appropriate sanctions. In this course,
academic dishonesty on an assignment will result in an automatic grade of 0 for that assignment
and a report of academic dishonesty sent to the Academic Honesty Committee of the College of
Arts and Sciences. In the case of Class B violations, the Academic Honesty Committee may
impose a larger sanction including, but not limited to, assigning a failing grade in the course,
disciplinary probation, suspension, and dismissal from the University.
Students should refer to the following SLU website for more information about Class A and B
violations and the procedures following a report of academic dishonesty:
http://www.slu.edu/x12657.xml
Bottome Line: Dont cheat, or you will be dealt with severely
We have a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for cheaters, as this behavior is insulting and
disrespectful to your classmates and instructors
Weather Policy: Please be sure to call 977-SNOW which is the Saint Louis University weather
information line in case of bad weather to get information on school activities.
Note: Syllabus and Lecture schedule are subject to modification at the instructors discretion.
Therefore, this should be considered a living document. Any modifications deemed
necessary will be conveyed to the students enrolled in the course prior to instituting the stated
change.

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