BCBP 4310/6310 Genetic Engineering Syllabus                                         Spring 2012           
Meets: Mon/ Thurs 10am – 11:50 am   Science Center 2C30                                                              4 credit hours
Instructor: Dr. Donna E. Crone                                   croned@rpi.edu               Office phone:    276-3299
Office:                  Science Center 3C11                       Office hours:      Tues 2-3p or  by appt
Graduate TA:  Isreal Lidsky                                           lidski@rpi.edu                   office phone:  x2811
Office:                  CBIS 4119                                             Office hours:      TBA see LMS for updated schedule

Course description:   In this course, students will explore the molecular methods and applications of recombinant DNA technology and the issues regarding their use through case studies on the effect of genetic engineering on medicine, agriculture, biology, forensics and other areas of technology. The course has 3 major components:  1) techniques used in the generation of recombinant molecules, 2) application of recombinant technology to diagnostics and therapeutics and 3) genetically modified organisms.  Students cannot get credit for both BCBP 4310 and BCBP 6310. (4 credit hours)
Prerequisites and Co-requisites:
BIOL 4620 Molecular Biology I (or equivalent) and BCBP 4670 Molecular Biochemistry I (or equivalent)
Other information:   BCBP4310 may be used to fulfill culminating experience requirement for BIOL majors.

Student Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course a successful student will be able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to design recombinant molecules
• Demonstrate the ability to summarize major ideas of journal articles
• Apply information extracted from a variety of sources including journal articles, technical bulletins, product manuals, and drug information sheet to solve problems
• Present results of literature research in oral and written form

Required Textbook:
Biotechnology: Academic Cell Update Edition By David P. Clark  &  Nanette J. Pazdernik
ISBN: 978-0-12-385063-8  (also available as ebook)
Additional required readings (primary literature, product information and manuals) will be posted as PDF in RPILMS.

ASSESSMENT:

Students registered for BCBP 6310 will be assigned an additional presentation during the semester

ATTENDENCE POLICY:  Students registered in this class should make every effort to attend class regularly and to use class time appropriately.  Class participation is 15% of final grade.
Please be considerate to yourself and the others in class – do not come to class if you have flu symptoms.  If you miss class, you must notify me by phone or email by 5pm on the day missed (preferably before class).
Class participation is scored on scale of 0-3
                3 on time and attentive
                2.5 excused absence (with missed assignments done by assigned time)
2 inattentive (e.g. using computer for other than class activities –other HW, social activities, inappropriate/disruptive conversation) or significantly late
                1 late and inattentive
                0 unexcused absence
Absences excused by Dean’s letter (serious illness, family emergency) will be evaluated individually following discussion between student and instructor.

Student grades are posted in RPILMS where students can view assignments due and grades assigned at any time during the semester

Assignments are posted in LMS.  Unless otherwise instructed, assignments should be submitted electronically via RPILMS.  In an emergency, you may send to my email; however, you must send via your RPI email address – not gmail or yahoo.
Late assignments will be accepted and a late penalty will be assessed.  Assignment score is reduced 10% for each day that it is late (weekend counts as one day)

Students needing accommodations (eg. extra time for exams) :  Please provide a copy of the letter to the instructor and, if appropriate, make appointment to discuss specific needs.  This should be done at least one week prior to the first exam (preferably earlier) so that accommodations can be arranged.

Grading appeals:  
Exams: Students may request regrade of in-class exams.  Regrade requests are due one week after exams are returned to students.  Request should be written on a separate sheet of paper and include the following: 1) question number and 2) why student answer should be given consideration for additional credit.  Exams will only be considered for regrade if the exam is written in ink and there are no marks on the exam other than original answers and grader’s notes.  Instructor reserves the right to regrade the entire exam.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Student-teacher relationships are built on trust. For example, students must trust that teachers have made appropriate decisions about the structure and content of the courses they teach, and teachers must trust that the assignments that students turn in are their own. Acts, which violate this trust, undermine the educational process. The Rensselaer Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities defines various forms of Academic Dishonesty and you should make yourself familiar with these. In this class, all assignments that are turned in for a grade must represent the student’s own work. In cases where help was received, a notation on the assignment should indicate your collaboration. When working within a group for the final project, the contributions of each member of the group should be explicitly stated orally at the end of the presentation and in writing in the acknowledgement section of the paper.  References should be properly cited.  Copy and paste of material from any source without the use of quotes AND proper reference is PLAGARISM and a violation of academic integrity. If you do not know how to paraphrase, ask for help before submitting assignment. Submission of any assignment that is in violation of this policy will result in a penalty of grade of F for assignment for first instance and grade of F in the course for subsequent violation  If you have any question concerning this policy before submitting an assignment, please ask for clarification.

Tentative Schedule—please access course schedule in LMS for links to additional reading, HW and other relevant materials