Genetics Courses

• Semester Offered: Fall
• Credits: 3
• Course URL: Canvas
• Core Curriculum: WCr, WCd

Prerequisites

Declared Major in Genetics; must have completed one semester of Research in Genetics, Advanced Independent Study, or Genetic Counseling Rotation. 

Course Description

Communication is an essential part of science. Whether it is communicating research findings to other scientists or conveying complex concepts to a lay audience, a scientist must be able to effectively communicate their research to succeed. Communication in science is typically through publications, posters, or oral presentations. The goal of this course is to provide students practice in effectively communicating scientific findings. This includes preparing and revising an introduction for scientific papers, writing a research description for general audience, and preparing and giving presentations (both oral and poster).

Course Syllabus: 

Spring 2025

Course Satisfies Genetics Departmental Learning Goals

Students will be able to communicate their discoveries through a written article appropriate for publication in a peer-reviewed Genetics journal, and through talks or posters appropriate for scientific meetings.

Course Satisfies SAS Core Learning Goals:

Writing and Communication, Revision (WCr)
Writing and Communication in a Discipline (WCd)

Exams, Assignments, and Grading Policy

25%- MISC section including attendance/class participation, homework, and quizzes

25%- Writing section including project narrative, research question and hypothesis (PRH) and editing/revisions

25%- Oral presentation including outside seminars and testing critiques, student peer critique, professor critique, and self-evaluation

25%- Poster section including final poster and poster presentation

Required textbook:

Scientific Writing and Communication: Papers, Proposals, and Presentations (Fourth edition), Angelika H. Hofmann, Oxford University Press, 2019; ISBN: 9780190063283.

• Order from Oxford
• Order from Amazon (including used & rentals)

Course Closed?

This course is by SPN only. You may request an spn  for the course under the Genetics section on the SPN Request Page.  Please note the system does not notify students unless they can be accommodated in the course. SPNs are distributed throughout the remainder of the semester and through the drop/add period. If you have any questions, please contact the genetics department at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Faculty for Fall 2023 semester

 Dr. Gary Heiman

** All information is subject to change at the discretion of the course coordinator.

• This is an upper level course that focuses on the basic principles of microbiology. The course provides an introduction to the physiology, morphology, pathogenicity, and genetics of microorganisms, as well as their use in medicine and biotechnology.
• Semester Offered: Fall
• Credits: 4
• Course URL: Canvas

Prerequisites 

General Biology 01:119:115-116-117 or 01:119:101-102 and General Chemistry 01:160:161-162-171 (or higher) and

Organic Chemistry 01:160:307. Credit not given for both this course and 11:680:390.

Topics include:

* History and Overview of Microbiology
* Cell Structure and function
* Microbial Growth
* Nutrition, culture, and metabolism
* Gene expression
* Virology
* Bacterial genetics
* Taxonomy
* Microbial evolution and systematics
* Bacteria and Archaea
* Nutrient cycles
* Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
* Waste treatment
* Anaerobic respiration and Nitrogen fixation
* Antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents
* Normal Flora, Virulence, Toxins
* Microbial Diseases

Course Satisfies Learning Goals 

Microorganisms are an essential component of the human environment and are significant not only for the disease they cause, but also for their ecological, agricultural, pharmaceutical, and industrial benefits. This course will introduce students to the physiology, morphology, pathogenicity, and genetics of groups of microorganisms and their applications. The lab component of the course will introduce microscopy and staining techniques, the growth cycle and generation of a standard curve, physiological characteristics of microorganisms, and bacterial transformation.

Exams, Assignments, and Grading Policy 

Lecture (2-3 exams): ( 65% )

In-Class Participation: (10%)

Laboratory: (25%) (Derived from Attendance, Quizzes, Lab Practical, Lab reports, Notebook, Homework, and Participation)

Course Materials 

Lecture:

Brock Biology Of Microorganisms, 14th edition. Madigan, Martinko, Bender, Buckley and Stahl, 2015.   ISBN   978-0-321-89739-8

Laboratory:

Microbiology: A Lab Manual, 11th Edition, Cappuccino & Welsh, 2017, Pearson. ISBN-9780134298597 for the online format or ISBN-9780134298672 for the unbound format

Course Closed? 

If this course is closed, please add your name to request an spn  for the course under the Department of Genetics section of the SPN Request Page.  Please note the system does not notify students unless they can be accommodated in the course. SPNs are distributed throughout the remainder of the semester and through the drop/add period. We ask that if you are provided an spn for a course and choose not to use it, to please notify our offices at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  so we may provide it to the next student.

Faculty 

Lecture Coordinator: 

Dr. Mai Soliman 

Laboratory Coordinator:

Dr. A. Walczak

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Phone: 848-445-9501

Office: Nelson B131

** All information is subject to change at the discretion of the course coordinator.

• Semester Offered: Spring
• Credits: 3
• Course URL: Canvas

Prerequisites 

General Biology 01:119:115-116-117 and General Chemistry 01:160:161-162-171 (or higher) and Organic Chemistry 01:160:307. It is recommended that students have a background in introductory microbiology, human physiology, and/or anatomy and physiology.

Course Description 

This upper-level lecture course introduces fundamental concepts of medical microbiology and immunology. It can be used to fulfill the elective requirements for Genetics and Life Science majors with a strong background in Biological Sciences pursuing careers in healthcare and related fields.                              

This course integrates basic microbiology and infectious diseases. In the first half, students will establish a conceptual foundation covering microbial classification, growth, heredity, pathogenicity, antimicrobial chemotherapy, and host defenses. Subsequently, each week, the course will introduce the students to one real-life patient case study. Within these case studies, students will delve into patient history, differential diagnosis, clinical cues, laboratory data, pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention for each particular disease.                                         

Course Syllabus

Spring 2026 Syllabus (accessible)

Course Satisfies Learning Goals 

By the end of the course, students will develop a strong foundation in microbiological principles and immunology, which are crucial for careers in microbiology, healthcare, and related fields. They will achieve comprehensive knowledge about the pathogenesis of some important disease-causing microorganisms, diagnostic techniques, and treatment options.  

Exams, Assignments, and Grading Policy

The assessments will include weekly assignments, six bi-weekly quizzes, and a cumulative final. 

Course Materials

Required:

Medical Microbiology for the New Curriculum: A case-based approach; Roberta Carey, Mindy Schuster,  Karin L McGowen. 1^st Pub Wiley 12/10/2007 ISBN 9780471479338

Microbiology: Principles and Explorations, 10th Edition, J.G. Black, 2018, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 978-1-119-39011-4

Recommended:

Microbiology by OpenStax. Digital ISBN-13: 978-1-947172-23-4 and Hardcover Print ISBN-13: 978-1-938168-14-7 (This textbook is available for free download at the OpenStax website. 

Course Closed? 

If this course is closed, please add your name to request an spn  for the course under the Department of Genetics section of the SPN Request Page.  Please note the system does not notify students unless they can be accommodated in the course. SPNs are distributed throughout the remainder of the semester and through the drop/add period. We ask that if you are provided an spn for a course and choose not to use it, please notify our offices at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  so we may provide it to the next student.

Faculty

Dr. Haiyang Lu

email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

** All information is subject to change at the discretion of the course coordinator.

• Semester Offered: Fall, Spring
• Credits: 3
• Course URL: Canvas

Prerequisites

Genetics 01:447:380 or Genetic Analysis I 01:447:384 and Gen Bio Lab 01:119:117 

Course Description

Social, legal and ethical implications of genetics, for example: genetic screening, modern genetic technologies,  stem cells and cloning, genetic modifications of plants, animals and humans, genetic enhancement, and gene therapy.

Course Syllabus

Fall 2024 Syllabus

Course Satisfies Learning Goals

1. Master terms, concepts and theories behind genetic technologies and apply them to social, legal and ethical issues.
2. Research the social, legal and ethical implications of a genetic principle/technology, and describe ethical considerations from multiple sides of an issue.
3. Become knowledgeable and well-versed in current events surrounding emerging genetic
4. Critically analyze ethical scenarios using ethical
5. Learn approaches in describing complex genetic technologies and their implications to a lay

Exams, Assignments, and Grading Policy

Group case study position paper and presentation: 30%

Class contribution (verbal, attendance): 15%

Bi-weekly blog writing: 25%

Pre-class quizzes: 10%

Current Event Analyses: 15%

Peer blog discussions: 5%

Course Materials

There is not a suitable textbook. Original research articles, reviews and book chapters will be available on the Canvas site. Students will be required to purchase a subscription to an online polling application.

Course Closed

No special permission numbers (SPN) will be administered for this course.  If the course is closed, please continue to monitor WebReg for openings.

Faculty

Dr. K. Schindler

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.