This lecture went over the mechanics of the course and introduced 14 "fundamental principles of genetics" which we will be expanding on during the semester.
The basic course mechanics are outlined in a handout which is also posted on the website. The three teaching assistants (Rob, Suzy and Andy) were introduced; their contact information and office hours are on the handout. Andy Giordano’s email (which was not on the handout) is arg1 @ mail.wsu.edu .
Grading policies are also on the handout. Briefly, grades will be based on two midterms (100 points each), a final exam (120 points), and scores on the highest 8 of 12 quizzes (80 points possible). There is also an opportunity for getting up to 20 points for an extra credit assignment. The point distribution for specific grades is on the handout.
One issue that became apparent is that the Bookie has sold the 2nd edition of the text rather than the 3rd which was requested. Thus, we will be using the 2nd edition as the text. In terms of the handout, the principle differences are that what is listed as chapter 11 in the handout (on gene cloning) is chapter 10 in the 2nd edition, chapter 13 is included as part of chapter 12 in the 2nd edition, chapter 14 is chapter 13 in the 2nd edition and chapter 15 is chapter 14 in the 2nd edition.
The course is divided into three sections. Up to the first midterm we will be covering "Classical Genetics". From the 1st to the 2nd midterm, we will be covering "Moleclar Genetics", and the last portion of the course will cover "Current Topics".
We then went through the 14 "fundamental principles" which were on the handout and are also posted on the website. Each roughly corresponds to one of the chapters in the book. The first four fall under "Classical genetics", the second four fall under "Molecular genetics" and the last six fall under "Current topics". We spent some extra time discussing principles 5 and 6. corresponding to material on pages 8-12 and 3-6 in the text.
Finally we discussed the relevance of genetics to careers that people may be considering. For medicine, genetic influences are increasingly recognized to be important in predisposition to disease in humans. Animal diseases also reflect genetic influences and may be particularly common in some breeds. There is increased understanding of the evolution of domestic animals (e.g., dog from wolf). Plant and animal sciences increasingly make use of molecular genetic methods in breeding programs. Genetics is important in the management and recovery of fish and wildlife populations. Biotechnology is based on genetic methods we will be discussing. For biology in general, genetics and evolution are the main unifying principles.