Biology 450: Evolutionary and
societal impacts of developmental biology
Instructor: Dr. Christopher Rose
Office hours: MW 1:00-3:30;
look for me in my office and lab; email me
for an appointment outside of office hours.
Office: Burruss 213 Lab:
Burruss 339
Phone: 568-6666 email:
rosecs@jmu.edu
Webpage:
http://csm.jmu.edu/biology/rosecs/Bio450.html
Please BE AWARE of the Class
announcements page since this is where you should look for instructions
regarding class cancellations, unplanned changes in course schedule and any
other "breaking news" that I cannot communicate to you directly.
General description: Developmental
biology has a unique position in both science and society. The field occupies a
central position in modern biology, having well defined interfaces with the
mechanistic sciences of genetics and cell and molecular biology, and rapidly
emerging interfaces with the more organismal areas of ecology, environmental
science and evolutionary biology. Just as developmental processes and
mechanisms play key roles in understanding the organism in its ecological and
evolutionary contexts, developmental biology plays a key role in integrating
disparate biological subdisciplines to better understand the history and
complexity of life.
In a more general sense, developmental biology also
ranks as the science of our times, as
the field is currently impacting our lives and our view of life in more
profound ways than any other science. Recent advances in cloning, embryonic
stem cell research, tissue engineering, and reproductive technology, combined
with information from the human genome project, point to a new era when science
and technology will offer cures for aliments such as genetic disease, paralysis
and organ failure that are presently viewed as inherent limitions of the human
condition. Developmental genetics is revealing surprising insights into how
animals and plants evolve, especially how changes in DNA have controlled the
diversification of their body forms. Developmental biology is also shedding
insight into environmental and ecological problems such as the widespread
occurrence of amphibian deformities and sexually malformed animals. Scientists
are even pursuing developmental biology in space in the hope that understanding
the role of gravity in development will further our conquest of this final
frontier.
This lecture and discussion-based course has three
sets of goals and objectives: 1. Attain an in-depth understanding of specific
developmental biology phenomena by discussing the relevant biological
mechanisms and the research methods used to investigate them. 2. Promote
thinking across different subdisciplines of biology by selecting topics that
emphasize the integrative nature of developmental biology and make connections
between different ways of understanding the same phenomenon, 3. Explore the
ethical implications of scientific progress by selecting topics that provoke
public debate about the utility and potential misuse of the science involved.
For each topic, the professor will lecture on the underlying scientific
principles and research methodologies, and then students and professor will
explore the integrative and controversial aspects of the topics though student
and professor-led discussions of primary literature.
Prerequisites: BIO 224 and Junior
standing.
Course time and place: TTh
9:30-10:45 in Burruss 336
Registration: Students are responsible for
registering for classes and verifying their class schedules on E-campus. Late
course additions will not be permitted. The deadline for adding a spring
semester class without instructor and academic unit head signature is Tuesday,
Jan. 15. Between Tuesday, Jan. 15 and Thursday, Jan. 24, instructor and
academic head unit signatures will be required to add a class for spring
semester. No student will be allowed to register for a spring semester class
after Thursday, Jan. 24. Tuesday, Jan. 15 is the last day to drop a course
without getting a W grade.
Disabilities: Students with
disabilities who require reasonable accommodations to fully participate in
course activities and/or meet course requirements must register with the Office
of Disability Services (ODS) and contact me to discuss access issues. ODS will
provide you with an Access Plan Letter that will verify your need for services
and make recommendations for accommodations to be used in my classroom. ODS is
located in the Wilson Learning Center, Room 107; Phone: 568-6705
Required texts and materials: None
Lecture schedule:
|
Wk |
Date |
Topic |
|
1 |
Jan. 8 |
Course introduction |
|
|
Jan. 10 |
Lec 1: Topic #1a: How do genes specify animal body plans? |
|
2 |
Jan. 15 |
Lec 2: Topic #1b: How do genetic changes produce large-scale changes in animal and plant body plans? |
|
|
Jan. 17 |
Discussion of Reading # 1 (led by professor) Eye and tooth formation in blind cavefish |
|
3 |
Jan. 22 |
Discussion of Reading # 2 (led by professor) QTL mapping of stickleback pelvis genes |
|
|
Jan. 24 |
Lec 3: Topic #2a: Cloning concepts |
|
4 |
Jan. 29 |
Lec 4: Topic #2b: Human Cloning, its uses and risks |
|
|
Jan. 31 |
Discussion of Reading # 1 Cloning with OSNs (led by student) |
|
5 |
Feb. 5 |
Discussion of Reading # 2 Epigenetic Reprogramming (led by student) |
|
|
Feb. 7 |
Discussion of Reading # 3 Cloning Ethics (led by student) |
|
6 |
Feb. 12 |
Student Assessment Day |
|
|
Feb. 14 |
Lec 5: Topic #3a: Aging and its physiological basis |
|
7 |
Feb. 19 |
Lec 6: Topic #3b: Evolutionary biology theories of aging |
|
|
Feb. 21 |
Discussion of Reading # 1 Aging in possums (led by student) |
|
8 |
Feb. 26 |
Discussion of Readings # 2 and 3 Figures from readings (led by student) |
|
|
Feb. 28 |
Midterm Exam |
|
9 |
Mar. 4 |
Spring Break |
|
|
Mar. 6 |
Spring Break |
|
10 |
Mar. 12 |
Lec 7: Topic #4a: Human pregnancy and the genetic conflict theory |
|
|
Mar. 14 |
Lec 8: Topic #4b: Genomic imprinting and the genetic conflict theory |
|
11 |
Mar. 19 |
Discussion of Reading # 1 (led by student) |
|
|
Mar. 20 |
Discussion of Reading # 2 (led by student) |
|
12 |
Mar. 26 |
Discussion of Reading # 3 Fetal cell microchimerism (led by student) |
|
|
Mar. 28 |
Lec 9: Topic #5a: The developmental basis of human sexuality |
|
13 |
Apr. 2 |
Lec 10: Topic #5b: Variation in the development of human sexuality |
|
|
Apr. 4 |
Video and Cultural perceptions of sexuality |
|
14 |
Apr. 9 |
Discussion of Reading # 2 (led by student) |
|
|
Apr. 11 |
Discussion of Reading # 3 GenderAssignment and Reassignment |
|
15 |
Apr. 16 |
Lec 11: Topic #6a: The role of environment in animal development |
|
|
Apr. 18 |
Lec 12: How do environmental contaminants disrupt development |
|
16 |
Apr. 23 |
Discussion of Reading # 1 (led by student) |
|
|
Apr. 25 |
Discussion of Reading # 2 (led by student) |
|
|
|
Final Exam |
|
|
|
|
Grading: Grades will be based on the
scores of a midterm exam (25%) a noncumulative final exam (25%), a student-led
class discussion (10%), class participation (22%), and six one-page typed summaries
of readings to be handed in at the beginning of the class discussion (18%).
Midterm and final exams will be comprised of objective, short answer questions
(definitions, identifications, fill-in blanks, etc.) and short essay questions
that might require the use of diagrams. Lecture exams will cover material from
lectures and assigned readings. TO DO WELL on lecture exams, students are recommended to do THREE
THINGS. First, you attend class, pay
attention, and be active note takers, which means that you do not limit this task to just copying what the
teacher writes on the blackboard. Second, after each class, you review
your lecture notes and the
assigned readings, and if you still don't
understand the material, you seek clarification in office hours at that time.
Third, you prepare and use study notes before each lecture exam.
ALL STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO DO ALL THE ASSIGNED READINGS. The readings for
which you are required to produce one-page summaries will be posted at least
one period before they are due. The summaries must be written in your own words
and without the use of direct quotations from the text. They will be evaluated
with a score of 0 (not done or handed in on time), 1 (inadequate effort), 2
(adequate effort but missed one or more key points), or 3 (adequate effort
indicating good comprehension of the article).
Student-led class discussions will be evaluated on the basis of degree of
preparedness, organization of material, communication skills, comprehension of
the main points of the articles, and ability to lead and engage the class in
discussion. One of the MOST IMPORTANT points is whether the student makes an
effort to process and synthesize the information from the article on their own.
Do they present and verbalize the ideas in their own words, or do they simply
repeat phrases directly from the text?
Final letter grades will be assigned using the standard numerical scale
(e.g., > 90 = A, 80-89 = B, etc.). Grades of WP and WF will not be given out
in this class.
Missed exams and reading summaries: If
you have a valid reason (official school business, sickness with doctor’s note,
death in family) for missing an exam, contact me by phone or email before the time of the exam and you will either be given a
make-up exam or have your grade calculated on the basis of the remaining
evaluations. If you do not have a valid excuse or fail to contact me
before the missed exam, your
grade will be zero. In the case of reading
summaries that are not handed in on time for valid reasons, your grade will be
calculated on the basis of the remaining summaries.
Final exam schedule: Consult the
university website
Honor Code: All students are
expected to be familiar with and abide by the JMU
Honor Code. Work submitted for this course must be written in your own words
and written by you for this course. Direct quotations (which are to be used only
in rare circumstances) and paraphrased materials must be properly cited in the
text and referenced in the bibliography (see above). Forms of academic
dishonesty include lending your work to another person to submit it as his or
her own, deliberately creating false information on a works cited or reference
page; and plagiarism, presenting
another person’s writing, ideas or results as your own, whether intentional or
not.
Consult the following websites for information on educational rights and
privacies:
The Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974