Preliminary Syllabus Biology 205 Summer 2 2017
Cell and Developmental Biology (BIOL 205)
Dr. Michael Wernerand Dr. Jennifer Heppert
When:
Class meets Monday-Thursday: 3-5pm
Recitation: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 2-2:50pm, or 5:10-6pm
Where:
Class: Wilson Rm 128
Recitation: Wilson 202
Instructors:
Dr. Michael Werner
Office location:Wilson 239
Office hours: Monday-Friday 1:30-2:30pm
Dr. Jennifer Heppert
Office location: Wilson 239
Office hours: TBD
Teaching assistants: Charlotte Story
Email:
Deborah Kiserow
Required textbooks:
Essential Cell Biology4hEdition
by Alberts, Bray, Hopkin, Johnson, Lewis, Raff, Roberts, Walter
Developmental Biology 10th Edition
by Scott F. Gilbert
Learning Objectives:
By completing this class you will have:
1)Acquired a basic understanding of the fundamental principles and mechanisms of cell and developmental biology.
2)Developed a general understanding of the experimental approaches and various model systems used to study cell and developmental biology.
3)Developed higher level thinking skills by learning how to apply these basic principles to design and interpret experiments in order to answer specific cell and developmental biologicalquestions.
4)Gained an appreciation of the importance of studying cell and developmental biological question to promote a better understanding of human diseases.
What to bring to class:
-Course outlines and slides from Sakai when available
-Guided reading assignments
-Blank sheets of paper and pen for notes and activities
-Polleverywhere device
Sakai Site:
You must have an onyen to log on
(go to
if you do not have an onyen.)
All PowerPoint slides will be posted on Sakai before the lecture. The site will also contain the most recent syllabus, guided reading assignments supplemental material we mention during class such as poll everywhere questions with correct answers.
We will also post homework assignments and surveys on Sakai that will have to be completed online through Sakai.
We will continuously add course related material to Sakai as the class progresses
It is your responsibility to check the site regularly.
General Course Policies:
Our goal is for every student to succeed in the class and to provide as much assistance as possible. Please feel free to ask questions during the class! Don’t be shy there is a good chance at least half of the class has the same question.
Since our time is limited outside of the classroom please respect the following guidelines when having questions concerning the lecture:
-We use PIAZZA as a student forum. This will be your primary place to have course related questions answered by fellow students, TAs or instructor. We encourage you to visit frequently to ask and answer course related questions. Participation in this forum, answering questions from fellow students, will count as part of your participation grade. TA’s and Instructors will also periodically check the forum. Please check this forum first if you have any questions it both saves you the trip to our office and avoids instructors and TAs answering the same question multiple times.
-As a general rule we do not answer questions regarding course content via Email. It is the least efficient way of communication for this purpose. Please use the forum, office hours or come to us after the class to ask your questions we will try to stay at the end of the class whenever time permits. Private and personal questions/concerns are always welcome in our inbox.
-If you feel that you have difficulty keeping up with the pace of the class or do poorly on the assignments or exams please talk to the instructors as early as possible to discuss how we can improve your performance in the class.
Class attendance is strongly encouraged and participation in one of the recitations sections is required. The class moves fast in a very short period of time and individual lectures and recitations will build on each other. If you miss multiple classes it will be difficult to catch up. Also part of your participation grade is directly dependent on regularly attending class and recitation.
Attendance of one of the recitation sections is required. Except when specified, recitations are not review sessions and are designed to deepen your understanding of concepts discussed in class. You may be given pre-class or in-class assignments which together with your participation in in-class activities during recitation will determine your recitation grade.
There will be no make-up exams for in-class assignments missed because you did not attend recitation. You will be permitted to miss one in-class assignment during recitation during the entire semester without it affecting your recitation grade provided you submit written explanation of circumstances beyond your control that forced you to miss the recitation session. If you are unable to attend the recitation session you are registered for one week you may be able to attend the other session with consent of your TA. Since space is limited do not assume you will automatically be able to attend another session if you miss recitation.
Honor code statement: “All work done in this class must be carried out within the letter
and spirit of the UNC Honor Code.”
Poll everywhere:
As an incentivefor you to come to class and to facilitate your engagement during class up to 10% of your grade will come from a program called Poll Everywherethat you use through your laptop or mobile phone. Poll everywhere will also be used to assess how well you understand specific concepts and if you have completed your reading assignments.
See Sakai for the required registration, troubleshooting and grading
policy information.
Peerwise:
Peerwise is another online learning tool that we will use to better prepare you for the exams. By participating in peerwise you will help generate a bank of practice exam questions that all of you can use to study for the exam. It will also allow you to earn participation points. In order to do so you are expected to post at least one potential exam question per week and provide an answer to at least one of your peers questions every week.
Grading:
You will receive a separate grade for the cell biology and developmental biology part of the class. Your final grade will be the average of those two grades.
For the cell biology half of the class your grade will be determined as a weighted average of your two in-class exams (35% each), recitation and homework (15%), participation (10%) and exam corrections (5%).
For the developmental biology half,your grade will be determined as a weighted average of your two in-class exams (45% each), recitation (5%), and participation and quizzes (5%).
Your participation grade will be a combination of participation in in-class activities, responses to poll everywhere questions in class, answering peer-questions on PIAZZA and posting and answering questions on Peerwise. Individual exams are not cumulative and will only cover the course content specified. Course material to study for the exam will include material covered in class, recitation, homework and guided readings.
Attendance at all exam times is mandatory. Make-up exams may only be granted in exceptional circumstances such as family or medical emergencies. Instructors must be notified by the time of the exam of such emergencies. These absences beyond your control must additionally be documented in writing for a make-up exam to be granted. The make-up exam will not be the same as the in-class exam, may be an oral exam and may be more difficult than the in-class exam.
If the points on your exam were added incorrectly please see a TA or instructor and he/she will promptly make the necessary corrections. Any other requests for exam re-grading must be in the form of a written appeal turned in to your TA or instructor. Include your exam and a written justificationfor why your answer was incorrectly rejected. Exams taken in pencil will not be re-graded. Any appeal must be made within 5 calendar days after the graded exams are made available to you.
Classroom Etiquette:
Please restrict the use of digital devices to course related activities such as taking notes or using poll everywhere. Texting, tweeting, checking what your friends are up to on facebook or reading or watching non course related content online is both detrimental to your own performance in the class and distracting to your classmates. If we notice such behavior we will ask you to put away your device and you will be unable to earn participation points using poll everywhere for the remainder of the class.
Please refrain from eating or talking to your classmates about non course related topics during the class as this can be distracting to both you and your classmates.
Copyright policy:
All course materials including your class notes and in class presentationsare covered by University Copyright Policy (
This means it is illegal and an honor code offense to share your notes or any other course material items with anyone not directly affiliated with this particular class. No uploading to non-class sharing sites.You are however encouraged to download a private copy to you own device for the unlikely event of a server outage limiting your access to course material on Sakai
Required text and guided readings:
Essential Cell Biology4hEdition
by Alberts, Bray, Hopkin, Johnson, Lewis, Raff, Roberts, Walter
Developmental Biology 10th Edition
by Scott F. Gilbert
Required reading: Selected parts of individual chapters will be required reading assignments. You are expected to read the assigned part before each class. Guided reading assignments will be posted on Sakai for each section. These guided reading assignments are designed to help you identify what to take away from those readings. You may have to turn in those assignments and they may be graded. You are expected to bring the completed guided reading assignments to class as content covered by those assignments can be essential for understanding the topics covered in class and will be included in your exams.
Class schedule:
DAY / Topic covered in class or recitation / Pre- class assignementsMonday
6/26 / Introduction to cell biology
Cellular building blocks / Complete online survey in Sakai and guided reading Chapter 1&2
Recitation 1
6/26 / Discover model organisms: research / None
Tuesday
6/27 / Protein structure and Protein function Microscopy and how we study cells / guided reading Chapter 4 & 10
Recitation 2
6/27 / Selected technologies to study proteins and cells / Reading p157-167
Wednesday
6/28 / Membrane structure and Transport across membranes / guided reading Chapter11&12
Recitation 3
6/28 / Discover model organisms: presentations / Prepare presentations about assigned model organism
Thursday
6/29 / Mitochondria: cellular power plants
Intracellular transport / guided reading Chapter 14&15
Monday
7/03 / Cell-cell- communication
The cytoskeleton: microtubules / guided reading Chapter 16&17
Recitation 4
7/03 / Exam review / Answer practice questions
Tuesday
7/04 / NO CLASS
Wednesday
7/05 / Exam 1 Covering first week of class / Study
Recitation 5
7/05 / Interpretation of cell biological data in the context of a research article 1 / Read assigned research paper and complete homework questions
Thursday
7/06 / The cytoskeleton: motor proteins, actin, myosin and intermediate filaments / guided reading Chapter 17
Monday
7/10 / The cell cycle, mitosis, cell proliferation and cell death / guided reading Chapter 18
Recitation 6
7/10 / Interpretation of cell biological data in the context of a research article 2/Cell Biology in real life situations 1
Tuesday
7/11 / Cell-cell contact, cell migration and cancer / None
Recitation 7
7/11 / Exam Review / Answer assigned practice questions
Wednesday
7/12 / Exam 2 covering second and third week of class / study
Recitation 8
7/12 / Cell Biology in real life situations 2
END OF CELL BIOLOGY HALF OF CLASS
Thursday
7/13 / Introduction; Gametes and Fertilization; Cleavage / Gametes and Fertilization (118-140)
Cleavage (155-161)
Monday
7/17 / Induction and signaling; Generating heterogeneity; Specification and determination;
Gene regulatory networks in development / Induction and signaling (79-83)
Generating heterogeneity (107-115)
Sea Urchins (217-225) Nematodes (170-176)
Recitation 9
7/17 / Techniques to visualize RNAs during development (in situ, Northern Blot, smFISH, aptamer tags)
Tuesday
7/18 / Patterning the fly / Flies (179-209)
Recitation 10
7/18 / Techniques to visualize proteins during development (immunofluorescence, Western Blot, Fluorescent protein labeling)
Wednesday
7/19 / Homeotic genes, conserved patterns; Evo Devo – tardigrades guest lecture: Professor Frank Smith / Homeotic genes (209-213; 311-313)
Evo Devo (689-707: not all TBD)
Recitation 11
7/19 / CRISPR: What is it? How does it work? How can we use it to study aspects of development?
Thurs
7/20 / Spemann and Mangold: primary induction; Molecular mechanisms of axis determination; Cell movements
(Beginning of material for Exam IV) / Amphibian induction (251-262)
Cell movements (69-79; 99-102)
TBD / Exam Review
Mon
7/24 / Exam III
Recitation 12 / Gastrulation clay activity. Model organisms and microscopes in classroom.
Tuesday
7/25 / Gastrulation; Neural crest migration, Somitogenesis / Amphibian gastrulation (241-251)
Chick neural crest (376-385) Chick somite formation (415-423)
Recitation 13 / Human developmental diseases
TBD
Wednesday
7/26 / Patterning the nervous system / Chick, Amphibians, Mouse (332-350; 394-406; 409)
Recitation 14 / Human developmental diseases
TBD
Thursday
7/27 / Stem Cells, iPS cells, Cancer / Stem Cells (298-303)(319-331)
Cancer (655-660)
TBD / Exam Review
Monday 07/31 / No class
Tuesday 08/01 / Final 3PM-5PM
This schedule is preliminary and may change during the semester