BMS 255 Genetics

Offered Winter 2013

This course is intended to provide a broad foundation for understanding modern biomedical genetics.  The major initial emphasis is on the genetics of model systems beginning with bacteria and ending with mice.  The 12 lectures and 4 discussion sessions that comprise this first part of the course are intended to expose students to basic features of the various model systems including some of the genetic principles that they have helped reveal, their advantages and disadvantages as experimental systems, practical aspects of how to exploit them, and examples of their use.  The second part of the course (8 lectures and 4 discussion sessions) is focused on human genetics.  The lectures in this part cover the genetics of simple and complex traits, statistical genetics, genome structure and diversity, and cancer genetics.  The third element of the course is three hands-on computer classes designed to acquaint students with procedures to access and manipulate online genomic/genetic information using genome browsers and other publicly available tools and databases.  

Students meet in small groups for the discussion sessions.  Each session concerns a paper that relates to a recent lecture or group of lectures.  Each member of the group will be responsible for leading one of the eight sessions.  Student leaders will give a short introductory presentation and take the group through the main points of the paper while making use of pre-assigned discussion points from the lecturers.

Course Directors: Christian Vaisse and Anita Sil
Teaching Assistants: Amy Chen, Meghan Mckeon, & Lauren Rodda
Days/Times: Mondays, 4:00-5:30pm; Thursdays, 4:00-5:30pm; Fridays, 3:30-5:00pm.
Location: Usually N-217, Parnassus
First Day of Class: Jan. 7, 2013