WELCOME: This 3 semester hour course (2 hours of classroom time and at least 9 hours of out-of-class work per week) is designed to introduce you to structure, function and organization of DNA within the nucleus, DNA replication and proteins of replication, transcription and protein of transcription, translation of RNA and ribosomal organisation, mechanisms of gene expression and regulation. The class meets once a week. There will be two noncumulative exams for the first and the second part of the course. Context will include any material covered during lectures. Students will be required to work independantly on two topics covered in the class and present them according to class schedule.
Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Prerequisites graduate standing and permission of instructor, there is no corequisites.
Program Learning Outcomes:
Program Learning Outcome #1: The student will demonstrate a good knowledge base in biological concepts and be able to integrate knowledge with critical thinking skills to become problem solvers. Knowledge base will include: levels of complexity (molecular/cellular through population/communities/ecosystems), biological principles and processes.
Program Learning Outcome #2: The student will clearly communicate scientific information; provide clear structure and transitions, incorporating substantial primary-literature-based supporting evidence; and demonstrate audience appropriate purpose, agenda, language, and style.
Program Learning Outcome #3: The student will showcase their comprehension of scientific methods and present findings from scientific literature in two 10min presentations.
General Education Core Curriculum Objectives/Outcomes:
This course is not included in the general education core curriculum.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Students who complete Advanced Molecular Biology will be able to:
1. Understand structure of DNA, proteins and their interactions (PLO 1).
2. Demonstrate proper usage of appropriate scientific literature to make conclusions (PLO 1,2).
3. Discuss the contributions of molecular biology to research efforts in their field of study (PLO 1, 2).

ATTENDANCE: You are expected to attend all lectures according to the schedule– attendance will be monitored. Sign in with your full first name and last name as listed on the class roster. Students who do not provide their full name will be marked as absent. Missing lecture classes without university approved absences will result in points subtraction from your Final grade. Stay focused: turn off your cellphone and pack it away, be respectful to your classmates and the professor. Using a phone during the class without permission will be equal to an absence. Missing an exam/deadlines will be permitted only by prior arrangement. If the exam was missed without prior arrangement as an after the fact make-up will be allowed only by Faculty Notification Requests. (The information is located on the Dean of Student’s website: https://www.sfasu.edu/thehub/sos/notification-request )
CLASS DISRUPTION: Class disruptions will not be tolerated because they detract from other students’ learning. As adults, students should be able to sit through class without disturbing others.
The professor does NOT necessarily give you a warning or make an announcement that you are disrupting class. Instead, points will simply be deducted in the grade book. Students are free to inquire at any time whether they have had points deducted during office hours.
Tardiness to lecture will not be tolerated; it disrupts the lesson and the concentration of fellow students. Reasonable accommodations will be made in cases of emergency situations if documentation is provided. It is the student’s responsibility to provide the instructor with documentation of emergencies. Sleeping during class can be distracting to other students and the instructor. If a student is so tired that they cannot stay awake for a lecture, as boring as it may be, the student should not be in class. Cell phones must be turned off during lecture and packed away. In cases of family emergency the student must inform the instructor of the situation BEFORE class begins. There should be no texting in class. Texting may distract other students and the instructor. Leaving class is disruptive to other students who are trying to pay attention. Leaving the class for any reason will count against you. Hence, be sure to use the restroom before coming to class (a 5 minute break is given during lecture during the long summer lectures). If a student knows they will need to leave class early, notify the instructor well ahead of time. Points will not be deducted if the student has a legitimate excuse for leaving early. Talking/Disruptive Behaviors: the professor is highly encourages students to ask questions or make relevant comments during a lecture. However, talking to a neighbor or other disruptive behaviors will not be tolerated because, again, it disrupts the learning environment of other students. Laptop computers are not allowed in lecture. In the past, too many students have used them for surfing the internet or working on other projects during lecture, which distracts other students.

MATERIALS: PowerPoint presentations for each lecture will be online along with the lecture videos, according to the provided schedule of the course, so that notes can be made and used during the exam. REMEMBER: draw it to know it! I reccomend to use CHROMIUM to browse this page. Textbook is optional for this course: Molecular Biology: Principles of Genome Function, by Nancy L. Craig , Rachel R. Green , Carol C. Greider , Gisela G. Storz , Cynthia Wolberger , 3rd Edition.

Exams (all together) - 50 pts
Oral presentation – 30 pts
Quizzes/independent activities – 10 pts
Participation in discussions after the presentations – 10 pts
TOTAL - 100 pts
In details:
• Comprehensive Examinations: There will be two noncumulative exams for the first and the second part of the course. Context will include any material covered during lectures and in class discussions. These exams will be of an objective or subjective format or combinations of both. These two lecture exams are worth 40 points each.
• Lecture Quizzes/Independent activities: Before some lectures there will be a short quiz/independent activity which will cover the material learned since the previous quiz (required and recommended reading of materials available on-line). They will be a combination of multiple choice, matching, short answer and will be at the beginning of the class. They benefit only students who are present in time therefore will be no make up for these activities. These lecture quizzes are worth 10 points all together.
• Participation/discussions: Students are expected to participate in discussions on all student’s assignments/homework (if any). To facilitate discussion, professor may ask you to bring in at least five typed questions per assignment and submit before a presentation day. The grade will be determined based on quality of the questions and on the frequency of their participation as well as thoughtfulness/utility of their contributions to class discussion. Missing the deadline and/or format of submitted work will result in points loss. Participation is worth 10 points.
• NOTE students with poor attendance including tardiness will lose up to 10 pts of the course grade.
• Other assignments (if any): as described at the beginning of the semester and required by the Professor.
• You will be expected to study all prior material available on class web-page under the “Lecture & Schedule” tab before attending the class.

No SI

T 12:30-16:00, W 11:00-12:00, 15:00-15:30 or by appointment @S236

Communication with the professor is over an e-mail avankley@sfasu.edu (please DO NOT email through D2L ).

E-mail rules:
When emailing use your OFFICIAL SFA E-MAIL ADDRESS
Check your e-mail REGULARY and, if you have your SFA account forwarded to some secondary account, to be certain this is not full and can receive messages.
Always indicate BOTH class & section # and your CID in a subject line.
When ATTACHING a file, filename should be “First_LastName.ext”, it must also include your name in the document itself.
Emails lacking any of the information listed above WILL BE IGNORED.
BE courteous: Begin your email with a greeting that addresses your instructor respectfully and professionally, such as "Dear Dr. Smith" or "Hi Dr. Jones."
E-mail should be considered a professional form of communication – you should use proper grammar and spelling.
CLOSE with your full name: After your message, end with a closing and signature, such as "Sincerely, Jane Doe" or "Thanks, John Doe.”
A RESPONSE may take time: I will try to get back quickly, but don’t expect a response within a few minutes. It can take up to 24 hours for an instructor to respond. If you need a response ON THE SAME DAY, your best option is to attend the office hours.
NO emails will be answered after 5 p.m. and/or during weekends or holidays.
NO GRADE DISCUSSION over an e-mail, only during one on one meetings. Grades cannot be discussed via e-mail at any time due to federal law. I will speak to you in person instead during my office hours. DO NOT involve a third-party who is not affiliated in an official capacity with SFASU (e.g., friend, roommate) in any matters pertaining to your enrollment in this course. Your instructor is legally prohibited from discussing most course/grade-related issues with third parties according to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99).

MENTAL HEALTH: SFASU values students’ mental health and the role it plays in academic and overall student success. SFA provides a variety of resources to support students mental health and wellness. Many of these resources are free, and all of them are confidential.

FACULTY NOTIFICATION REQUESTS: Please read at https://www.sfasu.edu/thehub/sos/notification-request.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Please read the complete policy at https://www.sfasu.edu/docs/policies/10.4.pdf.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: To obtain disability related accommodations, alternate formats and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), Human Services Building, and Room 325, 468-3004 / 468-1004 (TDD) as early as possible in the semester. Once verified, ODS will notify the course instructor and outline the accommodation and/or auxiliary aids to be provided. Failure to request services in a timely manner may delay your accommodations. For additional information, go to http://www.sfasu.edu/disabilityservices/.

WITHHELD GRADES SEMESTER GRADES POLICY (5.5): Ordinarily, at the discretion of the instructor of record and with the approval of the academic chair/director, a grade of WH will be assigned only if the student cannot complete the course work because of unavoidable circumstances. Students must complete the work within one calendar year from the end of the semester in which they receive a WH, or the grade automatically becomes an F. If students register for the same course in future terms the WH will automatically become an F and will be counted as a repeated course for the purpose of computing the grade point average.

On-campus Resources:
SFA Counseling Services https://www.sfasu.edu/humanservices/clinics-labs/counseling-clinic

Rusk Building, 3rd Floor 936.468.2401
SFA Human Services Counseling Clinic
www.sfasu.edu/humanservices/139.asp
Human Services, Room 202 936.468.1041
Crisis Resources: Burke 24-hour crisis line: 1.800.392.8343
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1.800.273.TALK (8255) Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 741-741