WELCOME: The goal of the course is to provide a critical understanding of the relationship between structure and function of Nucleic acids and proteins, including such issues as enzyme mechanisms, DNA and RNA recognition, and specific protein associations.Three dimensional structures of these macromolecules will be described in conjunction with study of the chemical and physical methods used in their purification and characterization. The laboratory provides hands-on experience with state-of-the-art equipment used in the biotechindustry. The laboratory experiments will allow students to gain experience in using computer applications related to the determination of the structures and properties of biological molecules and recent bioinformatics tools. The class meets for 2 hours of lecture and for 3 hours lab each week. Graduate students will be required to complete an independent research project upon completion of the course.
ATTENDANCE: You are expected to attend all ZOOM livestreams according to the schedule (link is provided on D2L) – attendance will be monitored. You will be expected to study all prior material available on-line before attending the livestreams. If you miss ZOOM meeting for unavoidable reasons, make sure you notify me. Missing an exam will be permitted only by prior arrangement and make-ups will only be allowed in the case of a University approved absence (illness with a doctor's note, a family crisis, or a religious holiday).
ZOOM RULES: Sign in with your full LAST NAME & FIRST NAME as listed on the class roster. No nickname please when you log in. It makes it impossible to know who is in attendance. Users who do not provide their full names will mark as un-attendant. STAY FOCUSED: close any apps on your device that are not relevant and turn off notifications. VIDEO IS REQUIRED TO BE COUNTED PRESENT. Please MUTE YOUR MICrophone when you are not talking. This helps eliminate background noise. Use a headset when possible, this improves audio quality. Be in a QUIET PLACE. Turn off any music, videos, etc. in the background. No disrespect or hate speech - just like in our in-person class, respectful behavior is expected. Consider Zoom a professional environment, and act like you're at a job interview, even when you're typing in the chat. Failure to follow the guidelines outlined above will result in AN EXCLUSION from the ZOOM meeting.

NOTE: Class meetings on Zoom (including video, audio, and chat text) will be recorded.
PARTICIPATION: Students are expected to take part in discussion after or during lecture.
EXAMS: 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 oral presentations.

MATERIALS: PowerPoint presentations for each lecture will be online, 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 recommend to use GOOGLE CHROME to browse this page. Textbook is optional for this course: Biochemistry, by Donald Voet latest version.

GRADING CRITERIA:
Laboratory Notebook/Performance - 10 pts
Quizzes/independent activities - 10 pts
Midterm & Final EXAMS - 2X30 pts
Laboratory Report - 20 pts
Independant research project for GS - 50 pts
TOTAL - 100/150 pts

No SI

Office Hours: TR 3:30-6pm on ZOOM (link is provided on D2L)

ZOOM office hours or by appointment set over an e-mail avankley@sfasu.edu (please do not email through D2L if you would like to get a quick reply). When emailing please indicate BOTH class & section # and your CID. 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. Note: NO emails will be answered after 5 p.m. and/or during weekends. NO GRADE DISCUSSION over an e-mail, only by one on one ZOOM meetings.

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.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: Each of the student learning outcomes listed above address the Biology Department Program Learning Outcomes as follows:
#1 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.
#6 Career building demonstrate preparation for future career and educational goals utilizing the knowledge and training during their academic program by: awareness of personal competencies (strengths and weaknesses) and an understanding of professional and ethical behavior.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (Course Competencies): Students who successfully complete Principles of Cell and Molecular Biology will demonstrate:
The ability, for animal cells, to recognize and identify the function(s) of the following: centrioles, chromatin, Golgi apparatus, lysosome, microfilaments, microtubules, mitochondrion, nucleus, peroxisome, plasma membrane, rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and ribosomes.
The ability, for plant cells, to recognize and identify the function(s) of the following: cell wall, chloroplast, and central vacuole. An understanding of the ability of enzymes to facilitate chemical reactions. Explain how catalysts, including enzymes, affect and are affected by the chemical reactions in which they participate.
An understanding of the biochemical processes of photosynthesis, glycolysis, citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. Define cellular respiration and identify the cellular locations of the various stages of cellular respiration. Distinguish between the light reactions and the Calvin cycle of photosynthesis.
An understanding of how cells grow and divide. Describe the major events of each of the stages of the cell cycle (Interphase, G1, G2, S, Mitosis, Prophase, Prometaphase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase, Mitotic Phase and Cytokinesis).
Explain how information flows from gene to protein. Describe the major events including transcription, translation and protein sorting. Explain the function of mRNA and tRNA. Describe how gene expression can be affected at various levels: DNA packing/unpacking and chemical modification.

ACADEMIC HONESTY: All exam work submitted for grading must be exclusively your own. Any dishonesty or cheating may result in a final score of zero (“F”) for the course. SFA Policy A-9.1 is summarized as: “Faculty members promote academic integrity in multiple ways including instruction on the components of academic honesty, as well as abiding by university policy on penalties for cheating and plagiarism. Academic dishonesty includes both cheating and plagiarism. Cheating includes but is not limited to (1) using or attempting to use unauthorized materials to aid in achieving a better grade on a component of a class; (2) the falsification or invention of any information, including citations, on an assigned exercise; and/or (3) helping or attempting to help another in an act of cheating or plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own. Examples of plagiarism are (1) submitting an assignment as if it were one's own work when, in fact, it is at least partly the work of another; (2) submitting a work that has been purchased or otherwise obtained from an Internet source or another source; and (3) incorporating the words or ideas of an author into one's paper without giving the author due credit.”

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/".

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS: Standard classroom decorum is expected. Please do not carry on a separate conversation that might be distracting to other students. If you have a cell phone or pager, please make sure it is either turned off or set to silent operation. Behavior that interferes with the learning environment will not be tolerated. If necessary, students violating these standards will be removed from the classroom. Additionally, please arrive in class a bit early as we will be starting promptly on time. WITHHELD GRADES, SEMESTER GRADES POLICY (SFA POLICY A-54).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. The circumstances precipitating the request must have occurred after the last day in which a student could withdraw from a course. Students requesting a WH must be passing the course with a minimum projected grade of C.

COVID-19 mask policy:
Masks (cloth face coverings) must be worn over the nose and mouth at all times in this class and appropriate physical distancing must be observed. Students not wearing a mask and/or not observing appropriate physical distancing will be asked to leave the class. All incidents of not wearing a mask and/or not observing appropriate physical distancing will be reported to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Students who are reported for multiple infractions of not wearing a mask and/or not observing appropriate physical distancing may be subject to disciplinary actions.
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