BIOL-3450 Genetics

An understanding of genetics is fundamental to most studies in biology because of the central role of heredity in life and evolution. This course will use a text and primary literature to study the following subjects and principles: Mendelian inheritance of qualitative and quantitative characters and probabilistic analysis of heredity; the molecular nature of genes, including the basic classes and functions of genes and regulation of transcription in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems; and the behavior of genes in populations, including mathematical treatments of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and the five evolutionary forces (mutation, migration, selection, drift, and non-random mating). The laboratory will use model systems to investigate these basic principles. Some experiments will require time outside of schedule lab hours. Prerequisites: BIOL 3313, 3113, CHEM 2319, 2119