Genetics (Gen)

Courses Primarily for Undergraduate Students

Gen 110. Genetics Orientation
(1-0) Cr. 0.5. F. First 8 weeks. Orientation to the area of genetics. For students considering a major in genetics. Specializations and career opportunities. Offered on a satisfactory-fail grading basis only.

Gen 260. Human Heredity and Society
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: One semester of college biology or Anthr 202. A survey course in genetics for non-biology majors interested in heredity and its importance, and implications to self and society. Not recommended for those intending to take advanced courses in genetics. Credit for graduation will not be allowed for more than one of the following: 260, 301, 320, Biol 301 and 301L and Agron 320.

Gen 298. Cooperative Education
Cr. R. F.S.SS. Prereq: Permission of department cooperative education coordinator; sophomore classification. Required of all cooperative education students. Students must register for this course prior to commencing each work period.

Gen 301. Principles of Genetics (Same as Biol 301.)
See Biology. Credit for graduation will not be allowed for more than one of the following: 260, 301, 320, Biol 301 and 301L and Agron 320.

Gen 301L. Principles of Genetics Laboratory (Same as Biol 301L.)
See Biology.

Gen 308. Biotechnology in Agriculture, Food, and Human Health (Dual-listed with 508.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. S. Prereq: Biol 201 and 202. Scientific principles and techniques in biotechnology. Products and applications in agriculture, food, and human health. Ethical, legal, and social implications of biotechnology. A research paper is required for graduate credit.

Gen 320. Genetics, Agriculture and Biotechnology (Same as Agron 320.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Biol 202. Transmission genetics with an emphasis on applications in agriculture, the structure and expression of the gene, how genes behave in populations and how recombinant DNA technology can be used to improve agriculture. Credit for graduation will not be allowed for more than one of the following: 260, 301, 320, Biol 301 and 301L and Agron 320.

Gen 340. Human Genetics
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Biol 301 or Gen 301. Fundamental concepts and current issues of human genetics. Human chromosome analysis, pedigree analysis, gene mapping, the human genome project, sex determination, genetics of the immune system, genetics of cancer, gene therapy, the genetic basis of human diversity, eugenics.

Gen 398. Cooperative Education
Cr. R. F.S.SS. Prereq: Permission of department cooperative education coordinator; junior classification. Required of all cooperative education students. Students must register for this course prior to commencing each work period.

Gen 410. Transmission Genetics (Dual-listed with 510.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: Biol 301 or Gen 301. The principles and practice of transmission genetics. The Mendelian concept of the gene, mutational analysis of gene function, linkage and gene mapping, genetic fine structure analysis, chromosomal aberrations, aneuploidy and polyploidy, extrachromosomal inheritance, analysis of genetic pathways, genetics of quantitative traits. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Gen 411. Molecular Genetics
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Biol 302. The principles of molecular genetics: gene structure and function at the molecular level, including regulation of gene expression, genetic rearrangement, and the organization of genetic information in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Gen 462. Evolutionary Genetics (Dual-listed with 562; same as Zool 462.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Biol 303. The genetic basis of evolutionary processes in higher organisms. The role of genetic variation in adaptation, natural selection, adaptive processes, and the influence of random processes on evolutionary change. Nonmajor graduate credit

Gen 490. Independent Study
Cr. arr. Prereq: 301, junior or senior classification, permission of instructor. Students in the College of Agriculture may use no more than 6 credits of Gen 490 toward the total of 128 credits required for graduation; students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may use no more than 9 credits of Gen 490 toward graduation.

                R. Genetics research. Cr. 1 to 5 each time taken.

                S. Attendance and critique of genetics seminars.

                Cr. 1. Offered on a satisfactory-fail grading basis only.

                U. Laboratory teaching experience. For students registering to be undergraduate laboratory assistants. Cr. 1 to 2. Offered on a satisfactory-fail grading basis only.

Gen 491. Undergraduate Seminar
(1-0) Cr. 1. F. Prereq: Junior classification. The investigation of current issues in genetics. Graduate school and employment opportunities discussed. Practice in résumé writing and interview techniques. Required for majors in genetics.

Gen 495. Molecular Biology for Computational Scientists (Same as BCB 495.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Dobbs. Survey of molecular cell biology and molecular genetics for non-biologists, especially those interested in bioinformatics/computational biology. Basic cell structure and function; principles of molecular genetics; biosynthesis, structure, and function of DNA, RNA, and proteins; regulation of gene expression; selected topics. Provides biological background for BCB/Gen/Com S/Math 594.

Gen 498. Cooperative Education
Cr. R. F.S.SS. Prereq: Permission of department cooperative education coordinator; senior classification. Required of all cooperative education students. Students must register for this course prior to commencing each work period.

Courses Primarily for Graduate Students, Open to Qualified Undergraduate Students

Gen 508. Biotechnology in Agriculture, Food , and Human Health (Dual-listed in 308.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq; Biol 201 and 202. Scientific principles and techniques in biotechnology. Products and applications in agriculture, food, and human health. Ethical, legal, and social implications of biotechnology. A research paper is required for graduate credit.

Gen 510. Transmission Genetics (Dual-listed with 410.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 301. The principles and practice of transmission genetics. The Mendelian concept of the gene, mutational analysis of gene function, linkage and gene mapping, genetic fine structure analysis, chromosomal aberrations, aneuploidy and polyploidy, extrachromosomal inheritance, analysis of genetic pathways, genetics of quantitative traits.

Gen 511. Molecular Genetics (Same as MCDB 511.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Biol 301 and BBMB 405. The principles of molecular genetics: gene structure and function at the molecular level, including regulation of gene expression, genetic rearrangement, and the organization of genetic information in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Gen 512. Plant Growth and Development (Same as Bot 512.)
See Botany.

Gen 520. Genetic Engineering. (Same as BBMB 520, MCDB 520.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2001. Prereq: 411 or BBMB 405. Strategies and methods of gene cloning, restriction endonuclease mapping, southern hybridization, isolation and manipulation of plasmid DNA, and detection of specific genes in bacteria.

Gen 536. Genetic Statistics (Same as Stat 536.)
See Statistics.

Gen 537. Genetic Statistics (Same as Stat 537.)
See Statistics.

Gen 556. Computational Genomics and Evolution (Same as BCB 556.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Biol 301. Gu. Introduction to evolutionary sequence analysis at the genome level. Topics include sequence alignment, phylogenetic inference, molecular clock analysis, ancestral state inference, sequence/structure relation, functional divergence and prediction, evolutionary development, genome duplication, and comparative genomics. Focus will be on data analysis and biological interpretation.

Gen 562. Evolutionary Genetics (Dual-listed with 462; same as Bot 562, Zool 562.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Biol 303. Graduate study in conjunction with 462. The genetic basis of evolutionary processes in higher organisms. The role of genetic variation in adaptation, natural selection, adaptive processes, and the influence of random processes on evolutionary change.

Gen 563. Molecular Phylogenetics (Same as Zool 563.)
See Zoology.

Gen 566. Molecular Evolution (Same as Bot 566.)
See Botany.

Gen 590. Special Topics
Cr. 1 to 3. Prereq: 301 or 320.

Gen 594. Computational Molecular Biology (Same as BCB 594, Com S 594, Math 594.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Biol 301 and 302 or Math 304 and 307 (Math 317 may be used in place of 307) or Com S 311 and 330 or equivalent courses. Introduction to the biological background and the algorithms used in sequence comparison and data base search, fragment assembly and physical mapping of DNA, building of phylogenetic trees, analysis of genome rearrangement, and molecular structure prediction. Practice with some of the software commonly used for these problems.

Gen 596. Genomic Data Processing (Same as BCB 596, Com S 596.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: Com S 208 or 228, and Com S 311. Chou. Introduction to major computational methods relevant to modern molecular biology research. Topics include database construction, search and update; data collection and dissipation through Internet; sequence alignment and comparison methods; structure recognition and prediction algorithms; shotgun assembly procedures and algorithms; and scripting languages for linking together an automatic biological data processing pipeline. Focus will be on the analysis and actual implementation of those algorithms.

Courses for Graduate Students

Gen 615. Molecular Immunology (Same as BBMB 615.)
See Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.

Gen 675. Nucleic Acid Structure and Function (Same as BBMB 675.)
See Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.

Gen 696. Seminar in Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology (Same as Bot 696.)
See Botany.

Gen 698. Seminar in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (Same as MCDB 698.)
See Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.