MSCI 505 Principles of Medical Genetics
Course Description
For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.
Course Guide
View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*
*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.
Rationale
Genetic material, such as RNA or DNA, is a common feature of all living organisms. Understanding the structure, function, and transmission of these molecules is fundamental to an understanding of topics ranging from the propagation of life to the molecular basis of human diseases. This course adds to foundational concepts of genetics and focuses on the epigenetic contributions to human development and health.
Course Assignment
Textbook readings and lecture presentations
No details available.
Course Requirements Checklist
After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.
Lecture Assignments (7)
For each of these assignments, the student will answer an essay style set of questions based on the Learn material within the corresponding module. There are a total of 7 written assignments based on the lectures given and assigned reading.
Lecture: Gene and Promoters Assignment
For this assignment, the student will examine gene variety by applying an understanding of the anatomical description of a gene in a genome. Using the Explore: Gene Browser resource provided in the Learn section of the assignment’s corresponding module, the student will paste an annotated mRNA sequence of a human gene of his/her choosing in the assignment document. Based on the sequence the student pastes, the student should clearly label the transcription start site, coding DNA region, and stop codon. The student will then answer the provided questions based on the mRNA sequence. He/she should be sure to label each answer by its corresponding number. The student should ensure that all answers are detailed and in sentence format in a manner that explains his/her understanding.
Lecture: DNA Methylation Assignment
In the module for this assignment, the student will be introduced to several proteins that play a role in methylation reactions on nucleic acids. This assignment will assess the student’s ability to construct a logical, essay-style response concerning DNA methylation reactions. Depending on what prompt the student responds to, it may also assess the student’s ability to interpret the findings presented in the assigned research article in the Learn section of the corresponding module. The student should compose a paragraph-style response for one of the essay topics listed. The assignment must reflect the student’s own understanding of course material, and, as such, be written in his/her own words.
Lecture: RNA Interference Assignment
Within the module for this assignment, the candidate will be introduced to non-coding RNAs that can be used to regulate the expression of other genes. In particular, the student will review the biogenesis of RNAi (siRNA and miRNA) in the module’s lecture and will cover the functional significance RNAi in vivo based on three assigned articles. This exercise will focus on the student’s understanding from those articles. The student will compose a paragraph-style response for the two essay prompts listed. The assignment must reflect the student’s own understanding of the course material. The student should ensure that all answers are detailed and in sentence format in a manner that explains his/her understanding.
Lecture: Methylation Analysis Assignment
This assignment will assess the student’s ability to construct an essay-style response concerning methods for determining DNA sequence and methylation states. Depending on the prompt the student responds to, it may also assess the student’s ability to interpret the findings presented in the assigned research article in the Learn section of the assignment’s module. The student will compose a paragraph-style response to one of the essay topics listed. The assignment must reflect the student’s own understanding of the course material of the course material and, as such, be written in his/her own words.
Lecture: Position Effect Assignment
Within the module for this assignment, the student will discover the importance of gene placement within the genome and how certain diseases might occur if genes are rearranged. This assignment will assess the student’s ability to construct an essay-style response concerning position effect mechanisms and the diseases they cause. Depending on the prompt the student responds to, it may also assess the his/her ability to interpret the findings presented in the assigned research article in the Learn section of the assignment’s module. The candidate will compose an paragraph-style response for one of the essay topics listed. The assignment must reflect the student’s own understanding of the course material of the course material and, as such, be written in his/her own words.
Lecture: Cancer Assignment
Within the module for this assignment, the student will be introduced to causes and characteristics of cancer, which includes information on some of the main players of this disease. This assignment will assess the student’s ability to construct a logical, essay-style concerning these characteristics and pathways. Depending on the prompt the student responds to, it may also assess the student’s ability to interpret the findings presented in the assigned research articles in the Learn section. The assignment must reflect the student’s own understanding of the course material of the course material and, as such, be written in his/her own words.
Lecture: Cancer Review Assignment
Within a previous module to this assignment, the student will have been introduced to the causes and characteristics of cancer, which includes information on some of the main players of this disease. This assignment will assess the student’s ability to construct a logical, essay-style response concerning these characteristics and pathways. The student will compose a paragraph-style response explaining in detail how p53 plays a role in both cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The assignment must reflect the student’s own understanding of the course material of the course material and, as such, be written in his/her own words.
Poster Presentation Assignments (3)
Quiz: Poster Presentation: Article Check
The student will choose an epigenetic article in preparation for the e-Poster and Oral Presentation assignments. Once the student has chosen his/her paper, he/she will submit it to his/her instructor for approval through this quiz. The quiz contains one essay question, has no time limit, and allows for one attempt.
Poster Presentation: e-Poster Assignment
Using PowerPoint (or a similar presentation software), the student will create a full-size poster (approximately 3 feet by 4 feet) based on a public epigenetic article of his/her choice. The student’s poster must include pictures and figures along with the text. The student should ensure that the colors and fonts used are appropriate, that there is a balance of words and images, that the images are of appropriate size and clarity, and that the spacing and alignment of sections are deliberate. The student’s poster must contain all of the following sections as they have been listed in the assignment instructions: title, introduction/background, methods/project focus, results, summary, and future work.
Poster Presentation: Oral Assignment
For this assignment, the student will follow the steps provided within the assignment in Canvas in order to download the Kaltura Capture recording software. The student will use Kaltura Capture in order to record the audio and video portions of his/her presentation. The student should use Kaltura to record a screen capture of his/her poster that is overlaid with audio for the oral presentation. The student’s presentation must be 12 minutes (give or take 45 seconds) recorded as one, interrupted take. The oral presentation should explain the background information necessary for understanding the experimental focus of the article, experimental type/setup for figures on the poster, and conclusions of each figure. The oral presentation should only cover the information on the e-poster, as well as any additional information needed to fill 12 minutes. The student should be sure to carefully explain any figures used by pointing out the key parts of the data that should lead the audience to the proper conclusion(s). The student should refer to the How to Submit a Video Presentation assignment resource for a list of comprehensive steps for how to upload his/her completed presentation to Canvas for grading.
Quizzes (6)
The student will complete 6 quizzes based on the Learn material for the modules in which it is assigned. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes. The quizzes will contain varying numbers (10 or 12) of true/false, multiple-choice, multiple answer, matching, and/or fill-in-the-blank questions. The quizzes will also have a 40-minute time limit and will allow for 2 attempts with the average grade recorded.

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