Cell Biology 03-240 Syllabus
Instructor: Dr. Jon Minden, Office: MI 279, Phone: x8-2669, E-mail: minden@cmu.edu
Teaching Assistants: Steve Jesch, Office: Mellon Institute 238, Phone: 8-8274, E-mail: sj2t+@andrew.cmu.edu
Heather Ziegler, Office: Mellon Institute 611, Phone: 8-5637, E-mail: hziegler+@andrew.cmu.edu
URL: http://www.bio.cmu.edu/courses/03240
Server: Connect to BioServer in the Mellon zone under the AppleShare icon in the Chooser. The UserName is cellbio and the Password is 03240. Open the 03240 file.
Lectures: Porter Hall 100, MWF 11:30-12:20
Recitation: Porter Hall 125C, T 9:30-10:20. This an optional drop-in/help session.
Text: Essential Cell Biology by Alberts, Bray, Johnson, Lewis, Raff, Roberts, and Walter.
Library Reserve: Past exams and problems sets will be placed on reserve in the E&S Library in Wean Hall. Also several copies of the MBoC Problems book will be provided.
Goal: Cell biology is an experimental science. In order to get a good understanding of cell biology, one needs to think experimentally. This is not an information only course. It is a course about how cell biologists think and test their hypotheses about cellular functions. There will be two sources of information in this course: the text and the lectures. The lectures will not just cover text material; they are intended to provide details about the philosophy and thought processes behind experiments.
Expectations: Many science courses are taught in the following way: first, the professor reads the textbook and decides what the students should learn. The professor then parses the text into lecture notes and then reads the notes to the class. This is BORING, both for the students and for the professor. You don't need the professor to read his/her watered-down version the textbook to you-you can read it yourself. In the humanities, such as english, classes are taught differently. The students are expected to read the material before class and the professor initiates a dialog about the reading material. This approach allows the lectures to be more dynamic and focus on student-selected topics. At the start of each lecture I will hand out a page of talking points-issues that I would like to discuss about the reading. I will also ask for questions about reading. For this approach to work, YOU MUST DO THE READING.
Feedback: At the end of each class, I will give you a few minutes to write comments and questions on 3x5 file cards. The TA's and I will read these cards and address common concerns in class and will respond to specific questions by e-mail. We cannot answer all of the cards directly, but we will try to cover as many as possible. These question cards allow me to judge how the lectures are getting across and focus on difficult areas. The cards are optional and will not be graded and they will not be usedto take attendance
Problem sets: There will be weekly problem sets posted on the website. These are only for practice. They will not be graded. The answers will be posted on the website the following week.
Tests: There will be four one-hour tests on 9/18, 10/9, 10/30 and 11/20 during the class period. There will be a final exam during exam week. Each test will contribute 15% to the final grade. All exams will be closed book. You may need a calculator. The exam questions will be based on both lecture and assigned reading material. Therefore, lecture attendance is essential. There will be no make-up exams, and you may not miss an exam without prior notification to the professor and a note from a physician stating the reason for not being able to take the exam. If you miss an exam with appropriate permission, the other three exams will be weighted more heavily.
Science Fair: As a final project for the class, groups of up to three students will construct and demonstrate models of cellular functions that were discussed in class. These models will be presented the last day of class on 12/4. The class will judge the quality of the models and prizes will be awarded. These models can take virtually any form from a solid object to a play or song to a computer simulation. The group will provide a one page written description of the how the model works and a description of the biological process being demonstrated. The Science Fair project will contribute 5% to the final grade.
Class Participation: I realize that it is not easy to participate in a large class. In order to facilitate participation, at the end of each class a few minutes will be given to write down questions or comments on 3x5 file cards, which you need to supply. At the start of each class the TA's and I will go over the question cards and address common themes and outstanding questions.