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FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BIOL 300 VB HUMAN HEREDITY
Fall 2018
TEXT: Cummings. 2016. Human Heredity: Principles and Issues.
Brooks/Cole – Thompson Learning. Pacific Grove, CA. 11thedition.
INSTRUCTOR: Jill K. Goertzen, M.S.
E-mail: jgoertze@fhsu.edu
Home Phone: (785) 628-3656
DESCRIPTION
Principles underlying the inheritance of characteristics in the human.
COURSE OBJECTIVES :
The major objectives of the course are to 1) acquaint the student with the process of life applied to
human sexual reproduction and human development; 2) present the principles of human inheritance
in a clear, concise manner; 3) provide an understanding of the origin and extent of genetic diversity
in the human genome and the role of selection and evolution in shaping our genotypes and
phenotypes; 4) consider the social, cultural, and ethical implications of the principles of human
genetics as they apply to the human condition; 5) convey an understanding of the influence genomic
variation plays in world relations; 6) introduce the role heredity has played in human history; 7)
discuss recent advances in genetic research and the rapid transfer of this knowledge into medicine,
agriculture, industry, government, and criminal justice; and 8) alert the student to the potential
impact of these discoveries—biotechnology, mapping, and diagnosis of human genetic diseases,
process of aging, and genetics in behavioral sciences—on our own lives. Concepts for each chapter
are outlined at the end of this syllabus.
COURSE FORMAT:
Power point lectures are posted in the Course Lectures section of Blackboard for each chapter.
These lectures are of approximately 30 minute duration and cover the most important topics from
each chapter. However, make sure you do not neglect to read and study the book chapters too.
Weekly quizzes will be due to ensure that you are keeping up with course material. Two lab
assignments will be required using kits students can do at home. This course will also require you to
take four regular exams and one final. Whenever there are questions, let me know via e-mail. I will
try to respond to e-mails in a timely manner (within 24 hours). Because I am working from home, I
do not have an office number you can reach me at. Feel free to call me at home if you need to.
EXAMS:
There will be four major exams for this course. All major exams will be worth 100 points. Each
exam will cover material since the previous exam (every three chapters of the text). Typical exams
include multiple-choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank questions. Study guides for each of the
regular exams are available in the Study Guides section of Blackboard. These amount to a listing of
topics for students to focus on when preparing for exams. Exams will be posted on Blackboard by
the assigned test periods. You may take the exams anytime during the test period time frame (either
early in the week or last minute – however I encourage you not to wait until last minute in case of
technical problems). You can also request for me to have the exams available sooner than the test
week. I have no problem if you would like to work ahead of schedule. You will have a time limit of
70 minutes to complete all regular exams. Once you begin an exam you must finish it within the 70
minutes. So watch the timer and make sure you don’t go over by many minutes. You will lose a
point for every two minutes you go over the time limit. You cannot log out and come back to
the exam hours or days later. The reason for the time limit is to discourage you from using your
book. The exams are to be closed book, however I cannot regulate that – hence the time limit. I
will try to be good about posting on announcements each exam time frame when it comes up,
however make sure you know what is going on by referring often to this course syllabus. Late
exams will be docked points, unless permission is given.
QUIZZES
Weekly quizzes will be a requirement. Quizzes will include multiple-choice, true/false, and fill-in–
the-blank questions over that chapter’s content. Quizzes will include 10 questions each worth two-
points. Total quiz points will be 20 points/quiz. Study guides for quizzes are available in the Study
Guides section of Blackboard. Students will have 20 minutes to complete each chapter quiz. One
point will be lost for every two minutes that students exceed the time limit for quizzes, just like
exams. Late quizzes will also be docked points, unless permission is given.
LABS:
There are two lab assignments due for this course. Lab I is on mitosis and meiosis, where students
will use beads and magnets to demonstrate the different phases of both forms of cell division. For
Lab II, students will demonstrate DNA replication, transcription, translation, and mutations.
