Syllabus for this term:

(scroll down to find a PDF file of the syllabus)


Professor: Elizabeth Haswell
Email ehaswell@wustl.edu
Website http://biology4.wustl.edu/faculty/haswell
Phone 314-935-9223
Office McDonnell 205
Please email, call, or set up an appointment if you have any questions or need help with any aspect of the course! I will try to respond within 24 hours.

Guest Lecturers:
Dr. Mark Running mrunning@danforthcenter.org
Dr. Ivan Baxter IBaxter@danforthcenter.org

Prerequisites:
Fundamentals of Biology II: Genetics (Bio 2970) or my permission.

Course description:
The first part of this course will introduce you to the many unique features of plant cells, genomes, and plant development (i.e., how plants grow, from seed to senescence!). The focus will be on those areas where plants differ from animals, and on topics of current excitement and investigation in the research community. The ways in which genetic approaches have provided significant insight into these processes will be emphasized. In the second part of the course, you will investigate the genetic and genomic methods used to generate and analyze plant mutants, and learn how to use online genomic resources, with a focus on techniques involving the popular model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Lectures, discussions of primary literature, and hands-on exploration of on-line genomics tools will all be part of the course. In addition, each of you will work on an individual project that will be developed over the semester, and summarized at end of the course in an oral presentation.

Goals:
1. Provide an overview of plant cell biology, development, and genetics.
2. Illustrate how classic and modern genetic approaches are used to answer questions in plant biology.
3. Give students experience in the design and application of genetic and genomic approaches.

Course Format:
Classes will consist of approximately 1 hour of lecture followed by about 30 minutes of discussion or problem-solving. I strongly encourage you to questions and offer comment during the lecture as well as during the discussion. Please read the assigned papers carefully and come to class prepared to discuss them; also bring any questions or ideas you might have.

Required Reading:
Readings will be primarily classic and contemporary scientific papers. Both background/overview and research papers from the literature will be assigned. Lecture slides and both background and discussion readings will be available on the course website.

Assignments and Exams:
1. There are 3 in-class exams. They will include a combination of short-answer questions, conceptual short essay questions, and problem-solving. These will each be 20% of the final grade.
2. There will be 4 homework sets, each worth 5% of the final grade. Some of the problems in the homework will be similar to those on the exams; in addition you will work on an incremental set of problems that will be linked to your final presentation.
3. The oral presentation of your individual project will contribute 15% of the final grade.
4. Class participation (including evaluation of other students' individual project presentation) is important and will be worth 5% of your grade.
5. There will be no final exam.
This class will be graded on a curve.

Academic Integrity and Etiquette:
You are expected to abide by the Washington University Polices on Academic Integrity:
Undergraduates: https://acadinfo.wustl.edu/WUCRSLFrontMatter/WebWUCRSLInfo_AcadIntegrity.html
Graduate Students: http://artsci.wustl.edu/GSAS/Policies/ACINTEG03.pdf

Please also observe standard classroom etiquette: turn off your cell phone, no email or texting during class, and listen to other students’ ideas with respect and without interruption.

I will do my best to respond to any email within 24 hours, provided that it is up to professional standards. For example, do not start out with “Hey” or similarly informal openings, do not use textspeak or emoticons, use clear subject lines, and make sure to sign off with your full name. Other tips can be found on the course website under “How to Email Your College Professor.”

Individual Projects:
Each of you will identify an unanswered question in plant cell biology or development, design a genetic strategy to address the question, and then use online genomics tools to learn about the genes that are “found” by your strategy (gene identities will be given to you by your instructor). At the end of the semester, you will present your area of proposed research, your genetic strategy, and what you discovered about the genes you “found”. You will also propose the next series of experiments to further characterize your mutants.

**Start thinking about possible topics for your individual project right away! Some suggestions will be made in class.

Homework and Exam Grading Policies
You may work in groups or individually on the homework.
No late homework will be accepted, as we will discuss the answers to the problems the day they are due. Please talk to me if you miss a deadline or an exam due to emergency or illness. A doctor's note will be required for missed exams.
If you think your homework or exam requires a re-grade, you may submit a written request explaining your concerns.

Topics Schedule (subject to change during the semester)

Plant Cell Biology
1	Thu 8/27	Liz Haswell	course overview, evolutionary history of plants, plastids
2	Tue 9/1	Liz Haswell	cell wall, plasmodesmata, phragmoplast, other organelles
3	Thu 9/3	Liz Haswell	cytoskeleton
Plant Development
4	Tue 9/8	Liz Haswell	introduction, plant life cycle, pollen & ovule development
5	Thu 9/10	Liz Haswell	pollen tubes, fertilization, embryogenesis
6	Tue 9/15	Liz Haswell	embryonic patterning, cell lineage, cell fate
7	Thu 9/17	Liz Haswell	epidermal patterning
8	Tue 9/22	Liz Haswell	photomorphogenesis
	Thu 9/24		EXAM #1
9	Tue 9/29	Mark Running	meristem establishment and maintenance
10	Thu 10/1	Mark Running	phase-changes
11	Tue 10/6	Mark Running	flowers
12	Thu 10/8	Mark Running	leaves
13	Tue 10/13	Mark Running	roots
	Thu 10/15		EXAM #2
Plant Genetics
14	Tue 10/20	Liz Haswell	plant genomes, epigenetics, polyploidy
15	Thu 10/22	Liz Haswell	RNA-based expression control
Plant Genetic Approaches
16	Tue 10/27	Liz Haswell	overview: classic and contemporary, model systems, impact of plant development on genetics
17	Thu 10/29	Liz Haswell	forward genetics in Arabidopsis I
18	Tue 11/3	Liz Haswell	forward genetics in Arabidopsis II
19	Thu 11/5	Liz Haswell	forward genetics in Arabidopsis III
20	Tue 11/10	Liz Haswell	genetic screen design
21	Thu 11/12	Liz Haswell	T-DNA and transposons: reverse genetics in Arabidopsis
22	Tue 11/17	Ivan Baxter	chemical genetics, genomics, and high-throughput genetic approaches
23	Thu 11/19	Ivan Baxter	natural variation and QTL analysis
24	Tue 11/24	Liz Haswell	review/special topics
	Thu 11/26		THANKSGIVING
	Tue 12/1		EXAM #3
	Thu 12/3		STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
	Tue 12/8		STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
	Thu 12/10		STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

• Ask a question