Reading assignments include scientific articles, class handouts, online resources, and sections from the required text. Assignments for this course also used to include several readings from the MIT Biology Hypertextbook, but these have been removed as that site is no longer active. At this time there are no plans to re-present the materials.
Freeman, Scott. Biological Science. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002. ISBN: 9780130819239.
| LEC # | TOPICS | READINGS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | p. vi Chapter 1 pp. 90-94 |
| 2 | Biochemistry 1 | Chapter 2 pp. 70-77 |
| 3-5 | Biochemistry 2 Biochemistry 3 Biochemistry 4 | Chapter 3 Chapter 6 |
| 6 | Genetics 1 | Chapter 10, pp. 194-201 |
| 7 | Genetics 2 | Chapter 10, pp. 201-214 |
| 8 | Genetics 3 | Chapter 8.2 (pp. 159-164) and pp. 176-191 |
| 9 | Human Genetics | Chapter 17.2, pp. 339-342 |
| 10 | Molecular Biology 1 | pp. 59-61, Chapter 11, 12 |
| 11 | Molecular Biology 2 | Chapter 13, pp. 252-259 |
| Quiz 1, Lectures 1-10 | ||
| 12 | Molecular Biology 3 | Chapter 13, pp. 259-271, 244-246 |
| 13 | Gene Regulation | Chapter 14 |
| 14 | Protein Localization | Protein Trafficking. pp. 95-103 |
| 15-18 | Recombinant DNA 1 Recombinant DNA 2 Recombinant DNA 3 Recombinant DNA 4 |
Spencer, Charlotte A. Genetic Testimony: A Guide to Forensic DNA Profiling. San Francisco, CA: Benjamin Cummings, 2003. ISBN: 9780131423381. |
| Quiz 2, Lectures 11-17 | ||
| 19 | Cell Cycle/Signaling | pp. 164-168, 864-867 |
| 20 | Cancer | Weinberg, R. A. "How Cancer Arises." Sci Am. 275, no. 3 (September 1996): 62-70. ———. "Finding the Anti-oncogene." Sci Am. 259, no. 3 (September 1988): 44-51. |
| 21 | Virology/Tumor Viruses | Chapter 26, pp. 501-507 Viruses (PDF) |
| 22-23 | Immunology 1 Immunology 2 | Chapter 46 Humoral Immunology (PDF) |
| 24 | AIDS | Chapter 26.2, pp. 507-516 AIDS (PDF) |
| 25 | Genomics | Lander, E. S., and R. A. Weinberg. "Genomics: Journey to the Center of Biology." Science 287, no. 5459 (March 10, 2000): 1777-82. |
| Quiz 3, Lectures 18-24 | ||
| 26 | Nervous System 1 | Chapter 42, pp. 806-817 |
| 27 | Nervous System 2 | Chapter 42, pp. 817-822 |
| 28 | Nervous System 3 | Chapter 42, pp. 822-827 |
| 29-30 | Stem Cells/Cloning 1 Stem Cells/Cloning 2 | pp. 346, 406-407, 364-367 Essay on p. 826 Growth and Differentiation, a Case of Hematopoiesis (PDF) |
| 31 | Molecular Medicine 1 | NCI Gleevec Article pp. 330 |
| 32 | Molecular Evolution |
Genetics and Geneology, Why Y? The Family Lemba (PBS Nova) The Family Cohanim (PBS Nova) Did Thomas Jefferson Father Slave Children? (PBS Nova) |
| 33 | Molecular Medicine 2 | Essay: pp. 782-783 The Cholesterol Quartet Familial Hypercholesterolemia |
| 34 | Human Polymorphisms and Cancer Classification | |
| 35 | Future of Biology |