Weekly
You will be asked to email the instructors prior to each session with two or three questions or comments about the assigned reading, and you will be expected to arrive at each session prepared to discuss any figure from the paper and explain the figure to the class.
Mid-term
You will be assigned two abstracts from articles in the literature about topics we have already discussed. You will write a short (2-3 pages) paper describing one or two experiments with appropriate controls that would allow the researchers to make their conclusions. (PDF)
Final
For a final assignment, you will be asked to choose a paper from a compiled list and give a 15 minute oral presentation about that paper. The papers to choose from will be related to the topics already discussed in class. The presentation should consist of a brief introduction (including how this paper relates to the papers we already discussed), an explanation of key figures (the necessary experimental details as well as the significance), the overall significance of the paper, what questions the paper raises and subsequent experiments the researchers could do to answer those questions. You will also read one (maybe two) of the other papers being presented in class and prepare at least one question or discussion point. Each student will have the opportunity to practice his/her presentation with the instructors prior to the final presentation. (PDF)