Instructor:  Michael J. Smith
                      SSB 8174
                      Office Hours:  By appointment (phone x5366)
 

Teaching Assist.

T.B.A.

Course Prerequisites:

BICH 222:; BISC 202 with C- or better.

Required Text:

"Developmental Biology" 6^th Edition. 2000, by Scott Gilbert; Sinauer Assoc. Publ.

Exam Schedule:

There are three equally weighted midterm exams with no final exam. Each midterm is independent of the previously examined material.

Midterm I - Friday, February 2
Midterm II - Monday, March 5
Midterm III - Friday, April 6

Reading Assignments:

A detailed reading list will be given from the following Chapters on the first day of lectures. The students are expected to read all of the assignments and will be held responsible for the material. Additional reading may be assigned during the lectures.

The reading will be selected from the following chapters:

• Ch. 1. Developmental Biology: The Anatomical Tradition
• Ch. 2. Life Cycles and the Evolution of Developmental Patterns
• Ch. 3. Principles of Experimental Embryology
• Ch. 4. Genes and Development: Techniques and Ethical Issues
• Ch. 5. The Genetic Core of Development: Differential Gene Expression
• Ch. 7. Fertilization: Beginning a New Organism
• Ch. 8. Early Development in Selected Invertebrates
• Ch. 9. The Genetics of Axis Specification in Drosophila
• Ch. 6. Cell÷Cell Communication in Development
• Ch. 10. Early Development and Axis Formation in Amphibians
• Ch. 11. The Early Development of Vertebrates: Fish, Birds, and Mammals
• Ch. 19. The Saga of the Germ Line

This course is a detailed examination of the modern developmental biology with emphasis on early animal development. Topics will include gametogenesis, fertilization, early embryology, and axis formation in a range of model animal systems. In addition to classical embryological studies, the course emphasizes the use of molecular and genetic tools to explain the processes of development at the cellular and organismal levels.

The method for the assignment of grades and percent range for various marks will be given on the first day of classes.