MBIOS 492
MBioS 492 Fall 2008
Section 1
Fulmer 549
Monday 12:10
Instructors:
Terry Hassold, 542 Fulmer Hall (terryhassold@wsu.edu)
Patricia Hunt, 549 Fulmer Hall (pathunt@wsu.edu)
| Aug 25 | Orientation |
| Sept 1 | No Class (Labor Day) |
| Sept 8 | Introduction to sex determination and paper selection |
| Sept 15 | Making strong scientific presentations: written |
| Sept 22 | Making strong scientific presentations: oral |
| Sept 29 | No class (first draft manuscript due Friday October 3 by 5pm) |
| Oct 6 | Discussion of draft manuscripts (groups of 3-4) |
| Oct 13 | Discussion of draft manuscripts (groups of 3-4) |
| Oct 20 | No Class |
| Oct 27 | Oral presentations |
| Nov 3 | Oral presentations |
| Nov 10 | No Class |
| Nov 17 | No Class (final draft of manuscript due Fri, Nov 21 by |
| Nov 24 | No Class (Thanksgiving break) |
| Dec 1 | Oral presentations |
| Dec 8 | Oral Presentations |
Sex Determination and Differentiation
In this class we will use this "hot" topic area in human/mammalian genetics as the basis for this course on making strong written and oral presentations. You will be asked to:
- Choose a paper from a list that will be posted on the class website (note that you are not limited to the papers on the list but, if you choose a paper that is not on it, you must obtain the approval of the course instructors) Website Link: http://machassold.chem.wsu.edu/~hnhlab/test-css/MBIOS-492-Pub.htm.
- Write a “News and Views” type summary paper (see attached example and guidelines). Your paper should be no longer than 1500 words and should provide a summary of the manuscript, place the findings in the context of other research in this field, and outline important questions and/or directions for future research.
- The first draft of your News and Views paper is due Friday October 3rd by 5pm. A critique of first drafts will be conducted in a small group (4-5 students) session. These discussion groups will be held on October 6th and October 13th. You will revise your paper based on the feedback you receive in this session. The final version of your paper is due Friday, November 21st by 5 pm.
- Prepare and deliver a brief (15-20 minute) Power Point presentation to your classmates. This presentation should be based on your written paper but is designed to give you the opportunity to “teach” what you have learned during this writing assignment to your classmates.
Your grade will be based on your written document (both your draft document and the final product will be factored in and this will count for 1/3 of your grade), your oral presentation (1/3 of your grade), and your participation in class and in the discussion groups (1/3 of your grade). The class will not work if we do not have the active participation of all students so, if you aren’t in class, your grade will suffer.
News and Views Guidelines
Your News & Views paper should be no more than 1,500 words and should be written in a conversational tone to an audience that is not necessarily interested in every detail but curious about the general issues. It is a forum to discuss the work in the context of the bigger picture and to discuss its strengths and weaknesses. We encourage you to express your opinion on aspects of the work and/or its relevance to particular fields.
Before you write
• Read your assigned article several times and identify the important new insight(s) it provides
• Read the background material. Your assigned article should review the literature in the area. It is critical that you read some of the previous work in the field to get a handle on the area and to set your article in context. A strong News and Views provides a review of the field and sets the new data in context. Understand the area before you start to write.
• Outline your News and Views paper. Don’t start writing until you know what points you want to make, the amount of background that will be necessary to set the stage, and why the article is important and should be of interest to a broad readership (i.e., your classmates). Remember that this is a teaching exercise. Both your written document and oral presentation will be critiqued by your peers -they are your target audience!
Writing the paper
• Include a title and be creative. The title is the first thing your reader will see – make the reader want to read your paper.
• Put the relevance up front. Journalists know that the biggest hurdle they face is getting the reader to read more than the first paragraph of their piece. This means that the first paragraph has to be hard-hitting, so spend time on your intro paragraph – it sets the stage for the entire piece.
• End your paper with a succinct summary and a statement about what will be important in the future. Where does this field need to focus? What are the important questions that remain to be addressed?
• Figures may be included but are not required. Figures tend to fall into two categories: those that enhance the article in an esthetic sense only (for example, a photograph of C. elegans), and schematic figures (for example, the depiction of a biochemical pathway). Use esthetic figures sparingly!
Students with Disabilities: Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and may need accommodations to fully participate in this class, please visit the Disability Resource Center (DRC). All accommodations MUST be approved through the DRC (Admin Annex Bldg, Room 205). Please stop by or call 509-335-3417 to make an appointment with a disability specialist.