Welcome to the home page for Genome 371, Autumn 2025!
For now I'll just address a few frequently asked questions. If you have other questions about the class, please stay tuned -- I'll be adding more FAQs to the list in the coming weeks and months. Also, I'll be sending out an info email in late summer/early fall.
If you are thinking of registering for this class, please check the exam dates below for conflicts first! If you have a schedule conflict with these dates, you should not sign up for this class unless you have a valid excuse as listed below.
Exam dates and conflicts policy
There will be three in-person exams (two midterm exams and a final exam; see below for the grading scheme).
- Midterm Exam 1: Friday October 17
- Midterm Exam 2: Friday November 14
- Final Exam (yes, there is a final exam!): 8:30-10:20 Thursday December 11.
Please avoid scheduling conflicts with these dates. There are only a few situations when we allow students to take the exams at a different time than scheduled (usually, one or two days early):
- Medical/family emergencies. Visiting relatives on their birthday does not count as a family emergency!
- Academic events – the student must be interviewing for a job or medical/graduate school, or presenting academic research that was conducted at the University.
- University-sponsored sporting events – the student must be part of a University sponsored team. University clubs do not count as university-sponsored sports teams; if in doubt, check with the Athletics department.
Airline reservations for reasons other than those listed above do not constitute a valid excuse.
Grading Scheme: How your grade in Genome 371 will be computed
In 2024 we tried out a new grading system that the students overwhelmingly reported that they liked. We will use roughly the same scheme for Autumn 2025, with some tweaks (to be determined) incorporating their feedback and our experience.
In short: Half your grade will be based on effort. The other half will be based on graded work—exams and other work that you turn in (e.g., it could be homework).
- For the effort component, we will not grade you on accuracy, only on the thoroughness of your attempt to answer the questions/complete the work.
- So, if you fulfill all the effort requirements, you automatically get a minimum of 2.0 in the class. (If you only fulfill a portion of the effort requirement, your effort grade will be scaled down accordingly.) If you're happy with a 2.0, you only need to fulfill the effort requirements, you wouldn't need to take the exams or do the other graded work.
- The graded component (e.g., exams) can add to this effort grade, i.e., you can make up some or all of the remaining 2.0 grade value—anything you score on the graded components above a minimum threshold of 30% will be added to the effort grade described above.
- I'll post more details when we're close to the start of the autumn quarter.
- Note: I will regularly post practice problem sets; these are just for your practice, you don't need to turn them in and they do not count towards your grade.
Other FAQ
Can I get an add code for this class?
Is there a waiting list to get into the class?
What's this class about anyway? Is there a syllabus I can look at?
Can I get an add code for this class?
We don't give out add codes. For now, keep an eye on the registration page--in past years, 15-20% of students who originally signed up in May had dropped the class by September, so we expect that there will be spaces opening up between May and the end of September. UW's Notify service can help. If you are still unable to get in, you should fill out an online form that I will post at that time to let us know that you wish to be added on a space-available basis (assuming no schedule conflicts and that your pre-reqs are in order). You should also come to the first lecture (12:30 pm Friday September 26).
If you have taken Genome 361 or 371 previously, you will not be able to register online for this class. You will need to come to the first lecture (see above). Be aware, though, that students who have not taken Genome 361 or 371 previously will have priority over those who have taken one of those courses previously.
Is there a waiting list to get into the class?
We don't keep a waiting list. As mentioned above, keep your eye on the registration page; if you are unable to register but wish to get in, you should fill out the online form and come to the first lecture (see above).
What's this class about anyway? Is there a syllabus I can look at?
The syllabus isn't ready yet -- I'll post one a little before the quarter starts, probably in mid-September. In general terms, we will focus on how one can use genetics and genomics to understand biological processes or structures. Along the way, we will look at patterns of inheritance (how inheritance works, how phenotype is determined by genes), mutant analysis, and genomics (what we can learn by studying whole genomes), with an emphasis on how genetics can be used to understand the basis of inherited diseases.
There is no textbook requirement for this course—that's mainly because we haven't been able to find textbooks that adequately cover the material we want to cover in this class. So, all you need are the lecture and quiz section material with occasional extra reading in the form of handouts. Some students are more comfortable with a textbook to fall back on, so if you would like to have a textbook for reference, any of the following textbooks will do. All of these texts will be placed on reserve in the Odegaard Undergraduate library under this course listing:
- Griffiths, A. J. F., Wessler, S. R., Lewontin, R. C., and Carroll, S. B. 2008. Introduction to genetic analysis. 9th ed. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York, NY. ISBN: 139780716768876
- Hartwell, L. H., Hood, L., Goldberg, M. L., Reynolds, A. E., Silver, L. M., and Veres, R. C. 2006. Genetics from genes to genomes. 3rd ed. McGraw-Hill, Boston, MA. ISBN-10: 0073227382
- Klug, W. S., Cummings, M. R., and Spencer, C. A. 2006. Concepts of genetics. 8th ed. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. ISBN: 0131918338
There are also free online textbooks available. Finding specific topics in the online books is a bit of a hassle, but they are free. Once classes start, I will periodically post links to relevant sections in these online textbooks.