Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

Genetics (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 3060-01

Course: BIOL 3060-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: Biology
CRN: 30547

Course Description

Transmission and expression of genetic information, organisms, and populations. Topics include basic transmission and molecular genetics, regulation of gene expression, developmental genetics, genetics of cancer, the immune response and behavior, and population genetics and evolution. Three (3) hours of lecture per week. A minimum grade of "C" (2.0) or above must be earned in this course before it can be counted in a biological science major or minor or as a prerequisite for any other biology course. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Co-requisite(s): BIOL 3065 Prerequisite(s): BIOL 1610 and BIOL 1615 and BIOL 1620 and BIOL 1625 and [(CHEM 1110 and CHEM 1115) or (CHEM 1210 and CHEM 1215)] - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C

Instructor

Dr. Marcos Corchado-Sonera 

·       Office hours: SCA 202 | MWRF 3:00pm – 4:15pm 

·       Email: marcoscorchadosonera@suu.edu 

Background 

I am an Assistant Professor of Biology at Southern Utah University, where I teach Genetics, Developmental Biology, and Bioinformatics. I earned my Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from The Ohio State University, where my research focused on developmental genetics, cell communication, and evolutionary developmental biology using the nematode C. elegans. I studied how cells communicate during development and disease, as well as how developmental processes evolve among closely related species. My current research uses genomics and bioinformatics to address questions in conservation, ecology, and human health. This work includes studying threatened and endangered species, investigating ecological processes involving microbial communities and harmful algal blooms, and using genomic approaches to better understand genetic diseases such as hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). Across these areas, I am interested in using modern sequencing and computational tools to better understand biological diversity, environmental interactions, and disease. 

Communication policy 

I will do my best to respond to messages within 24 hours during weekdays. I typically do not respond to messages in the evenings, on weekends, or on holidays. 

Required Texts

Concepts of Genetics by Brooker, 4th edition, McGraw-Hill, with McGraw-Hill Connect (contains required assignments and additional resources). 

Learning Outcomes

There are many things I hope you will take away from this course. Some of my objectives pertain specifically to biology, while others are more general in application and may be considered “life-long” learning attributes. After the completion of this lecture/lab course, successful students will: 

1.     Make inferences about heredity by analyzing phenotypic and genotypic data. 

2.     Extract information about genes, alleles, and gene functions from genetic crosses and pedigrees. 

3.     Describe the molecular anatomy of nucleic acids and proteins, and their relation to their function. 

4.     Predict how linkage and recombination will affect inheritance based on an understanding of their mechanisms. 

5.     Compare and contrast different types of mutations and describe how each can affect genes, mRNA, and proteins. 

6.     Describe techniques used to make changes to genomes. 

7.     Assess opinions on genetic manipulation with evidence and argument. 

8.     Evaluate the relationship between mutations, diseases, and phenotypic traits. 

9.     Describe the processes that can influence the frequency of alleles in a population. 

Course Requirements

Assignments 

Your grades and assignment information will be found on Canvas. Some assignments will be turned in on Canvas, so please meet with me if you do not know how to submit your work there. The total points available will be based on the following course assignments. The number of assignments may vary slightly. 

McGraw-Hill Connect Quizzes 

Quizzes can be found in the McGraw-Hill Connect link in Canvas. Quizzes are based on individual chapters and are due on the Friday of exam weeks. Students have 2 attempts per quiz and may check their answers after their first attempt. 

Exams 

Exams will be taken at the Student Testing Center. Students will have 2 days to take the exam (usually a week after we finish the exam material). There are no time limits for exams. 

Points Breakdown 

·       Exams — 4 exams × 100 points = 400 (71.4% of course grade) 

·       McGraw-Hill Quizzes — 16 quizzes × 10 points = 160 (28.6% of course grade) 

·       Total — 560 points 

Grading Scale

You must earn a minimum grade of “C” (2.0 or above) in this course for it to be counted in a biological science major or minor or as a prerequisite for any other biology course. The percentage/letter grade scale is below; the number in parentheses is the corresponding 4.0-scale grade.

·       A — 93.0% and above (4.0)

·       A- — 90.0% (3.7)

·       B+ — 86.0% (3.3)

·       B — 83.0% (3.0)

·       B- — 80.0% (2.7)

·       C+ — 76.0% (2.3)

·       C — 73.0% (2.0)

·       C- — 70.0% (1.7)

·       D+ — 66.0% (1.3)

·       D — 63.0% (1.0)

·       D- — 60.0% (0.7)

·       F — below 60.0% (0.0)

Course Outline

Please keep track of Canvas assignments and course announcements by checking Canvas regularly. I will also post updated versions of the syllabus on Canvas as needed.

Week 1 — Exam 1: Mendelian Genetics 

·       Wed, Sept 2 — Course Introduction 

·       Fri, Sept 4 — Ch2: Reproduction and Chromosome Transmission 

Week 2 

·       Mon, Sept 7 — Labor Day - No Classes 

·       Wed, Sept 9 — Ch2: Reproduction and Chromosome Transmission 

·       Fri, Sept 11 — Ch2: Reproduction and Chromosome Transmission 

Week 3 

·       Mon, Sept 14 — Ch3: Mendelian Inheritance 

·       Wed, Sept 16 — Ch3: Mendelian Inheritance 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch2 (11:59pm) 

·       Fri, Sept 18 — Ch3: Mendelian Inheritance 

Week 4 

·       Mon, Sept 21 — Ch4: Sex Determination and Sex Chromosomes 

·       Wed, Sept 23 — Ch4: Sex Determination and Sex Chromosomes 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch3 (11:59pm) 

·       Fri, Sept 25 — Ch5: Extensions of Mendelian Inheritance 

Week 5 — Exam 2: Non-Mendelian and Molecular Genetics 

·       Mon, Sept 28 — Ch6: Extranuclear Inheritance, Imprinting, and Maternal Effect 

·       Wed, Sept 30 — Ch6: Extranuclear Inheritance, Imprinting, and Maternal Effect 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch4 (11:59pm) 

·       Fri, Oct 2 — Ch7: Genetic Linkage and Mapping in Eukaryotes 

·       Exam 1: Ch: 2, 3, 4, 5 (Thu Oct 1 - Fri Oct 2) 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch5 (11:59pm) 

Week 6 

·       Mon, Oct 5 — Ch7: Genetic Linkage and Mapping in Eukaryotes 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch6 (11:59pm) 

·       Wed, Oct 7 — Ch11: Molecular Structure of DNA and RNA 

·       Fri, Oct 9 — Ch12: Molecular Structure of Chromosomes and Transposition 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch7 (11:59pm) 

Week 7 — Exam 3: The Central Dogma of Genetics 

·       Mon, Oct 12 — Ch12: Molecular Structure of Chromosomes and Transposition 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch11 (11:59pm) 

·       Wed, Oct 14 — Ch12: Molecular Structure of Chromosomes and Transposition 

·       Fri, Oct 16 — Ch13: DNA Replication and Recombination 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch12 (11:59pm) 

Week 8 

·       Mon, Oct 19 — Fall Break - No Classes 

·       Wed, Oct 21 — Ch13: DNA Replication and Recombination 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch12 (Transposition) (11:59pm) 

·       Fri, Oct 23 — Ch13: DNA Replication and Recombination 

·       Exam 2: Ch: 6, 7,11, 12 (Thu Oct 22 - Fri Oct 23) 

Week 9 

·       Mon, Oct 26 — Ch14: Gene Transcription and RNA Modification 

·       Wed, Oct 28 — Ch14: Gene Transcription and RNA Modification 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch13 (11:59pm) 

·       Fri, Oct 30 — Ch14: Gene Transcription and RNA Modification 

Week 10 — Final Exam: Gene Regulation and Disease 

·       Mon, Nov 2 — Ch15: Translation of mRNA 

·       Wed, Nov 4 — Ch15: Translation of mRNA 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch14 (11:59pm) 

·       Fri, Nov 6 — Ch16: Gene Regulation in Bacteria 

Week 11 

·       Mon, Nov 9 — Ch16: Gene Regulation in Bacteria 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch15 (11:59pm) 

·       Wed, Nov 11 — Ch16: Gene Regulation in Bacteria 

·       Fri, Nov 13 — Ch17: Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes 

·       Exam 3: Ch: 12, 13, 14, 15 (Thu Nov 12 - Fri Nov 13) 

Week 12 

·       Mon, Nov 16 — Ch17: Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch16 (11:59pm) 

·       Wed, Nov 18 — Ch17: Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes 

·       Fri, Nov 20 — Ch19: Gene Mutation and DNA Repair 

Week 13 

·       Mon, Nov 23 — Thanksgiving Break - No Classes 

·       Wed, Nov 25 — Thanksgiving Break - No Classes 

·       Fri, Nov 27 — Thanksgiving Break - No Classes 

Week 14 

·       Mon, Nov 30 — Ch22: Medical Genetics and Cancer 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch17 (11:59pm) 

·       Wed, Dec 2 — Ch22: Medical Genetics and Cancer 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch19 (11:59pm) 

·       Fri, Dec 4 — Ch23: Population Genetics 

Week 15 

·       Mon, Dec 7 — Ch23: Population Genetics 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch22 (11:59pm) 

·       Wed, Dec 9 — Ch23: Population Genetics 

·       Fri, Dec 11 — Bioethics Discussion 

·       Due: Quiz: Ch23 (11:59pm) 

Week 16 

·       Mon-Thu, Dec 14-17 — Final Exams 

·       Final Exam: Ch: 16, 17, 19, 22 & 23 @ STC: Mon-Thu 

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

All assignments are due on the assigned date/time. Assignments turned in late will not be graded. If you need to turn in an assignment late due to extenuating circumstances (i.e., university-sponsored travel, illness, ADA accommodation, etc.), please contact me at least 3 days before the due date to discuss the issue and work together to find a solution (obviously, some things like hospitalizations might prevent this). Please note that I cannot guarantee I will be able to provide an accommodation for every assignment. 

Attendance Policy

Attendance 

Attendance in this course is taken seriously. Please read the following statement carefully to avoid setbacks. Timely arrival is important; showing up late is disrespectful to your fellow students and me. If you know you will be late frequently, please contact me so we can discuss options for full participation. 

iClicker 

The iClicker student app is used to take attendance in this course. This means that students need to check into iClicker each class (this can be done through your phone). If you can’t log into iClicker, you will need to notify me before class ends. Any notifications made after class will not be considered, and the student will be marked absent for that day. Students who are 5 minutes late will be considered absent that day. 

Absences 

Excused absences include, but are not limited to, the examples listed below. Please note that it is the student’s responsibility to be proactive and notify me of their absence before the absence date. Notifications made after the date of absence will not be considered unless the absence was due to an emergency or accident. Evidence has to be provided for an excused absence. Family trips, personal trips, and vacations are not excused absences. Students who miss class will have to contact another professor and ask to attend their lab session during the same week. If there is no lab session to attend, make-up work will be provided. 

Examples of excused absences 

·       Covid-19-related absences 

·       Medical emergencies 

·       Accidents 

·       Inclement weather (snowstorms, floods, etc.) 

·       Interviews for jobs, internships, med school, etc. 

·       Conferences related to academia 

·       University-sponsored absences for student-athletes 

·       Military leave 

·       Jury duty 

Examples of unexcused absences 

·       Family/personal trips and vacations 

·       Job shifts 

·       Attending another professor’s lecture or office hours 

·       Sleeping in/forgetting about class 

Course Fees

Content for this section will be provided by the instructor.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.