GENETICS 310
GUIDELINES FOR TERM PAPER

There is no set length or format for the paper. However, by following these guidelines, the paper is certain to earn a passing grade:
A. If you choose an inherited human or animal disease, be sure to include the following information, when available.
1. A description of the symptoms, including age of onset, any sex differences, and life expectancy if untreated.
2. Rate of occurrence (gene frequency, mutation rate).
3. Evidence for the hereditary (or not) nature of the disease, i.e. a pedigree or other information that establishes the mode of inheritance.
4. The molecular or chromosomal basis for the disease.
5. The mechanism for detecting heterozygotes or for prenatal screening.
6. Treatments available or proposed.
B. If you chose a specific topic, be sure it is not too broad. For example discuss one chemical mutagen and its mode of action, cloning strategy for one specific protein, DNA fingerprinting, or one quantitative trait.

C. You may prefer to discuss the case for/against an ethical or controversial case involving genetics, such as Cyril Burt's twin studies, mandatory genetic screening, sterilization of carriers. etc. Again, be sure the topic is not too broad and I am most interested in your opinion.

D. A scrapbook of newspaper and/or popular magazine articles related to genetics published over the course of the semester may be collected, anotated and submitted instead of a paper. (These are not to be technical articles taken from scientific journals or digests! They must be current articles. If you use the WEB, make sure the articles were published during this semester and are not just press releases!) You should show the source of each article, and comment on the content in your own words. Point out any "genetic" errors in the article. If the article is not directly related to class material, describe how it relates to genetics. For example, most articles on AIDS do not deal with genetics, but some may deal with mutations in the virus, etc. which would be appropriate. In all cases, do not limit yourself to material covered in class or in introductory texts: try to include recent references.I have a Birth Defects Compendium you may want to look over for ideas. The Library provides Medline and Biosis searches that you might find useful in locating recent articles.

Whether you chose A, B, C, or D, always reference your sources!

Your main goal is to show me that you have learned and appreciate concepts of genetics!