Light
and Life:
Vision,
Photosynthesis, DNA and Melanoma
MBB 109
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 10:00-11:00
AM
84 Hall Atwater
Fall 2000
Course
Syllabus
Instructor:Ishita
Mukerji
Office: Hall Atwater 212
Telephone: 685-2422 (office)
E-mail: imukerji@wesleyan.edu
Office
Hours: Mondays: 4:00-5:00 PM
Thursdays:
3:00-4:00 PM or by appointment
Students are strongly encouraged to meet with
either the TA’s or myself. If you cannot make the scheduled office hours,
we are always available at other times by appointment. Questions can be
directed to us either by email or through the Webboard (see below).
Teaching
Assistants:
E-mail: hpogemiller@wesleyan.edu
Office hours: Tuesdays
2:00 - 4:00 PM Science Library
Web Based
Material
E-mail:hpoeng@wesleyan.edu
Prerequisites:There
are no prerequisites for this course.
This general education course is designed
for non-majors and others who are interested in how light plays a role
in biological processes. A good background in science is desirable; however,
the most important prerequisite is a desire to understand the significance
of light in the world around us. Interested, highly motivated students
without a strong background in science should do well in the course.
Class Meetings:Regular
class meetings are Monday, Wednesday and Friday
at 10:00 am in Hall-Atwater 84. Special classes such as guest
lectures or computer workshops may take place outside of regular class
hours.
Course Description:
This course is designed to introduce students
to biological processes mediated by light. Topics will include the vision
process, photosynthesis, UV-mediated DNA damage and repair processes. We
will cover the nature of light and its interaction with matter as an introduction
to understanding these major topics in photobiology. The structure of the
biological macromolecules that are integral components of these biological
processes will be studied to understand the mechanism. We will also discuss
the role of light in the onset of melanoma and the release of melatonin.
In addition, the depletion of the ozone layer and the consequences of this
depletion within the context of health problems associated with increased
exposure to UV light will also be discussed. This course provides an introduction
to the importance of light for basic biological processes and the dangers
of overexposure.
Required
Texts:
There is no required text for the course.
The course will cover a distribution of topics, which are not adequately
represented in any one textbook. Articles pertinent to the topics discussed
in class will be distributed. These articles will be from journals such
as Scientific American, The New Scientist, Science, and Nature
as well as the reference texts (see below). Any materials given to you
in class should be kept in a 3-ring binder. With these items you will construct
your own textbook for the course.
Reference and Related
Texts:
-
Light and Color in the Outdoorsby M. G.
J. Minnaert, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1993.
-
Light by Michael I. Sobel, The University
of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1987.
-
Color and Light in Nature by David K.
Lynch and William Livingston, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1995.
-
Photobiology by Eli Kohen, René
Santus and Joseph G. Hirschberg, Academic Press, San Diego, 1995.
-
HTML for the World Wide Web by Elizabeth
Castro, Peachpit Press, Berkeley, 2000.
Course
Outline:
A course
outline is attached to provide you with a general sense of the direction
of the course and the topics to be covered over the course of the semester.
It is possible that changes will be made to the course outline - if major
changes are made to the outline, a new outline will be distributed.
Grading and Evaluation:
Your performance in this course will be
evaluated on the basis of your class attendance, your participation in
class discussion, problem sets, two midterm exams and a final project.
The percentage breakdown of your grade is the following:
-
class participation and
problem sets
|
10%
|
|
|
15%
|
-
midterm exams (2 at 25%
each)
|
50%
|
|
|
25%
|
Regular class attendance
will be extremely important, as the class will not be using a standardized
textbook. Some of the materials will only be discussed in class and will
not be covered in the readings. A student with more than 3 unexcused absences
will be dropped from the course.
Problem Sets:
There will be a weekly set of questions
related to course material and the reading. These questions will focus
on the concepts presented in class and in the reading. Your responses to
these questions should be mainly descriptive and not numerical in
nature. Both your questions and responses may be submitted using a Web-based
conferencing system, Webboards (http://webboard.wesleyan.edu:5000/~mbb1092000f/login).
The advantage of this system is that it allows you to read and respond
to the answers of your peers. In many cases the questions will not have
one single right answer and by using this system we will be able to have
threaded discussions regarding course material and the reading. A training
session on how to use this system has been scheduled.
Final Project:
This course will have a final project in
lieu of a final exam. The final project will consist of the construction
of a web page that illustrates one or two of the topics covered in class.
For example, an appropriate web page might explain the source of color
in flowers, what colors bees and other insects actually see and provide
instructions on how to perform experiments demonstrating one or more of
the fundamental ideas in the page. You will be given information on how
to create a web page in class. Although you will be graded on the final
outcome, constructing these web pages should be a fun and creative endeavor
for you.
Design of the course:
This course is designed to give you an introduction
to science in the world around us, particularly in the area of life processes
that are light-driven. In order to understand these fundamental processes
such as vision and photosynthesis, we will begin by understanding the nature
of light and color. As many of the current health and environmental problems
in the world are related to increased UV exposure, the aim of this course
is to provide you with a scientific framework in which to comprehend these
light-related effects. Within this context of health and environmental
problems related to UV exposure, we will discuss processes such as reduction
of the ozone layer, DNA damage and melanoma. By the end of the course,
you should be able to understand the relationship between light and color,
why we see the colors we do, how light interacts with living matter and
why the loss of the ozone layer can have serious biological consequences.
As some of the teaching approaches are being used for the first time, such
as
Webboards, your input as a student is valuable and we encourage you to
let us know how you think the course is progressing.