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BMB 401 syllabus

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI BIOCHEMISTRY 401/506:


INTRODUCTION TO BIOCHEMISTRY (for Medical Sciences)
FALL SEMESTER 2009
Lectures:TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS 12:30 1:45 p.m. Exams at 8:00 a.m.
Room LC-130, Coral Gables Campus
Prerequisite: CHM 202 (B- or better). Grades will be checked
Faculty (* = coordinator)

Tel. No. (305-) Office (Medical Campus)

e-mail

Dr. Roger Fenna

243-6564

Rm 211, Gautier

rfenna@aol.com

Dr. Frans Huijing*

243-6244

Rm 315, Gautier

fhuijing@miami.edu

Dr. Rik Myers

243-2056

Rm 314, Gautier

rmyers@med.miami.edu

Required Text
Biochemistry, Sixth Edition by Berg, Tymoczko and Stryer, W. H. Freeman and Co ISBN 9780716787242
plus the radio frequency clicker: iClicker ISBN 9870716779391
or

This same book together with the radio frequency clicker: iClicker ISBN 9781429200035
Students who buy the iClicker and the book as a package, receive a discount on the price of the
book.
Students need to register their clicker online before the first class! There is no charge for
registering the iClicker. Be sure to enter your C-number correctly and your name exactly
as it appears on the class roll.

This course has four parts


PART 1:
STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS OF PROTEINS, CARBOHYDRATES
AND LIPIDS by Drs. Fenna and Huijing.

PART 2:

BIOCHEMICAL ASPECTS OF NUTRITION by Dr. Huijing.

PART 3:

INTERMEDIARY METABOLISM by Dr. Huijing.

PART 4:

FROM GENES TO PROTEINS: DNARNAPROTEIN by Dr.


Myers.

The class dates, exam dates, class topics and reading assignments are posted as a
separate file named 401-class&exam schedule. Please copy the dates to your calendar.

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BMB 401 syllabus

IMPORTANT DATES
Test days:

Test 1
Test 2
Test 3
Test 4

Thu
Tue
Thu
Thu

Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Optional Final Test Tue


Last day to change to Credit only
Last day to drop without a W
Last day to drop a course

Friday
Friday
Friday

17
13
05
03

(8:00 -- 9:15 a.m.)


(8:00 -- 9:15 a.m.)
(8:00 9:15 a.m.)
(8:00 9:15 a.m.

Dec ??

(8:30 9:45 a.m.)

Sep 10 (check the UM calendar).


Sep 10 (before exam 1)
Oct 29 (after exam 2)

We plan to use radio-frequency clickers during this course. We may ask questions at any time
during the class. Students will have to perform calculations for some of the clicker questions and
for certain exam questions. We know from previous courses that the use of the clickers will give
the instructors and the students, feedback during the classes and allow the instructor to correct
misunderstandings and improve interaction. There is a reasonable correlation (coefficient = 0.7)
between the performance on the clicker questions and the score on the first exam.
We are still learning how to use these interactive devices in a large class. An adequate
performance (=> 50%) on the clicker questions is a prerequisite for participation in the exams,
including the make-up exam because we feel that students who score less than 50% are
inadequately prepared for exams. No credit will be given for the clicker questions unless we will
give an announced quiz by clicker if an exam or a lecture close to an exam is canceled because
of a hurricane threat. In that case, we will announce how the clicker quiz will count towards the
final grade.

GRADING AND TESTS: (Important notice read it carefully)


All students are expected to abide by the Honor Code. They should not receive or provide help
from any source during the exams. They should not have any electronic equipment on them or
with them during the exams with the exception of a simple calculator without memory capability
during exam 1. All students are under the obligation to report any irregularities that they
witness to the instructors and to the Honor Council.
Letter grades are not awarded for individual tests.
The final grade will be based on the combined score on 4 or 5 exams counting. The combined
score will be calculated from scores achieved on Tests 1-4 and the Final test. Test 1-4 will relate
only to material presented in the six preceding lectures. Your grade will be calculated as follows:
(%T1 + %T2 + %T3 + %T4)/ 4 = % of Final Score
The optional test will examine understanding of the general biochemical concepts that are
reiterated throughout the course. If the score obtained is higher than the lowest of the previous
scores, it will be 50% weighted into that score. The optional exam does not replace the lowest
score! Example: If Test 3 score of 60% is the lowest, then a Final test score of 84% would raise
Test 3 score to 72%.
(%T3 + % T Final)/2 = adjusted T3 score because (60%+84%)/2=72%
We will use the following scale for the calculation of letter grades from percent scores.
% score => 80% =A
% score => 70% =B
% score => 60% =C

% score => 50% =D


% score < 50% =F
Plus or minus grades will not be given.

We expect all students to work hard and effectively. We advise students who score less than 50%
on any of the early exams to drop the class. Students who score less than 50% on any of the
exams or the clicker questions will not be allowed to take the final (make-up) exam on
December ?? . It is our opinion that some students misunderstand or misinterpret our rationale
for giving an optional final exam. We want to give students who did not do well on exam 1
because they did not quite know what is expected to make up for their error after they prove that
they can do better in the subsequent exams. It is also possible that a student does not perform as

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BMB 401 syllabus


well on one (but not all) of the exams because he/she is not feeling well. We want to give this
student an opportunity to prove him/herself. We do not want to encourage any student, who does
not know how to schedule his/her preparation for an exam because of other obligations, to ignore
the preparation for an exam because it can later be (partially) made up.
*All tests must be taken at scheduled times. We will NOT give make-up exams. If a student
misses an exam because of serious illness or hospitalization (confirmed by a timely message
before the exam and confirmed by a message from the Dean of Students or the Associate Dean
for Student Academic Services) the final exam on December 15 may be used as a make-up
exam.
*Being unprepared or a scheduled interview for medical or graduate school is not an acceptable
circumstance for missing a test. Students with academic or personal problems should seek
advice and make arrangements with the course coordinator at least ten days before test dates.
Grades of I will not normally be given. Grades will not be changed for students who discover
later that their grade was not high enough to make the course count for their major.
Please take note of the schedule of lectures and exams that is posted elsewhere on the course
web site. This course schedule also gives reading assignments.
Please read STUDY STRATEGIES for BMB 401 that is posted elsewhere on the course web
site.
BMB 506 is a class that is required for biochemistry majors and minors. It consists of the lectures
of BMB 401 on Tuesdays and Thursdays plus a tutorial session with weekly homework and
assigned papers on Wednesday afternoon. It can be considered the honors section of BMB 401.
BMB 401 cannot be taken as an honors class. BMB 506 is an honors class and it is open to
honors students in chemistry, biology, neurobiology and other natural sciences with permission of
the instructor. It has the same prerequisite as BMB 401.

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