This is a self-directed learning class covering topics that are related to gene expression in eukaryotes.

Students will be organized into 6 groups. Every group will be assigned a topic, develop a 40 min power point-assisted lecture that would be suitable to teach this topic to a class of first year graduate students, and present the lecture to the class. The group then leads a class discussion on a paper related to their topic and published in the last 2 years.

The topics will have a narrow focus within one of the more general areas:

• chromatin structure
• epigenetics, nuclear organization
• transcription
• RNA processing
• RNA transport/localization
• translation
• RNA decay

Organizational Class (January 26th)

Students will be organized into 6 groups and assigned a topic. The structure of the class and the expectations will be discussed.

Two weeks before their lecture date (by 5PM), students are to hand in

1. A two page outline of the content of their lecture.
2. The title of the paper to be presented, which all students are expected to read.
3. The title of a review relevant to the topic, which all students are expected to read.

Outline format:
• 12-point font
• 2 cm margins all around
• single spaced with no more than 47 lines per page
• point form is acceptable

Classes 1-6 (March 9th through April 13th), Student presentations

The lecture should be ~40min long. The lecture is expected to last 1 hour including interruptions and questions from the other students. Then the paper will be discussed with the presenting students leading the discussion and calling on other students to present figures. The last 5min of the class will be dedicated to the evaluation of the presenters by their fellow students.