Genetic Information for Behavior
COGS 169 - UC San Diego - Prof. Shannon Ellis
Fall 2024
WLH 2111
TU & TH 12:30-1:50 PM
Welcome 👋
We’re really excited to be teaching you all about genetics and what we know about its relation to behavior. All relevant info, e.g. due dates, assignment information, etc. are found on this website. We look forward to teaching and working with all of you and hope to meet you in office hours.
This course is meant to be a smaller-enrollment upper-division elective where students can get to know one another and can get detailed feedback on their work, so staff will be helping to try to keep enrollment reasonable. As such, unless many students drop the course, there will not be much enrollment off of the waitlist. Also, Prof does not have access to the waitlist or the ability to directly enroll anyone into the class, so please email cogsadvising@ucsd.edu with further questions.
Course Calendar
| Week 0 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Lecture | Reading(s) | Main Points | Optional Reading(s) | Due |
| Thu, Sep 26 | 00: Welcome! | ||||
| Week 1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Lecture | Reading(s) | Main Points | Optional Reading(s) | Due |
| Tue, Oct 01 | 01: History of (Behavior) Genetics (Day 1) | Textbook: Ch 1 | MP01A | The Origins of Behavioral Genetics | RRQ1A |
| Thu, Oct 03 | 01: History of (Behavior) Genetics (Day 2) | Guide to Reading Academic Research Papers | MP01B | — | RRQ1B |
| Sun, Oct 06 | Pre-course survey due (#finaid) | ||||
| Week 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Lecture | Reading(s) | Main Points | Optional Reading(s) | Due |
| Tue, Oct 08 | 02: Mendelian Genetics & The Central Dogma (Day 1) | Gregor Mendel & Principles of Inheritance | MP02A | Watson & Crick’s 1953 Paper | RRQ2A |
| Thu, Oct 10 | No Class (Prof Travel ✈️) | ||||
| Week 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Lecture | Reading(s) | Main Points | Optional Reading(s) | Due |
| Tue, Oct 15 | 02: Mendelian Genetics & The Central Dogma (Day 2) | Textbook: Ch 3-3.3; The Central Dogma | MP02B | Variants & Health; The Elaboration of the Central Dogma | RRQ2B |
| Thu, Oct 17 | 03: Genes, Variation, & Heritability | Textbook: Ch 3.6-Summary; Ch 2.6-Summary | MP03 | — | RRQ3 |
| Week 4 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Lecture | Reading(s) | Main Points | Optional Reading(s) | Due |
| Tue, Oct 22 | 04: Model Organisms | Textbook: Ch 17-17.2; Model Organisms | MP04 | Textbook: Ch 15-15.6 | RRQ4 |
| Thu, Oct 24 | 05: Genetic Techniques | Textbook: Ch 5; Ch 6; Ch 16-16.3 | MP05 | — | RRQ5 |
| Week 5 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Lecture | Reading(s) | Main Points | Optional Reading(s) | Due |
| Tue, Oct 29 | 06: Epigenetics (Day 1)* | Textbook: Ch 4 | MP06 | — | RRQ6A |
| Thu, Oct 31 | 06: Epigenetics (Day 2) | Epigenetic programming by maternal behavior | — | RRQ6B | |
| Week 6 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Lecture | Reading(s) | Main Points | Optional Reading(s) | Due |
| Mon, Nov 04 | Midterm (sign-up for a date during week 6) | ||||
| Tue, Nov 05 | 07: Sleep & Circadian Rhythms (Day 1) | Textbook: Ch 17.3-Summary | MP07A | — | RRQ7A |
| Thu, Nov 07 | 07: Sleep & Circadian Rhythms (Day 2) | TINS Fly Sleep | MP07B | Internal Wakeup Call; Circadian Rhythms & Sleep | RRQ7B |
| Sun, Nov 10 | Project Proposal Due (template provided here; submit on Gradescope) | ||||
| Sun, Nov 10 | [Extra Credit] Mid-course survey | ||||
| Week 7 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Lecture | Reading(s) | Main Points | Optional Reading(s) | Due |
| Tue, Nov 12 | 08: Intelligence (Day 1) | Textbook: Ch 12.1; Breastfeeding and IQ (Abstract and Fig 1) | MP08A | Textbook: Ch 9; Genetic Foundations of Intelligence | RRQ8A |
| Thu, Nov 14 | 08: Intelligence (Day 2) | Textbook: Ch 16.4-16.7; Learning How a Fruit Fly Forgets; | MP08B | — | RRQ8B |
| Week 8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Lecture | Reading(s) | Main Points | Optional Reading(s) | Due |
| Tue, Nov 19 | 09: Social Behavior | Fly Social Behavior | MP09 | Textbook: Ch 19; Ch 8; Social behavior in ‘simple’ organisms; Social Attachment; Pair Bonding | RRQ9 |
| Thu, Nov 21 | 10: Eating & Movement | Foraging in humans | MP10 | Textbook: Ch 10.4; Foraging Review; Foraging Strategies in Flies | RRQ10 |
| Week 9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Lecture | Reading(s) | Main Points | Optional Reading(s) | Due |
| Tue, Nov 26 | 11: Sexual Selection & Orientation | Radiolab: Born This Way [75min] | MP11 | Textbook Ch. 17.9; Love on the Fly; Radiolab: The Seagulls [podcast; 40min] ; X chromosome & Male Sexuality | RRQ11 |
| Thu, Nov 28 | No Class (Thanksgiving 🦃) | ||||
| Week 10 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Lecture | Reading(s) | Main Points | Optional Reading(s) | Due |
| Tue, Dec 03 | 12: Fear & Anxiety | Textbook: Ch 10.3; BDNF Polymorphism and Anxiety (mice) | MP12 | GABA & Anxiety; BDNF & Learning; GWAS 2019 ; GWAS 2020 | RRQ12 |
| Thu, Dec 05 | Student Presentations | — | — | — | |
| Sat, Dec 07 | Final Exam (sign-up for a slot on this day) | Final Exam Study Guide | |||
| Week 11 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Lecture | Reading(s) | Main Points | Optional Reading(s) | Due |
| Tue, Dec 10 | Final Project Due | ||||
| Fri, Dec 13 | [Extra Credit] Post-course survey | ||||