Orientation

Most students entering graduate programs at Penn State Hershey and second-year ANAT students participate in all or part of the Core Curriculum. While your Program will let you know their specific course requirements, the complete Core Curriculum during Orientation and the Fall semester consists of the following:

 

Orientation:

Fall Semester:

 

The goal of these courses is to provide a foundation in topics that are fundamental for graduate studies in biomedical sciences. We recognize, however, that entering students differ in their areas of previous study and we offer several ways for you to prepare for these courses.

 

Course Syllabi for the Core courses (and program-specific courses) are posted on the Graduate Student Affairs website. The syllabi include course descriptions, schedules, and required textbooks.

Readings.  Below is a list of selected pre-readings. It is strongly recommend that you read these selections before you come for Orientation. Since the material is covered at a rapid pace in these courses, reading ahead during the summer is particularly important if your background is weak in the areas covered by the readings.

 

This short course is given during the two-week Orientation. The course covers prerequisite knowledge in molecular and cell biology and biochemistry that is necessary for students taking the Fall Core courses. The required textbooks for this course (which are also required for the Fall Core courses) are:

·        Molecular Biology of the Cell, Alberts et al., (Garland; 5^th edition, 2008).

·        Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, Nelson & Cox (Freeman, 5^th edition, 2008).

The course outline below includes readings for each topic from these texts. Since the pace of this course is very rapid (the class meets two hours per day and there are additional orientation activities as well), students who took it last summer strongly suggested that the reading list be made available during the summer so incoming students could read the assignments prior to arriving.

Critical analysis of the primary literature is an essential skill for graduate study and is discussed in the first session of the introductory course. To illustrate this skill, we will use the paper,  "Attempt to fulfill Koch's postulates for pyloric campylobacter" by Marshall et al, Med J Aust 142: 436-9 (1985).  Please read this paper prior to the first session of the Introduction to Cell & Molecular Biology course.

Your grade in this introductory course is not reported on your transcript but the results of the exam are reported to your Program Director. Historically, there has been a strong correlation between a student's score in this course and their subsequent performance in the Core courses. Therefore, this introductory course provides a means for you and your Program to judge your preparation for the Core Curriculum.

Introduction to Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: Schedule & Topics, Fall 2012

 

*Required textbooks: MBC = Molecular Biology of the Cell, Alberts et al., (Garland; 5^th edition, 2008). Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, Nelson & Cox (Freeman, 5^th edition, 2008).