[BIOL 0314]
Molecular Genetics

Rate This Class

Professor: Spatafora G

Value of Course / Overall Score

Not Much (12.5%
Average (12.5%)
Valuable (75%)

Material

Friendly (12.5%)
Average (12.5%)
Competitive (75%)

Class Atmosphere

Boring (62.5%)
Average (12.5%)
Fascinating (25%)

Prep Time Needed

1-2hr (0%)
3-5hr (0%)
6-8hr (0%)
9-11hr (75%)
12+ hr (25%)

Grade Weighting

Harder (50%)
Average (0%)
Easier (50%)

Adequate Assistance

Yes (62.5%)
No (37.5%)

Would Recommend Class

Yes (50%)
No (50%)

Evaluation Comments for Spatafora G

  1. No Comment
  2. No Comment
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  4. MolGen is probably the most useful class I have found as a MBBC major. The techniques you learn in lab are incredibly important for future independent research. Also, Dr. S and Tim do a great job making the semester's labs seem meaningful by making each one part of an overall project. Lecture is taught by case study, which makes the information incredibly fascinating and applicable. Each week is devoted to a specific molecular genetic topic, but Dr. S teaches the biological concepts by having the class read primary lit. that involves the mechanism. For example, to learn about alternative splicing, you learn about a disease that is caused by defective alternative splicing. Dr. S is one of the most enthusiastic, caring professors I have met at Middlebury. Sometimes, she can be a little intimidating, but she truly cares about her students' academic and personal lives. Yes, this class is a lot of work, but it is definitely manageable. There is little emphasis on memorizing the specific mechanisms and names in the textbook and much more on understanding the tools available to answer scientific questions and how to use them. Definitely take advantage of this class. It is both important and fascinating!
  5. If you are truly interested in molecular genetics, this is a fantastic course for you to take. Yes the workload is almost unbearable and yes you will have to spend a TON of time studying outside of class and working in lab... but the material is absolutely fascinating and Dr. S is incredibly nice and helpful.
  6. Concepts are very difficult to grasp and Spatafora does not slow down for you. She is also very busy; I have never felt so impossible to meet with a professor. Labs do run over specified class time, and you often have to go in outside of class to run your gels (~2 hrs). Class is graded based on some homework (practical), lab notebook (keep up with it!), take-home midterm (will eat up your week when you take it: ~15-20hrs), presentation (doable), and an impossible final. Her final was RIDICULOUS; even if you were a genius you probably wouldn't have passed it. She is a good lecturer, but because the concepts are quite abstract, I prefer that she uses other teaching methods besides powerpoints. Lab will be like a cloud --- you will walk in never knowing what you are doing...and then bam! in the end after 13 weeks it will make sense...sort of.
  7. A fascinating topic that she manages to ruin.
  8. For this class it's important to know what you're getting into. Dr. S has really high expectations but is a very engaging lecturer and wants you to learn. The class consisted of lectures using particular case studies to demonstrate molecular genetic concepts. For lecture there was a weekly primary article to read, weekly homework, a take-home midterm (took about 20 hours over one week), a student presentation (done with your lab partner), and a final exam (very difficult, mostly based on the content of the student presentations). Weekly labs usually ran over time by at least an hour and often required you to come in outside of class. The lab part of the grade involved a lab notebook that you keep up with each week, and a final manuscript written up with your partner that is in the format of a peer-reviewed journal article about what you've done throughout the semester. Bottom line, this class is really hard and time-consuming and you have to throw yourself into it, but if you have reasonable expectations and work (really) hard it can be pretty rewarding.

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