Admission requirements
This course is designed for MSc students specializing in genetics, molecular biology, and microbiology at the Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL). It is recommended that students have prior experience in these fields.
Description
Molecular genetics underpins modern life science research and has driven many transformative changes in society. This advanced course revisits key historical breakthroughs and explores the latest developments in the field. Students will gain a thorough understanding of how molecular genetics has evolved and how it continues to shape the biotechnology sector.
The course will cover a wide range of topics, including genome editing, gene expression analysis, functional genomics and synthetic biology approaches. Also, ethical considerations in genetic engineering and biotechnology will be discussed. Please note that practical training in laboratory techniques and data analysis will not be provided.
By the end of this course, students are expected to have a comprehensive understanding of molecular genetics, its applications, and the ethical implications associated with genetic engineering and biotechnology.
Course objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of modern methodologies utilized in biotechnology, with a particular emphasis on genetics.
- Choose state-of-the-art methodologies to address and solve problems within the realm of biotechnology.
- Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of specific technologies and effectively justify their implementation in various contexts.
By achieving these course objectives, students will develop a strong foundation in advanced biotechnological methodologies, enabling them to employ cutting-edge techniques and make informed decisions when faced with real-world challenges in biotechnology.
Timetable
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
The course (3EC = 84 hours) will be delivered through a combination of the following methods:
Lectures (± 14 hours, spanning across 8 weeks): Faculty-led instructional sessions providing theoretical knowledge and insights.
Self-study 1 (40 hours, spanning for 8 weeks): Independent study to deepen understanding and explore course materials.
Group-study tasks (27 hours): Collaborative analysis and discussion of relevant research papers, news, and other related contents and finish a task together. The deliverables are an essay in which the ethical dilemmas of biotechnological applications are discussed in detail..
Invited seminars: Guest speakers will deliver seminars to broaden students' perspectives.
Final exam (3 hours)
Notes:
1. During the self-paced studies, we will provide additional learning materials to the lecture slides, and students are expected to delegate appropriate time for self-studying to digest the lectures and related self-learning materials. The knowledge embedded in both lectures and self-learning materials are coherent and will both be assessed as guided by the learning objectives.
2. Optional learning activities and not included as part of the course evaluation.
Assessment method
The course assessment will consist of the following components:
- Attendance – 10% of the final grade (minimum requirement: 60% show-up rate, and it will be accounted into the final assessment score)
- Small-group activity – 30% of the final grade (minimum score required: 6.0, and it will be counted into the total final assessment score)
- Final written exam – 60% of the final grade (minimum score required: 5.6, and it will be counted into the total final assessment score)
Reading list
It is highly recommended that all students have good knowledge about genetics before they enroll this advanced course. E.g. the students are encouraged to read the book of ‘Molecular Biology Of The Gene’ by James Watson et al.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Coordinator: Dr. M. Lubbers or Prof.dr. D. Claessen
Email: m.lubbers@biology.leidenuniv.nl
Email: d.claessen@biology.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.