Professor: Zhitkovich Course format: Lecture Number of respondents: 8 Total Enrollment: 9 Class Composition: Froshs: 0 Sophs: 0 Jrs: 0 Srs: 4 Concs: 7 Non-Concs: 0 Don't Know: 0

Instructor Average: 1.56 Course Average: 1.67

Environmental and Genetic Toxicity deals with exposure to environmental pollutants and the resulting toxicity at the molecular level. Respondents strongly recommended BI 28 and BI 47 and said stated that physiology would also be helpful.

Students liked Professor Zhitkovich, noting that he was very understanding, approachable, and adaptive to the needs of the class. Although he occasionally talked too fast, his lectures were clear. Students appreciated his handouts, which summarized important concepts. They especially liked how he consistently related specific concepts covered in class to more general situations with real life relevance.

Most students spent 5-10 hours per week on this course. The workload consisted of 2 exams, an 8-12 page pager, and a steady amount of reading. The material was moderately difficult, but most people were sufficiently motivated by their interest in the material. A common frustration was the fact that 65% of the grade was determined during reading period. Students would have preferred a more uniform distribution of assignments.

In the end, students agreed that this was a good class. Many took it to fulfill a requirement for their biochemistry concentration, but nonetheless they felt the material was fascination. Since they learned about a good range of topics from the mechanisms of cancer biology to DNA mutagenesis and repair, they felt that the knowledge they acquired would serve them well in future classes and research. A strong interest in toxicology however is important.

View BI/0183 in the Brown Online Course Announcement (now BI/0185).