Concepts of Genetics (10th Edition)

Book Preface

It is essential that textbook authors step back and look with fresh eyes as each edition of their work is planned. In doing so, two main questions must be posed: (1) How has the body of information in their field—in this case Genetics— grown and shifted since the last edition; and (2) What pedagogic innovations might be devised and incorporated into the text that will unquestionably enhance students’ learning? The preparation of the 10th edition of Concepts of Genetics, a text now well into its third decade of providing support for students studying in this field, has occasioned still another fresh look. And what we focused on in this new edition, in addition to the normal updating that is inevitably required, were two things: (1) the need to increase the opportunities for instructors and students to engage in active and cooperative learning approaches, either within or outside of the classroom; and (2) the need to provide more comprehensive coverage of important, emerging topics that do not yet warrant their own traditional chapters.

Regarding the first point, and as discussed in further detail below, we have added a new feature called Case Study, which appears at the end of every chapter. In addition, we have converted the Genetics, Technology, and Society essays that appear at the end of many chapters to an active learning format by adding a Your Turn portion to each essay. These features join our unique Exploring Genomics entries, and together, these all may serve as the basis for interactions between small groups of students, either in or out of the classroom. Regarding the second point of covering emerging topics, we have devised a unique approach in genetics textbooks that offers readers a set of four abbreviated, highly focused chapters that we label Special Topics in Modern Genetics. As described below, these provide uniquely cohesive coverage of four important topics: DNA Forensics, Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Epigenetics, and Stem Cells.Clearly, the field of genetics has grown tremendously since our book was first published, both in what we know and what we want beginning students to comprehend. In creating the current edition, we sought not only to continue to familiarize students with the most important discoveries of the past 150 years, but also to help them relate this information to the underlying genetic mechanisms that explain cellular processes, biological diversity, and evolution. We have also emphasized connections that link transmission genetics, molecular genetics, genomics and proteomics, and population-evolutionary genetics.

As we enter the second decade of this new millennium, discoveries in genetics continue to be numerous and profound. For students of genetics, the thrill of being part of this era must be balanced by a strong sense of responsibility and careful attention to the many scientific, social, and ethical issues that have already arisen, and others that will undoubtedly arise in the future. Policy makers, legislators, and an informed public will increasingly depend on detailed knowledge of genetics in order to address these issues. As a result, there has never been a greater need for a genetics textbook that clearly explains the principles of genetics.

Goals

In the 10th edition of Concepts of Genetics, as in all past editions, we have five major goals. Specifically, we have sought to:

â–  Emphasize the basic concepts of genetics.
â–  Write clearly and directly to students in order to provide understandable explanations of complex, analytical topics.
â–  Maintain our strong emphasis on and provide multiple approaches to problem solving.
â–  Propagate the rich history of genetics, which so beautifully illustrates how information is acquired during scientific investigation.
â–  Create inviting, engaging, and pedagogically useful full-color figures enhanced by equally helpful photographs to support concept development.

These goals collectively serve as the cornerstone of Concepts of Genetics. This pedagogic foundation allows the book to be used in courses with many different approaches and lecture formats. Although the chapters are presented in a coherent order that represents one approach to offering a course in genetics, they are nevertheless written to be as independent of one another as possible, allowing instructors to utilize them in various sequences. We believe that the varied approaches embodied in these goals together provide students with optimal support for their study of genetics.

Writing a textbook that achieves these goals and having the opportunity to continually improve on each new edition has been a labor of love for us. The creation of each of the ten editions is a reflection not only of our passion for teaching genetics, but also of the constructive feedback and encouragement provided by adopters, reviewers, and our students over the past three decades.