This 2-credit course is designed for students pursuing a graduate degree in a biomedical field. The goal of the course is to introduce the fundamental concepts of modern microbial genetics and to expose the students to commonly used experimental procedures in microbial and molecular genetics. Students will study both textbook and literature sources and will learn to apply research methods to understand the problems associated with the bacterial physiology and genetics. Active learning approaches in the classroom will require that students work collaboratively with others. Both written and oral communication will be emphasized as important learning outcomes in this course. Prerequisite: An introductory course in biology, genetics, chemistry or biochemistry.