Biological Chemistry 650 focuses on in-depth discussion of high impact topics in selected areas. The course seeks to develop the students’ understanding of recent progress in the investigation of gene expression that is based on advances in biochemical, structural, molecular, cellular and genomic approaches. The lectures are designed to update and to complement survey courses by focusing on cutting edge discoveries and on their impact on potential future directions of the field. The instructors make extensive use of examples from original research articles, which are assigned reading in preparation for each class. To integrate their learning throughout the semester, each student prepares a research proposal with guidance from the instructors.