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This course will focus on fundamental concepts and conserved molecular mechanisms for how cells are built, in particular, the establishment of cellular polarity. With active student participation, we will discuss primary literature that addresses the signaling events that control proper animal cell shapes necessary to perform specialized developmental functions. There will be a heavy emphasis on understanding the basis of design, execution and interpretation of relevant scientific experiments. In the process of learning how to read and discuss scientific literature, students will learn about and formulate their own hypotheses on mechanisms for key regulators (the “contractors”) and effectors (the “builders”) in cellular architecture.