Professor Joseph Pasternak Reviews
Class Ratings
Professor Rating
Prof: Joseph Pasternak / Summer 2025
Aug 3, 2025
One module per week. Each module has assigned reading, quiz, and assignment. Most of the questions in the assignment can be found in the reading or module content, but sometimes need to do a bit of research for outlier questions. The class organization was predictable but you could be reading anywhere between 30-80+ pages a week of the online textbook. The module content was very technical and often hard to understand while the textbook was easier to follow. Quiz/assignment due every Monday. Quiz based on module content.
The course goes over all major mechanisms of a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell: DNA/RNA replication, repair, recombination/transposition, transcription, translation, gene control, enzymes, clones, molecular biology techniques, and cancer growth. Only towards the end where it goes over the techniques does it actually seem useful for a forensics degree, but learning all the mechanisms of a cell builds a good understanding as you progress through the class.
I did not interact with the professor at all. The TA graded all my work.
I wish I knew I was going to spend MANY hours reading every week.