This course will cover the basic topics of how glycans are synthesized, hydrolyzed, and bound by proteins, focusing on the mechanisms of the enzymes and interactions of these polar biolmolecules. We will then show how these enzymes function in the pathways that lead to the N-linked and O-linked glycans present on over 60% of the human proteome. Finally we will discuss how metabolic engineering and bioorthogonal chemistry is used to understand these systems. At the end of the course a student will be able to explain the important mechanistic features of glycosyl hydrolases, glycosyltransferase, and carbohydrate recognition. A strong understanding of how the N-linked glycans are important in the secretory pathway and how the complexity of glycan structures arise. Finally, examples of how bioorthogonal chemistry can be used to study the glycome should be understood.