Barbara May, Ph.D.

College of St. Benedict/St. John's University

Department of Biology

BIOL212: microbiology

spring 2007 syllabus:

Class schedule:

Lecture: 1-3-5: 1:00-2:10 pm (NSC146)

Lab: you must be registered for 1 of 6 laboratory sections

Instructor: Barbara May (Office: NEWSC 204)

            email: bmay@csbsju.edu

            phone: x3713 home: 763-258-0798 cell: 763-443-4477

            office hours: day 5: 10-12, day 1: 10-12, day 6: 11-2 or by appointment

Goals of the course: Microorganisms, as we will learn, are everywhere.  Therefore, we are exposed to them on a regular basis.  Some microorganisms can be beneficial while others can be extremely harmful and even lead to death.  As you enter the medical world, you will witness many different types of infections and illnesses due to microbes.  Therefore, it is important that you understand what microbes are and what they are capable of as you enter the medical field.  We will answer and address the following questions:

-What is a microbe? Why are they important in the medical field?

-How are microorganisms different (structurally and functionally) and what does this mean in terms of treating infectious disease? 

-How do we identify and grow microbes (this will be important for diagnosis and treatment of sick individuals)?

-How do prokaryotes (bacteria) differ in their structure from eukaryotes?

-How do we control these microbes in the world?

-What types of microbes are out there and what type of diseases can they cause?

Attendance polices:

Please consult your lab instructor for the policies in lab.

I EXPECT you to attend lecture. This is where the exam information comes from.  Some information may come from outside the text.  I will not take attendance, but I am here to help you learn and I can’t help you if you aren’t there.

EXAMS will NOT be rescheduled.  IF there is an extreme emergency and you cannot attend an exam, please contact me in person BEFORE the exam (EMAILS ARE UNACCEPTABLE).

GRADE BREAKDOWN:

Assignments                                                                   Points:                                    

Infectious disease chart assignment                                      30    (6%)

Nonscience report                                                                  30    (6%)

Exams             (3 @ 75 pts. each)                                                       225  (45%)

Lab                                                                                          95    (19%)

Final                                                                                       120  (24%)

Total                                                                     500

I keep an extra 10 points (on top of the total 500) for those students who may have made significant progress and may be on the border of a grade.  I reserve the right to “help” with these 10 points, but will not take any points away that have been earned. You will NOT earn these points if you do not regularly attend class and do not show that you are making an effort in class and lab.

The standard scale is described previously.  I reserve the right to adjust the scale downwards if necessary.

Exams will contain factual questions but also problem-solving/application based questions.  They will be held in class and you can take the exam early, but cannot take the exam later than the scheduled date. The final will be cumulative and similar to the exams.

You will be completing 2 written assignments.  The infectious disease chart assignment will allow you to choose an infectious microbe of your choice.  You will need to define the microbe, define the illness including the signs and symptoms affiliated with it, illnesses that are often confused with this one, and finally the treatment for the infection (if there is one).  More detail will be given later but this will be due February 20^th.  In addition, you will be writing a nonscience report.  This is designed to help you start to explain medical conditions to a person who doesn’t have a scientific background.  As an example, how might you explain to a patient why they must take the drug isozianid for 9 months with a Mycobacterium infection?  Again, you will choose a microbe of your choice (the only requirement is that it is different from the infectious disease you chose for your chart assignment) and “show” to me how you will explain the infection to a patient, family member, etc...  You can be creative in this exercise: make a pamphlet, write a song, create a game, depending on the audience you are addressing.  You will choose the age of your nonscience audience.  You will be graded on not only the information that you are giving your patient/relative/nonscience person, but also on your ability to address your audience.  This assignment will be due on Thursday March 22^nd.  Both of these writing assignments are geared towards applying the field of microbiology to the field of medicine.     

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Disabilities: If you have a documented disability that will impact your work in this class, please contact me or the Advising Office immediately to discuss your needs.  All such discussions will be confidential.

Email: I plan to send any reminder or things I forgot to mention in class via email.  Please make sure you check your SJSB account on a regular basis.

Additional information: I will have a all powerpoint lectures and any additional readings available to you via Moodle.  You can access moodle by going to http://moodle.csbsju.edu and click on biology.  You will see our course, click on it and log in. 

HINTS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS COURSE:

-Be prepared. Read ahead of class. This allows you to better understand what is being introduced in class and you will be better ready to ask questions about what you don’t understand.

-Try not to memorize the material but UNDERSTAND it.  One way to test this is to write a journal on the material.  If you can’t write it down (or tell someone about the information), you don’t completely understand it. 

-ASK QUESTIONS! If you have a question, ask it!  There is no dumb or silly question.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Importantly, I do not know everything!  If you think something I’ve said is incorrect, please point this out.  I can also guarantee I will not be able to answer every question, but that is the fun of science, I can always try and get back to you or help you find the answer to your question. 

Lecture schedule: This is meant as a guide.  We are likely to move more slowly than this designed syllabus and the syllabus may need to be altered.  I may periodically hand out articles of interest that will be discussed in class throughout the course.  Exam dates will not change.