Barbara May, Ph.D.

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

Department of Biology

BIOL307: Biology of microorganisms

Fall 2006 syllabus:

Class schedule:

Lecture: 1-3-5: 11:20-12:30 (PENGL 225)

Lab: one of the following:

            4: 1-3:50 pm (NEWSC 203)

            5: 1-3:50 pm  (NEWSC 203)

            6: 1-3:50 pm (NEWSC 203)

Instructor: Barbara May (Office: NEWSC 204)

            email: bmay@csbsju.edu

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

            office hours: 1-3: 1:30-3pm,

                                  4: 10-11am,

          6: 10:30-12:00

          or by appointment

Textbook: Microbe by Schaechter, Ingraham, and Neidhardt, ASM Press; there will be additional handouts

Goals of the course: Science and research is about answering and exploring questions.  Therefore we will be trying to answer and explore the following questions in both lecture/discussions and lab:

-What is a microbe? Why study them?

-What is a prokaryote (bacteria)?  How can they differ?

-How do we identify and grow them?

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

-What do prokaryotes need to survive and how do they get it? Do they need the same things as human cells?

-How do prokaryotes control what they get and how they get it?

-Where do microbes “fit” in this world?

-How do we control these microbes in the world?

-what types of microbes are out there?

Attendance polices:

LAB IS MANDATORY!  PLEASE BE ON TIME! I start on time and expect you to as well. Lab quizzes will take place at the beginning of lab-they are timed and you will not receive extra time if you come late.

I EXPECT you to attend lecture. This is where the exam information comes from.  Some information may not come from 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.

IF there is an extreme emergency and you cannot attend a lab or exam, please contact me in person BEFORE the exam or lab, and we may be able to work something out (EMAILS ARE UNACCEPTABLE).

GRADE BREAKDOWN:

Assignments                                                                   Points:                                    

Quizzes (3-you can throw one out)                                      30    (6%)

Exams (1 @ 70 and 2 @ 75 points each)                               220  (44%)

Literature review                                                                   50    (10%)

Lab (20 points lost for every lab missed)                                      (20%)

            Journal “report” (2)                                                    20

            Unknown outline                                                      10

            Streak plate                                                                 5

            Lab quizzes (2 @ 10 pts, 1 @ 15 pts)                         35

            Lab presentation                                                         15

            Lab write-up                                                               15

Final                                                                                       100  (20%)

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 of 91-100%=A, 89-90%=AB, 81-88%=B, 79-80%=BC, 71-78%=C, 69-71%=CD, 60-70%=D will be used.  I reserve the right to adjust the scale downwards if necessary.

S/U grading is an option if you wish.  You must earn a “C” in order to receive an “S”.  If you decide to take the course S/U, you must notify me in writing by October 30^th.

Quizzes will be primarily factual whereas exams will focus on applied questions.  Quizzes will be handed out at the beginning of the class period and you will be allowed 10 minutes.  If you are late, you miss the quiz.   We will have 4 scheduled quizzes and I will throw out your lowest quiz.  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 assigned a literature review which will be a 7-10 page paper on a microbiology topic of your choice.  The idea of this paper is that you are writing a review for one of the many journals that are out there.  Therefore, you will have to follow its format for submission (this is imperative for full credit).  In addition, this will be a learning process.  You will first submit an idea to me at the date listed below.  Next will be an outline as to what you plan on discussing in your paper.  Next, I will ask for a first draft.  This should be as if you are handing in a final paper, it should not be in “rough draft” format.  I will go through these drafts and provide detailed comments which you can use to hand in your final draft.  If all of the steps are followed in the correct timeline, the format of the paper is correct, and you have submitted a good first draft, you should have no problem receiving an A on this paper.  Finally, you will give a brief talk on this paper in lab to introduce your subject that you now know a lot about to your fellow labmates.

Due dates:

            Idea: 9/18

            Outline: 10/9

            Rough draft: 11/3

            Final draft: 12/1

Day 1: “A microbe’s story” On every day 1, we will take approximately 15-30 minutes (sometimes more or less) to introduce one microbe.  These may be important environmental microbes or severe deadly and destructive pathogens.  The format of the microbe’s story may be discussion, presentation, video, etc… you will be responsible for this information on the exams.  Because we will not have a section focusing specifically on microbial diseases or important ecological microbes, this is your chance to hear about some that are currently in the news or may be of interest for a variety of reasons.  You will have a chance to decide what microbes this will include.  At the beginning of the course, a list will be compiled by you and me that I will combine and pick from to introduce to you to the fascinating stories of some of these microbes! 

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 plan to have any powerpoints or additional readings available to you via WebCT.  I will provide information as to how to access WebCT if you have not done so already.

HINTS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS COURSE:

-Be prepared. Be prepared.  Be prepared.  What does this mean? Read ahead of class. Know what you understand, what you don’t understand.  That way when it is discussed in class you are ready to ask questions.

-Go over your notes after class.  Make sure it all makes sense. Don’t memorize but make sure you UNDERSTAND the material.  Try to explain it to someone or write about the concept in full detail.  If you can do this, you are likely comprehending the information at hand.

-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 will periodically hand out articles of interest that will be discussed in class throughout the course.  Exam dates will not change.