MIC 205A: GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY

Main | Syllabus | Laboratory | Lectures | Student Link

Syllabus
Updated 1/09/08

MIC 205A General Microbiology, Spring Semester 2008
MWF 10 AM BioSciences East Room 100

Instructor

Instructor: Dr. Jim Collins Professor, Veterinary Science and Microbiology
Office Hours:Room 227 VS/M    9:30-12 TTh
Email: jimc@u.arizona.edu   Phone: 626-7321

Prerequisite(s)

MCB 181R or PSIO 201 AND CHEM 101B or CHEM 103A. In the past, students who have not had at least one course each in university-level biology and chemistry have not done well in this course! Please see the instructor if you have any questions about prerequisites. If the course is over-enrolled, students without prerequisites may be dropped.

Goals

When you finish this course, you should be able to:

• Name and describe members of the principal groups of microbes: viruses, bacteria, protozoan parasites, and fungi.
• Describe how microbes are detected, identified, characterized, and killed.
• Explain how bacteria derive energy and building blocks from the environment in order to survive and reproduce.
• Explain the importance and mechanisms of bacterial regulation of gene expression, mutation, and DNA exchange.
• Explain how disease-causing microbes are spread and how they cause infection.
• Explain how the immune system works to eliminate infectious organisms.
• Name and describe microbes that infect particular body systems.
• Explain the roles of microbes in the environment and industrial processes.
• Evaluate new microbiology information based on materials and activities from class, assigned reading, and study questions.

Grading

Why do we give grades (called assessment in educational jargon)?
Grades give you and me feedback on how well you are accomplishing course educational goals.
Grades give the University of Arizona, other universities, and employers one measurement of your competencies.
Grades give the University information about how well I am doing my job.
Grades give me information about your learning that helps me improve the course.

Acquiring FACTS is just the beginning of learning. Some of the facts you learn in microbiology this year will not be facts next year or the year after. More importantly, knowing facts without being able to apply them is "inert knowledge", good for Micro Trivial Pursuit but not much else.

Educational skills include the abilities to apply, analyze, comprehend, synthesize, and evaluate information in microbiology. The material to be learned will be useful to you during the course and after the course is over and it must be learned stepwise (not the night or weekend before an exam). Grades in the course will be based on several assessments with the relative weighting shown below:

Attendance, Make-up Policies, Incompletes and Withdrawals.

Class sessions will involve activities that are designed to help you understand, remember, and use course material, so attendance is important. Make up exams for students observing organized religious holidays or absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students will be available on Dead Day, May 8.The grade of "I" (Incomplete) requires instructor approval and will be awarded only when all but one exam has been satisfactorily completed. Withdrawal ("W"): prior to the end of the fourth week of classes, official withdrawal on WebReg (drop) cancels the registration for the course. During weeks five through eight, instructor's signature is required on a Change of Schedule form. The grade of W is awarded to students who are passing at the time of withdrawal; the grade of E is awarded to students not passing at the time of withdrawal. The last day of classes, 5/7, is the last day to completely withdraw from all classes for Spring 2008; see your college advisor for a complete withdrawl. Students who wish to audit the course must register.

Hints on how to do well in this class:

Before class : Read the relevant text once-through briefly. Access the lecture outlines on-line, print them and add your notes to them. Lecture outlines will be incomplete without good note-taking in class!
During class : Attend classes and compile a thorough set of lecture notes; participate in learning activities. Don't be embarrassed to ask questions or ask instructors to repeat material.
After lecture: Review your notes, and with the use of your text, be sure that you understood the lecture. If anything seems unclear, ask questions of instructors, the TA and/or preceptors. Meet with friends or classmates to go over notes. Go back and REREAD the relevant text sections. Use the end-of-chapter questions and web materials for study.
Do not fall behind!

Resources

A Textbook is required: Microbiology: A Systems Approach , Cowan and Talaro. Lectures will follow the textbook, but additional relevant material will be presented in lectures. With the text you will have access to the Online Learning Center at http://www.mhhe.com/cowan1. The Online Learning Center has interactive activities that will help you learn microbiology and do well on exams and in-class activities.
Electronic Resources All class materials, including the course schedule and syllabus, learning objectives, lecture outlines, and practice exams, will be available electronically on this site.
Teaching assistant :

Special resources Students needing special accommodations or special services should contact the S.A.L.T. Center (621-1242) and/or the Disability Resource Center (621-3268) in the Highland Commons Building, 1010 N. Highland Ave. The needs for special services must be documented, verified by these UA units, and presented to me before the end of the second full week of classes. I will do everything I can to accommodate documented special needs. Non-native English speakers may use a language dictionary during exams as long as it has no added material related to microbiology.

Classroom Behavior and Academic Integrity

Courtesy is required in the classroom; you will be treated with respect and you are expected to be respectful of your fellow classmates. All cell phones and pagers must be turned off in the classroom, and conversation should be limited unless you have been instructed to participate in an active discussion. Threatening behavior as described at http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/threaten.shtml is prohibited. Students are encouraged to share intellectual views and freely discuss the principles and applications of the course work. However, examinations must be written independently. This course operates under the UA Code of Academic Integrity available on line at http://dos.web.arizona.edu/uapolicies/ All forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited, including (but not limited to): cheating, fabrication, academic dishonesty, plagiarism, modifying any academic work to obtain additional credit without approval of instructor, or attempting to carry out any of the above. Committing any of the above will result in sanctions being imposed on the student's scores or grade up to and including the assignment of an "E".