FALL 2017
BIOLOGY 250
PRINCIPLES OF MICROBIOLOGY LECTURE SECTION AW1 ONLY
(1) GENERAL INFORMATION
Class Meetings: MWF 1010-1100 Room 240 Weyandt
FIRST CLASS MONDAY AUGUST 28, 2017
Instructor: Dr. Carl S. Luciano
Office: Rm. 19 Weyandt
Phone: 357-4462
E-mail:
INSTRUCTOR WEB SITE: http://www.people.iup.edu/luciano/
Follow the links on this web site to the Microbiology 250 class web site.
(2) OFFICE HOURS
Fall 2017: MW 230-400, T 130-330
For many minor or well-focussed questions, a telephone call or an e-mail may be more expeditious or convenient than an office visit. You are encouraged to use the phone for such questions, regardless of posted office hours. If I am not at my desk, leave a message and I'll get back to you.
(3) COURSE TEXTBOOK
Madigan & Martinko & Bender &: Brock Biology of Microorganisms 14/e
To learn more about this title visit the Pearson Higher Education catalog: http://www.pearsonhighered.com/catalog/academic/product?ISBN=0321897072
FYI-this is the same text as used last semester so you may be able to locate copies locally, on the “black market”.
The IUP Coop Bookstore will have information on this book so you can purchase it from them if you wish.
You can contact Pearson to purchase the book.
You can order from Amazon if you wish.
Here is the Amazon link for the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Brock-Biology-Microorganisms-Michael-Madigan/dp/0321897390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450807510&sr=8-1&keywords=brock+microbiology+14th+edition
It doesn’t matter to me where you get the book but you will need it so please go ahead and get a copy.
You can purchase hard-bound, loose-leaf or e-text, used or new. It is up to you-whatever works best for you and fits best into your budget.
Be sure to get the 14th edition and not an older edition. Older editions won’t work.
This is the only required textbook for the lecture. I am not requiring that you purchase access to the Mastering Microbiology supplement from Pearson because I do not plan to work it in to the course this semester.
However, if you feel that this on line supplement will help you with the course then go ahead and purchase it for yourself on your own. It is not required for the course.
Your lab professor (currently listed as Dr. Gleason) will provide you with information on lab materials and lab textbook.
Readings in other texts or from the Internet may also be required. Hard copies or electronic versions will be provided.
(4) COURSE PHILOSOPHY
PHILOSOPHY: This is mid-level course intended for undergraduates who are past the introductory phase of their academic program. The course requires some learning of basic microbiology terminology but also requires understanding of important microbiology concepts and principles as well. In general, the course emphasizes the breadth of the science of microbiology as opposed to depth of understanding in any one aspect of the science. This means we will be covering a wide variety of topics related to microbiology as opposed to focussing on any one group of microbes or aspect of the science such as metabolism, genetics or clinical microbiology.
(5) COURSE CATALOG DESCRIPTION AND PREREQUISITES
BIOL 250 Principles of Microbiology 3c-3l-4cr Prerequisites: BIOL 112 or 203 or instructor permission. An introduction to microbiology focusing on the fundamental principles of microbial structure, modes of reproduction, genetics, and physiology. Emphasizes the importance of microbes in ecological, industrial, immunological, and epidemiological processes. Standard microbiological methods and techniques are emphasized in laboratory.
The prerequisite course for Principles of Microbiology is BIOL 203 Principles of Genetics and Developmental Biology. That course in turn has a prerequisite of BIOL 202 Principles of Cell and Molecular Biology. These prerequisites mean that BIOL 250 students are expected to bring a good understanding of cell biology, molecular biology, genetics and developmental biology when they enter BIOL 250. BIOL 250 students will also have taken from 1-4 CHEM courses by the time they start BIOL 250. I will try to build on all these principles and foundations of chemistry and biology in our microbiology course and not repeat them.
If you have not passed all the prerequisites you should not be enrolled in BIOL 250.
(6) GRADING SYSTEM
In BIOL 250, 75% of your overall grade will come from material covered in lecture and 25% will come from lab material. Your lab instructor will describe lab grading procedures separately.
Your lecture grade in BI 250 (75% of total grade for course) will be derived from three sources: (I) three equally-weighted non-comprehensive exams, (II) a set of short writing assignments called “Writing” , and (III) one major writing assignment which will be called the “Literature Review” or “Literature Research Paper” from here on.
Each of these sources will be weighted as follows.
Exams (3 equally-weighted) 45% of final grade
Literature Review 15% of final grade
Writing Assignments (in-class and other writing) 15% of final grade
Combined with 25% of the course grade from lab, these account for all 100% of your BIOL 250 grade.
I. Exams
There will be three written examinations in the course, equally-weighted and
approximately equally-spaced over the semester. The exam given during finals week
will not be comprehensive in the usual sense of the word. However, you will have to understand the introductory material from the beginning of the semester in order to do well with the more advanced material at the end of the semester. Each exam will count as 15% of the final grade.
The exams will each have two parts. The first part will include multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank questions definitions and short answer questions that you can complete with a sentence or a phrase. The second part will include essay questions which will require writing including complete sentences organized in paragraph format. In order to provide time for writing the first two exams will extend over two class periods. The first exam period will be for multiple choice, etc. and the second for essay questions.
Fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice and similar questions are generally intended to assess the level of your basic literacy in microbiology. Thus, most, but not all of them will simply require that you recall basic facts, concepts, definitions, terms, equations and so on. Some of these questions will require that you recognize, explain, classify and discuss basic facts and concepts.
Essay questions will test your ability to assimilate larger bodies of information, to organize that information in a logical, coherent fashion and to express it in an articulate way. Some of these will assess your ability to apply general principles to specific, perhaps novel, situations or to recognize the correct experimental approach to well-defined problems. Some essay questions will require you to compare, contrast or distinguish members of sets of conepts or to draw connections between facts and concepts.
Once you start an exam you are expected to remain in the classroom until you are finished. In other words, if you leave the classroom you must turn in the exam for good.
Review sessions will be scheduled before each exam if requested.
All three exams taken together will will count as 45% of the final grade for the course.
II. Literature Review
Each student will select a topic from the microbiology literature and review it in a full written paper of at least 2000 words. The review will be due near the end of the semester You will get a separate assignment sheet for this writing assignment, which you will receive soon). The literature review will count as 15% of the final grade.
III. Writing Assignments (in class and out of class)
During the semester you will be assigned a number of short writing assignments to turn in electronically or via hard copy. Some of these will be individual assignments and some will be group assignments. Some will need to be completed in class and others out of class. Some will require internet activities and others will not. Collectively, these assignments are termed “Writing” for lack of a better term and will count as 15% of the final grade.
(7) ATTENDANCE
If you want to participate in all grade-bearing activities, you should plan to attend every class meeting. Attendance will not count directly toward your grade but I will have a sign up sheet so I can keep track of how many classes you attend.
(8) MAKE UP WORK AND ABSENCES
Without the instructor's permission, no assignments whatsoever may be turned in after the due date and time. I will make all decisions about makeup work on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration circumstances such as illness, emergency and so on. See me if you have questions.
IF YOU KNOW YOU MUST MISS AN IMPORTANT CLASS MEETING, YOU ARE MUCH BETTER OFF TO LET ME KNOW IN ADVANCE!!!!!!!
I will judge requests for make up work on a case by case basis and will expect to see solid documentation for issues such as student or family illnesses, university business, military assignments, court dates, deaths and funerals and so on. Issues such as broken printers, printers out of ink/paper, forgotten assignment and so on will not provide you with much support and are liable to be charged a late penalty of 20% per day late.
If you know that you have to be away on an important date (for example-on university business) it is better to let me know in advance so that we can work out arrangements for make up work without a rush.
If you are absent unexpectedly and want to make up missed work then you must take the responsibility to initiate a plan for the make up work by contacting me, within one week of the missed assignment.
We will handle arrangements for make up work using email to confirm discussions and plans. This way we will all have an electronic copy of all conversations and decisions.
I will not give a high priority to make up requests that involve vacations, social events, family gatherings or a desire to leave town early at the end of the semester or before a holiday.
If you miss an exam or part of an exam and I agree to let you take a make up exam (due to strong documentation) then your make up exam may have a different format from the regular exam.
(9) GRADE SCALE
Unless the grade distribution is skewed in some unusual way, I will adhere to a standard 90/80/70/60 scale for letter grades A-D. Students receiving less than 60% will flunk the course.
(10) SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT DATES
EXAMS (All Exams in Room 149)
First Exam: October 4 and 6
Second Exam: November 8 and 10
Third Exam: Friday December 15 10:00 AM Room 240. (NOT cumulative
NO EARLY EXAMS GIVEN
Literature Review: Due on Friday December 1 by 4:00 PM. HARD COPY ONLY!
(11) TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
TBA-You will receive an email describing the course schedule or plan of activities and it will also be posted on the course website.
(12) University Academic Integrity Policy
We will follow all official IUP policies relating to academic integrity. Please consult the appropriate catalog for information on this policy.
(13) Title IX Language
Indiana University of Pennsylvania and its faculty are committed to assuring a safe and productive educational environment for all students. In order to meet this commitment and to comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and guidance from the Office for Civil Rights, the University requires faculty members to report incidents of sexual violence shared by students to the University's Title IX Coordinator. The only exceptions to the faculty member's reporting obligation are when incidents of sexual violence are communicated by a student during a classroom discussion, in a writing assignment for a class, or as part of a University-approved research project.
Faculty members are obligated to report sexual violence or any other abuse of a student who was, or is, a child (a person under 18 years of age) when the abuse allegedly occurred to the Department of Human Services (1-800-932-0313) and University Police (724-357-2141).
Information regarding the reporting of sexual violence and the resources that are available to victims of sexual violence is set forth at: http://www.iup.edu/socialequity/policies/title-ix/
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