Syllabus / Lecture Schedule
Download Hardcopy of Course Syllabus (.doc)
TIME AND PLACE
Room 228 Natural History Building
2:00 - 2:50 AM
MWF
COURSE OVERVIEW
This course provides an introduction to the principle activities and properties of microorganisms, including: Bacteria, Archaea, Yeasts, Molds, Protozoa and Viruses.
The material to be covered includes:
- a survey of microbial diversity
- the history of the development of concepts regarding microorganisms
- microbial metabolic processes such as fermentation and photosynthesis
- infections and host-parasite interactions
- host resistance and immunity to infection
- public health and communicable diseases
- the roles of microorganisms in food products and spoilage
- the roles of microorganisms in sewage treatment, agriculture and the environment
There are no prerequisites for MCB 100 but some chemistry is recommended.
TEXT
Microbiology
By Bauman
ISBN 0-536-38689-7
GRADING SCALE
Grades are based on a 400 point scale.
Your grade in MCB100 will be determined by how many points you earn in the following areas:
A+ to A- = 400 – 360 points or 100% to 90.0%
B+ to B- = 359 – 320 points or 89.9% to 80.0%
C+ to C- = 319 – 280 points or 79.9% to 70.0%
D+ to D- = 279 – 240 points or 69.9% to 60.0%
EXAMS
There are three hourly exams that are each worth 100 points. The final exam is also worth 100 points. Of the four exams, I will drop your lowest score. If you do a good job on exams 1, 2 and 3, I will not be personally offended if you get a zero on the final exam.
EXAM POLICY
Cheating on exams will not be tolerated. If you are caught cheating your exam will be confiscated and you will get a zero.
There are no make up exams. The score for a missed exam is zero. However I will drop your lowest exam score. If you must miss an exam, you can still earn a good grade in the course by scoring high on all three of the other exams. If you miss an exam, for whatever reason, you must contact me as soon as humanly possible. If you take all three hourly exams and are content with your grade you may safely skip the final exam. If through an unfortunate combination of disasters you must miss two exams, I may elect to prorate your grade on the basis of your scores from the other two exams. Circumstances like this will be considered on a case by case basis. If you know in advance that you will have to miss an exam because of participation in a University sponsored event, contact me as soon as possible and I will try to arrange a conflict exam for you on a case-by-case basis.
ON LINE HOMEWORK PROBLEMS
There will be fifteen homework problem sets worth 5 points each to make up 75 points of your grade. These problems will be done using the LON-CAPA system. A link to the LON-CAPA system can be found on the home page of the MCB100 course web site. More information about how to get on and use LON-CAPA is found on the last page of this document.
ESSAY
During the term you will write an essay that will be worth 25 points. Each essay is to be 2 - 3 pages long, single spaced typed, using 12 point font. Essays should be between 600 -1200 words. You should use and cite at least four references. At least two of your references must be from books, and at least two references must be from the internet. DO NOT plagiarize complete sentences or paragraphs!
ESSAY GUIDELINES
Broad Subject Area: Interesting Microorganisms
Choose one microorganism which you find interesting and write an in-depth informative essay about it. You may write about a few microorganisms that are related in some way, but limit the paper to no more than 3 specific microbes.
Describe the biology of the microorganism and its significance. If the microorganism(s) is/are involved in an infectious disease of humans, animals or plants, describe the disease (symptoms, historical epidemics, range, prevalence, mode of transmission, vaccines and preventative measures, treatment etc.) and the microbes (virulence factors, antigens, life cycle, physiology etc.). If the microorganism(s) is/are involved in an industrial application, describe the product(s) and manufacturing or treatment process, and the biology and physiology of the microbes. If the microorganism(s) is/are involved in a critical geochemical global ecological cycle, describe the steps of the elemental cycle and the microorganisms role in it as well as the biology and physiology of the microbes.
Topic Ideas: Write about microorganisms.
-
Choose an infectious disease or intoxication and describe it in depth.
For instance: if you write about smallpox you can discuss: the virus itself, the course of the disease, the mode of transmission, history of the disease, major epidemics and their effects on human societies, vaccination and prevention, the global eradication program, related pox-viruses and the dangers they pose, and current uses of the vaccinia virus.
You could elect to write about a few closely related microorganisms, such as:
Three Sexually Transmitted Viruses: HIV, HPV and HSV.
Some infectious diseases you might find interesting:
Acne, AIDS, Aflatoxicosis, Anthrax, Athlete’s foot, Bird flu, Bladder infections, Botulism, Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis, Brucellosis, Bubonic Plague, Campylobacteriosis, Childbed fever, Cholera, Colorado Tick Fever, Common Cold, Cryptosporidiosis, Dengue Fever, Dental plaque, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Ebola virus, Eczema, Foot and Mouth Disease, Fire Blight, Etc.
(You may focus on an animal or plant infection if you want to.) -
Write about a product that is made by or with the help of a microorganism or a process that involves microorganisms or microbial enzymes. Remember, this paper is about microorganisms, describe the product but not neglect to focus on the microbes. (Don’t just wax poetic about the glories of beer, discuss the yeast!)
Some suggestions: beer, cheese, wine, sourdough bread, yogurt, soy sauce, saki, enzymes for removing stains, degrading glues and breaking down complex carbohydrates.
-
Write about microorganisms that are involved in some geochemical cycle or an ecologically important process.
Some suggestions: Methane production by Archaea in swamp and marine sediments or in biogas generators, Photosynthetic microorganisms or the evolution of chloroplasts, Nitrogen fixing bacteria, Cellulose degrading fungi, Microbial mining, The role of foraminifers and diatoms in the sequestration of carbon in marine sediments, Iron oxidizing bacteria and corrosion, Sulfide oxidizing bacteria in thermal vent communities
Resources and Citations:
You must cite at least four resources, though you may use more than four sources of information. At least two of your references must be from books, and at least two references must be from the Internet. To cite a source, put a superscript number within the text and list the numbered reference at the end of the paper. For an internet resource, give the complete URL to the exact web page that was used. (Saying: “wikipedia” is not an adequate citation!) For a printed resource: give the author of the article and the book if they are different, publisher, year of publication and the pages that are cited.
Citation Example:
In the text of your essay…
Mycobacterium tuberculosis was identified as the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB) by Robert Koch in the late 1800s. At the time, TB caused 1/7 of all deaths in Europe1. Today, TB still kills about 2.5 million people per year, mostly in poor countries2.
In the reference list at the end of the paper…
Microbiology 5th edition by Prescott, Harley and Klein, McGraw-Hill, 2002, pgs. 906-908
Raviglione, MC et al. Global Epidemiology of Tuberculosis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7807661&dopt=medline
MCB 100 FALL 2007 LECTURE SCHEDULE
| Day of Week | Date | Topic | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | January 14 | Introduction to Microbiology and Microorganisms | Chapter 1 |
| Wednesday | January 16 | ||
| Friday | January 18 | ||
| Monday | January 21 | Martin Luther King Day - NO CLASSES | |
| Wednesday | January 23 | Chemistry of Microorganisms | Chapter 2 |
| Friday | January 25 | ||
| Monday | January 28 | ||
| Wednesday | January 30 | Microscopy and Classification of Microorganisms | Chapter 4 |
| Friday | February 1 | ||
| Monday | February 4 | Cell Structure | Chapter 3 |
| Wednesday | February 6 | ||
| Friday | February 8 | Microbial Growth and Nutrition | Chapter 6 |
| Monday | February 11 | ||
| Wednesday | February 13 | ||
| Friday | February 15 | Exam 1 (Chapters 1-4 and 6) | |
| Monday | February 18 | Chemical & Physical Control of Microbes | Chapter 9 |
| Wednesday | February 20 | Microbial Metabolism | Chapter 5 |
| Friday | February 22 | ||
| Monday | February 25 | ||
| Wednesday | February 27 | ||
| Friday | February 29 | Bacterial Genetics & Molecular Biology | Chapter 7 |
| Monday | March 3 | ||
| Wednesday | March 5 | Antibiotics | Chapter 10 |
| Friday | March 7 | ||
| Monday | March 10 | Prokaryotic Microorganisms | Chapter 11 |
| Wednesday | March 12 | ||
| Friday | March 14 | ||
| March 17 – 21 Spring Break - No Class | |||
| Monday | March 24 | Eukaryotic Microorganisms | Chapter 12 |
| Wednesday | March 26 | Exam 2 (chapters 9,5,7,10 and 11) | |
| Friday | March 28 | ||
| Monday | March 31 | TERM PAPER DUE | |
| Wednesday | April 2 | Viruses | Chapter 13 |
| Friday | April 4 | ||
| Monday | April 7 | Applied and Environmental Microbiology | Chapter 26 |
| Wednesday | April 9 | ||
| Friday | April 11 | ||
| Monday | April 14 | Infections and Disease | Chapter 14 |
| Wednesday | April 16 | ||
| Friday | April 18 | Non-specific Host Defenses | Chapter 15 |
| Monday | April 21 | Specific Host Defenses | Chapter 16 |
| Wednesday | April 23 | ||
| Friday | April 25 | Immunization, Allergies and Autoimmune Diseases | Chapters 17 & 18 |
| Monday | April 28 | Exam 3 (chapters 12-18 and 26) | |
| Wednesday | April 30 | Review | |
Final Exam: Monday, May 5, 2008 1:30 – 4:30 PM in 228 NHB
Tentative LON-CAPA Homework Schedule
| Folder | Topic | Text | Opens | Due |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Microbiology | chapter 1 | 1/14 | 1/27 |
| 2 | Introduction to Microbes and Chemistry | chapters 1,2 | 1/16 | 1/29 |
| 3 | Chemistry of Microorganisms | chapter 2 | 1/18 | 1/31 |
| 4 | Microbial Identification and Classification | chapter 4 | 1/28 | 2/4 |
| 5 | Microbial Cell Structure | chapter 3 | 2/1 | 2/10 |
| 6 | Microbial Growth and Nutrition | chapter 6 | 2/6 | 2/14 |
| 7 | Control of Microbes and Microbial Metabolism | chapters 9,5 | 2/15 | 2/27 |
| 8 | Microbial Metabolism and Genetics | chapters 5,7 | 2/20 | 3/4 |
| 9 | Bacterial Genetics, Antibiotics | chapters 7,10 | 2/27 | 3/10 |
| 10 | Prokaryotic Organisms | chapter 11 | 3/7 | 3/25 |
| 11 | Eukaryotic Microbes | chapter 12 | 3/14 | 4/1 |
| 12 | Viruses | chapter 13 | 3/31 | 4/7 |
| 13 | Applied Microbiology | chapter 26 | 4/4 | 4/14 |
| 14 | Infection and Disease | chapter 14 | 4/11 | 4/20 |
| 15 | Host Defenses Against Infection | chapters 15-16 | 4/16 | 4/27 |
About the Textbook
It's not so important to own a textbook as it is to read it. There are copies of the text on reserve in the Undergraduate Library and in the Biology Library, which is in Burrill Hall.
I think it's a good idea to read the textbook. Sometimes the text author will explain things differently than I do and that can be helpful. If you don't understand everything in a lecture, you can read the text and it might clear things up. If you read the assigned chapter before the lecture, I might clarify some of the confusing points in the text. (The second professor to explain something to you is always the brilliant one.) Also, the exams may include questions over material assigned in the text that is not covered in depth in lecture and the review questions at the ends of the chapters are good practice for the exams.
There are several versions of Microbiology by Bauman, and they are all basically the same.
The best version of the text is the hardbound complete second edition, ISBN:
This version has all of the most up-to-date material, includes all of the chapters I use and has additional material about pathogenic microorganisms that I don’t have time to cover in depth in class. The paperback custom version that is sold in the bookstore is less expensive than a new hardbound edition, but not by much.
Most of the used books available are variations of the first edition. There are some differences between first edition and second edition. When I refer to a specific page or figure in my lecture notes, I will use the second edition. If you are using a first edition version of the book, you might have to look around a bit to find the material that I refer to but it’s probably there.
Last year we used a custom edition that was in a binder. Frankly, I didn't like the binder though there were some advantages it. It was cheaper than a new hardcover book (but not by much). You can keep your class notes in the same binder. You can put one or two chapters that you actually need to study into a lighter binder so you don't have to carry around the whole thing. But it's a bit heavy to carry it around in a backpack and it's not as durable as a standard text book. (The darn thing falls apart and you have to use duct tape to fix it.)
If you get a used copy of the full text, or even a paperback version that was used a couple of years ago, it might be cheaper, and most of the time just as good.