Biology 161:

Infectious Diseases and Immunity

Phillip E. Funk, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology

Teaching Assistant: Julie Malachinski

Lecture: T, TH 11:50-1:20

Laboratory: T 9:00-11:30

1. To introduce students to basic concepts in biology and understand how advances in biology and medicine are changing our relationship with pathogenic organisms.
2. To introduce students to the structures and functions of microorganisms and the immune system.
3. To help students develop quantitative and qualitative reasoning skills and to THINK CRITICALLY and OBJECTIVELY.

Course Format: Lecture/Discussion/Laboratory

Course Evaluation:

1. Three written examinations
2. Analysis and solving of topic-related problem sets
3. Library research paper and oral presentation
4. Laboratory reports

Required Textbook: Life of Earth (2^nd Edition), by Audeskirk, Audeskirk, and Byers. This is an excellent introductory biology text. This book also includes a companion web site with supplementary materials and quizzes so that you can test yourself. A link is available on the course website. (condor.depaul.edu/~pfunk/161index.htm)

Additional materials may be handed out in class or placed on reserve in the library. The class website will also have links to material on the World Wide Web that will be helpful in your studies.

Grading:

Laboratory reports are due to the teaching assistant by the next laboratory period after the exercise is completed. Late reports will receive an unsatisfactory grade. Attendance at the laboratory is absolutely required. There will be no make up laboratory sessions. Absence from the laboratory may be excused by providing a suitable reason for why the laboratory was missed. This is entirely at the instructor's discretion.

Exams will be a combination of multiple choice, short answer, matching, and fill in the blank type questions. Exams will be held at the times indicated, any exceptions to this must be arranged with me well ahead of time. There will be no make up examinations without adequate reason for why the exam was missed in the first place. Again, this is entirely at the instructor's discretion.

Since I post my lecture notes to the web I feel free to require a good deal of specificity in the answers I expect on the exams. You will be tested on your ability to unite concepts presented in different lectures and to think analytically about the information presented in class.

The research paper represents an opportunity for you to learn in detail about one particular organism or infectious disease of your own choosing. Find an article in the popular press (newspaper or magazine) within the past year dealing with an infectious disease. Possible sources for this article include The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Time, Discover Magazine, and Scientific American. Remember that this is a course dealing with infectious diseases so be sure that your topic involves an infectious disease, not just any disease. You must bring me a copy of your original source paper and topic for approval before Jan. 20. For the topic you have selected, learn about the pathogen involved: what type of organism is it, how does it infect, what is its normal life cycle, what are the consequences of infection, what is the normal course of treatment? Bear in mind that the organism you're researching must be infectious but doesn't have to infect humans. Your research sources may include; the library, our course textbook, the World Wide Web, and people (e.g. your family doctor). Be certain that your sources are reputable and verifiable, particularly those found on the web! If you have questions or difficulty in selecting an article to get started, please bring a couple candidate articles to me for approval or suggestions.

Your paper should not exceed 1000 words in length but must contain a substantive and thorough discussion and analysis of the topic organism. The paper should be suitable for reading by a general audience, as if you in turn were writing a magazine article on this subject. This also means that your classmates and family could be helpful in proofing drafts of this report. The paper must include a bibliography with at least 10 items used to research the topic. I will not specify the format to be used in citing the references but they should be detailed enough for me to find the reference and verify it. Points will be deducted if I cannot verify the references. You cannot turn in handwritten papers. Computer printed or typed copies are acceptable. Feel free to include diagrams or tables if these help explain your subject matter, but be sure to cite where you obtained the figures. I am not an English professor BUT points will be deducted for spelling and grammatical errors. Papers will be graded based on clarity, thoroughness, and understanding of the subject matter. I will post excellent papers that were submitted if other sections of this class on the web. You may wish to use DePaul's writing center as you prepare you paper.

In addition, each student will give a 10 minute oral presentation of their research paper subject to the rest of the class. We will use the time allotted for the laboratory to do these presentations. The class will go in alphabetical order in giving these presentations. A portion of the final grade for the paper will be based on having a topic approved by the deadline and on the quality of the oral presentation.

Statement of Academic Honesty:

It is expected that your work in this course will be original, not copies of another student's work. The university dictates strong sanctions against those who copy another's work without citing the original source. This may also apply to students who allow others to copy their work. This sanction may be as severe as an F in the course. Please refer to the student handbook for a more detailed discussion of the university's rules on this matter. In the laboratory portion of this course you will be required to share your data with other students in order to gain a more complete understanding of the experiment. In writing the laboratory report I expect a clear distinction between YOUR results and those obtained by sharing results with others. Science is a collaborative endeavor but it requires acknowledgement of one's collaborators.

Behavior:

You should be on time for both lecture and lab. You should behave as you would like an audience to behave if you were speaking. No talking, note passing, horseplay, etc. All cell phones and beepers should be turned off. Your success in this course depends primarily on you! In the laboratory it will be necessary to share reagents, equipment, and results with others. You should be courteous and respectful of your fellow students. Inappropriate and rude conduct in the lab will not be tolerated. Smoking, eating, drinking, and applying make-up are absolutely forbidden in the lab. Extraneous conversation should be kept to a minimum.

Tips for success in this course:

1. All my lecture notes will be available via the class web site. I cannot guarantee that these notes will be posted before the lecture is given. Do not use these notes as a substitute for attending class! There is no substitute for attending class, paying attention, and taking good notes. The successful students in my other classes can tell you that the notes on the web are an excellent addition to the lectures but that you will not do well if you rely solely on the website.
2. Read the book! The text has a number of self-testing tools that I highly recommend you use in your studies. The text's companion web site has additional review tools. These will help you prepare for the exams. This also applies to the laboratory, read the exercise beforehand. This will help you understand the experiment before you begin and help you make the most efficient use of your time in the lab.
3. Don't think of each lecture as a single, self-contained entity. Biology is a field of study and its components are interrelated. Part of my teaching philosophy is to get you to understand some of the interrelationships. This will help you to reason from what you do know to what you don't know.
4. Don't be afraid to ask questions. I welcome student's questions before, during, and after lectures.

My office is 243 McGowan Hall on the Lincoln Park Campus, phone 325-4649.