BIOL 494: Topics: Immunology
Syllabus: Fall 2007
Professor: |
Dr. Melinda Ekkens-Villanueva |
Contact Info: |
mvillanu@cuc.edu |
Office Hours: |
MW 10am-11am; M-Th 1-2pm |
Textbook: |
1.) Kindt TJ, Goldsby, RA, Osborne BA. (6th ed, 2007) Immunology. New York, NY. W. H. Freeman and Co. 2.) Knisely, K. 2005. A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology (2nd ed). Sinauer Associates, Inc. and W.H. Freeman and Co., Sunderland, MA. |
Course Description: Basic Immunology: An introduction to the immune system, with emphasis on mammalian models. Lecture includes discussions on generation of humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, antigen and antibody structure and function, transplantation and tolerance, and immunopathologies.
* Three lectures and one laboratory period per week.
* Prerequisites: BIOL 162 with a minimum grade of "C;" BIOL 305 and BIOL 405 recommended.
General Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
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Describe the various cells and organs involved in the immune system, including the role of each during an immune response.
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Compare and contrast the innate and adaptive immune responses, including their specific components and effector mechanisms.
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Describe the basic mechanisms of antigen presentation, in addition to antigen/antibody interactions, factors determining antigenicity, and cross-presentation.
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Describe the immune response to infectious diseases, cancer, tissue transplants, and allergens.
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Apply immunology concepts to solve clinical problems.
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Work collaboratively in groups to solve course-related problems.
Course Format:
Science is built on questions; the desire to find an answer and solve a problem. Therefore, this course will include both lectures and problem-based, group-learning activities. To facilitate the group-learning activities, you will form small groups during the early part of the course. You will work in these groups to address specific problems, using the collective resources and efforts of the group. A portion of your grade will depend on these group activities; both your performance in the group, and the overall group’s performance. You will evaluate yourself and the other members of your group at various points throughout the course; how your group members evaluate you can affect your grade. In order to ensure that the group functions smoothly, it is recommended that each group formulate a set of ground rules. Some suggested guidelines are included here, but feel free to create your own ground rules.
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Attendance: Be on time for every class or group session. Promptly notify the other group members, and the professor, if a class or group session must be missed. Advance notice is preferred, as this will allow your group members to make alternate plans.
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Preparation: Be prepared to discuss the assignment. Be sure to bring any assigned materials to class or group meetings.
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Participation: Share the workload among the group members. Also, be willing to share information gathered outside class with other group members.
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Respect: Respect all group members. Be sure to listen to, and value, contributions made by all group members.
It is also recommended that each person within the group assume a role (discussion leader, recorder, reporter, accuracy check or questioner [devil’s advocate], time keeper, etc.), and that the roles are switched between group exercises. For additional information, please see “Problem-based learning” on Desire2Learn.
Student Responsibilities:
Statement of student responsibility: Education is more than simply taking courses to satisfy graduation requirements. It is a life-long process whereby you gain knowledge regarding the world around you. This will most easily be accomplished if you take an active role in your learning by
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Cultivating curiosity.
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Recognizing that struggle is a requisite for learning, that learning often requires students to spend time in areas where they may not be sure of themselves, and that learning may require students to spend time following leads that may turn out to go nowhere.
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Realizing that accepting responsibility for your own learning entails spending the necessary hours preparing for classes and examinations, doing homework and writing papers, asking questions, finding help from faculty, seeking opportunities for learning, and using available resources.
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Tolerating the discomfort that sometimes accompanies contact with new ideas, including being open-minded, considering other points-of-view, and not rushing to judgment.
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Recognizing that thinking critically about ideas and problems and making mature judgments can take place only if you cultivate certain habits of mind, such as readiness to gather information, develop reasoning skills, and learn methods of specific disciplines.
Adapted from “Position Statement on Increasing Student Responsibility for, Involvement in, and Commitment to Learning” in Teaching and Learning Through Inquiry: A Guidebook for Institutions and Instructors. Edited by Virginia S. Lee. 2004. Stylus Publishing, LLC, Sterling, VA, pp. 191-193.
Therefore, students are expected to:
- Attend, participate, and contribute to all classes and laboratory periods. This is particularly important since there will be a number of group activities in which individual grades will be dependent on the group grade.
- Be prepared for each class and lab by reading, reviewing, and/or completing all scheduled assignments prior to each class period. This includes any group work that must be completed prior to class.
- Read the textbook and laboratory material BEFORE you come to class or lab. Not only will you understand the lecture or lab better, but it will also increase your productivity in class and lab.
- Review your class notes soon after each class; this will keep material fresh, and will help reinforce difficult concepts. If you spend two hours in study for each hour in class, you should have no problems keeping up with the course and getting the grade you want.
- Develop study groups that meet once or twice a week, and before exams. This will help you to review complex topics, reinforce difficult concepts, and evaluate lab procedures.
- Abide by all group rules.
- Know the course requirements. It is the responsibility of the student to know the requirements for the course. Along with the syllabus, assignments can be made in any class or laboratory period. If you are absent or late, it is your responsibility to obtain assignments and handouts that you may have missed. It is also your responsibility to monitor due dates and be sure that assignments are submitted on time and in the correct format.
Professor Responsibilities:
Statement of professor responsibility: It is the professor’s responsibility to create an environment where students can actively learn. Therefore, the professor is expected to:
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Provide a classroom environment that is respectful and conducive to learning. This includes the following:
- Encourage reciprocity and cooperation among students.
- Be respectful of diverse talents and ways of learning.
- Be supportive of student’s honest efforts to learn.
- Create an environment where students can gain practice, and obtain feedback, in critical thinking.
- Emphasize persistent focus on material to be learned, and efficient use of time.
- Communicate high expectations.
- Promptly return graded assignments, quizzes, and tests.
- Be available during office hours to answer questions and guide group activities.
Adapted from “Position Statement on Increasing Student Responsibility for, Involvement in, and Commitment to Learning” in Teaching and Learning Through Inquiry: A Guidebook for Institutions and Instructors. Edited by Virginia S. Lee. 2004. Stylus Publishing, LLC, Sterling, VA, pp. 191-193.
Grading:
The final grade for the class will be based on lab and lecture as follows:
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Lab write-ups 30% Exams 35% Quizzes 15% Class assignments 15% Vaccination project 5%
Grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
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A = 93-100 A- = 90-92 B+ = 87-89 B = 83-86 B- = 80-82 C+ = 77-79 C = 73-76 C- = 70-72 D+ = 67-69 D = 63-66 D- = 60-62 F = 0 – 59%
There will be an average of one quiz per week during lecture; the lowest quiz score will be dropped at the end of the semester.
The specific date for exams will be announced in class at least one week before each exam. Any student who receives below a 70% on an exam must meet with the professor within one week of the exam. Documentation of this meeting will raise the exam grade by five points; failure to do so will result in lowering the exam grade by five points.
Please note: Students whose career goals include professional or graduate school must view a “C” in this course as a partial-passing grade. A partial-pass will only assist students in progress toward their career goals if it is matched by an “A” in another science course. In short, a science GPA of 3.0 should be viewed as an absolute minimum for satisfactory progression.
Regrade Policy:
Quizzes, exams, or lab reports may be returned for regrading only if the total points were incorrectly totaled, or if your answer can be documented by text materials. Answers which were misinterpreted due to sloppy handwriting, poor organization, or incorrect terminology will not be considered; be clear and concise the first time. A paper must be returned for a regrade within one week (7 days) of its return to you. It must be accompanied by a TYPED concise, brief summary or rebuttal with reference to your textual sources. Quizzes or exams written in pencil will not be considered for regrading.
Academic Integrity:
It is assumed that your work is your own. Class discussions and lab projects are joint efforts, but each write-up must be your own interpretation and analysis; this will aid you in establishing collaborative efforts, while learning to interpret and defend your own work. Science builds on the work of others, so be clear with references and citations, but be sure to give credit where credit is due. PLAGIARISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
For further details, please see the Columbia Union College policy on academic integrity, as stated in the 2007-2008 College Bulletin.
Attendance:
Attendance at all class and laboratory sessions is required. Please be prompt, as important announcements are generally given at the beginning of lecture or lab. Late-comers will not be allowed to take exams or quizzes. Please note that excused absences do not excuse you from any work or material missed; you are responsible for all material and announcements presented in class/lab whether you are present or not.
Due to limited resources and space, make up labs will not be allowed.
Make-up exams and quizzes will only be allowed if the absence is unavoidable and documented. There will be NO MAKE UP EXAMS FOR UNEXCUSED ABSENCES. Excused absences include a serious illness or a death in the immediate family; a doctor’s note or an obituary will be required. If an exam is missed, it must be rescheduled immediately upon return to class, and is generally expected to be taken within 24 hours of your return. Notification before the missed exam is requested.
Please turn off cell phone ringers during class time.
During exams and quizzes, ALL cell phones and beepers must be COMPLETELY OFF, and stored in backpacks, bags, purses, etc. In case of emergency, cell phones may be left with the instructor.
Late Work Policy:
Assignments are due on time, regardless of whether or not you are present in class or lab. Excused absences do not excuse you from any work or material missed. Overdue assignments will lose 15% per week; assignments more than six (6) weeks overdue will not be graded. These deductions apply if an assignment is turned in late on the due date.
Changes in Course Policy:
It is possible that certain changes in these policies may become necessary. Any changes will be announced in class, and will become part of, and supersede, the course policies described here.
Laboratory:
Laboratory reports will be written on an individual basis, and will follow a basic journal article format: Introduction/Objective, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion. Include citations where appropriate. Reports must be turned in by the beginning of the following lab to avoid a late penalty.
Failure to pass the lab segment (70%) will result in failure to pass the class.
Vaccine Project:
Throughout the semester, each group will create a poster for a given vaccine. The poster will describe the microbe, the vaccine, and the advantages/disadvantages of the vaccine. In addition, each group will seek to answer several questions regarding vaccine development and regulation in the U.S. Specific requirements will be presented in class, and will follow the tentative schedule outlined below. The final poster is due no later than November 26, 2007. After the due date for the final draft, late posters will lose ten (10) percentage points per calendar day from the total grade of the project. These posters will be presented to the department on December 3, 2007.
Project Schedule:
Outline - October 12, 2007
Rough Draft/Feedback - November 16, 2007
Final Draft - November 26, 2007
Poster Presentations - December 3, 2007
Additional Information:
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Lecture and laboratory sessions are integrated, and materials from both are applicable to any quiz or exam.
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The Learning Center is equipped to work with students with documented disabilities to increase their ability to learn course material or take exams successfully. Students having difficulty in class should identify themselves to the Learning Center so that arrangements can be made to accommodate special needs; you must contact the Learning Center so that a letter can be sent to me. All correspondence is handled in the strictest confidence.
- Don't suffer in silence. If you are having difficulties in the class, please let me know early so that we can develop a strategy that will work for you to help you succeed in the class.
Lecture Schedule (tentative):
| Week | Topic for class | Reading Assignment |
| 1 | Syllabus, Introduction | |
| History and Overview of innate and adaptive | Ch. 1 (pp.1-12; 18-20) | |
| 2 | Cells of the immune system | Ch. 1 (pp. 12-18) Ch. 2 (pp. 23-40) |
| 3 | Organs of the immune system | Ch. 2 (pp. 40-49) |
| Innate immunity | Ch. 1 (pp. 8-10) Ch. 3 (pp. 52-72) |
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| 4 | Adaptive immunity | Ch. 1 (pp. 10-18) |
| Antigens | Ch. 4 (pp. 76-84) | |
| 5 - WISE | EXAM I | |
| Antibodies – structure | Ch. 4 (pp. 84-95) | |
| Antibodies – classes | Ch. 4 (pp. 95-106) | |
| 6 | Organization of immunoglobulin genes | Ch. 5 (pp. 111-141) |
| 7 | Major Histocompatibility complex | Ch. 8 (pp. 189-206) |
| EXAM II | ||
| 8 | Antigen processing and presentation | Ch. 8 (pp.207-218) |
| 9 | T cell receptor | Ch. 9 (pp. 223-242) |
| T cell maturation | Ch. 10 (pp. 245-253) | |
| T cell activation, and differentiation | Ch. 10 (pp.254-268) | |
| 10 | B cell generation/maturation | Ch. 11 (pp. 271-278) |
| B cell activation, and differentiation | Ch. 11 (pp. 278-298) | |
| 11 | Immune effector mechanisms: complement | Ch. 7 (pp. 168-187) |
| Exam III | ||
| 12 | Immune effector mechanisms: cellular immunity | Ch. 14 (pp. 351-368) |
| 13 | Hypersensitivity reactions – Type I | Ch. 15 (pp.371-388) |
| 14 | Hypersensitivity reactions – Types II – IV | Ch. 15 (pp. 388-397) |
| Cancer and the immune system | Ch. 21 (pp. 525-544) | |
| 15 | Transplantation immunology | Ch. 17 (pp. 425-444) |
| FINAL EXAM – Dec. 11, 2007: 9:00 – 10:45 am |
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