Semester & Year: Fall 2014 Instructor: Cynthia Littlejohn
Course Number: BSC 380 Phone: 601-266-5796
Course Name: General Microbiology Email:
Class Meeting Time: MWF, 10:00 – 10:50 Office: 142 WSB
Office hours:M-F 7:45- 8:45am
M&W 12:30-1:30 pm
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I.COURSE OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this course is to provide a basic knowledge of current concepts in microbiology, including microbial structure and function, physiology, genetics, ecology and role in disease
II.STUDENT OUTCOMES
The student will have a basic understanding of:
- Scope and history of microbiology; Anatomy and physiology of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells; Microbial metabolism, genetics and biotechnology; Microbial growth, control of growth and pathogenicity; Phylogeny of major microbial taxa; Microbial pathogenesis and epidemiology; Environmental and applied microbiology
III.TEXT/MATERIALS:
The text for the course is Microbiology. An Introduction. 11th ed. by Tortora, Funke and Case. (ISBN# 9780321733603). This text is required. You must have your own personal text. If you have an older version of the text or an alternate text, that should be fine. There is a recommended study guide to accompany the text if you purchase a used copy (ISBN# 9780321581952).
IV.GRADES: The course grade consists of scores on scheduled exams and weekly class assignments. Weekly assignments may be in the form of quizzes, papers or other out of class assignments.I do not accept unstapled assignments. Please invest in a stapler.Come prepared for each exam/quiz. Make sure you have a pencil, eraser, tissues or any other materials. There will be4 scheduled exams. The average of these 4 exams comprises ~80% of your grade. Your daily grade averagecomprises the remaining ~ 20%. Grades will be computed based on the following scale: 89-100% -A; 79-88% -B; 69-78% -C; 59-68% -D; 0- 58% -F. I cannot discuss grades by phone or email. You must come see me in person to receive any information about your class standing.
V.ATTENDANCE:Although student attendance will not be monitored, coming to class is strongly recommended. Do not cut beyond your means. It is also recommended you read the appropriate topic before coming to class. Some daily grade points may be given for answering review questions from previous the lecture. Be on time. Do notdisrespect your fellow students and the instructor by coming in late and causing a disruption. If you are more than a couple of minutes late, do not come in. If you arrive late for an exam, you will not be allowed to take it. Late is defined as after the instructor has finished passing out the exam. If you are late do not come in and argue your case. See me after class to discuss the issue. Do not leave early during lectureunless you have made a prior arrangement with the instructor. If you leave after a quiz you will not get credit for that quiz.No MP3 players or cell phones are allowed in class.No sending text messages, checking email or social networking is allowed. This is rude and distracting! If your phone rings during any exam, you will lose 10 points from your exam score. If it rings again, you will be asked to surrender your exam and leave. Excessive disruptive behavior exhibited by the class (coming in late, leaving during lecture, talking, texting) may be rewarded with a pop quiz for everyone.
VI.MISSED EXAMS OR ASSIGNMENTS: If a student misses an exam; averified excuse must be obtained from Alfreda Horton, Coordinator - Office of Student Oriented Servicesin the Union buildingroom 221. Your documentationof a valid excuse (court date, Dr. visit, hospitalization, funeral) must be submitted to Alfreda Hortonthe within one week of the date of the absence. Excuses without proper documentation will not be accepted! The make-up exam must be scheduled no more than one week after the original exam was given.Only 1 exam can be made up. If a student misses more than one exam, a grade of 0 will be given on all but the 1st exam. An exam can only be made up if the student has the proper excuse. There is no make-up for the final exam. The only course of action for a missed final exam is an incomplete for the semester. Assignments/ quizzes may not be made upeven with an excuse.No out of class assignments will be accepted late even with an excuse. This includes homework due at the time of an exam. If you have an excused absence from class, you may email an assignment before the time it is due.If you miss the exam, make sure to email your homework on the day it is due as it will not be accepted when you come to take your make-up! The lowest quiz grade will be dropped. If you miss a quiz, no matter what the reason, this will be used as your drop grade. Papers and other out of class assignments may NOT be used as a drop grade.
VII. LAST DAY TO DROP:The last day to drop the course without academic penalty is Fri., Oct. 31st. The university’s policy of withdraw is strictly enforced. Dropping a course will result in a W being assigned and this will be shown on the transcript. Students who withdraw from a class after this date will receive their current letter grade (i.e., the grades of WP and WF are no longer available). A student who receives an incomplete is required to make up missed assignments during the next semester he or she is enrolled. If you fail to complete the work the following semester, the incomplete will automatically become an F on your transcript. Unless I made an error in my grade calculations, I WILL NOT go back after the semester is over and allow students to complete work to earn additional points, change grades or process withdraws regardless of the circumstances.
VIII.STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If a student has a disability that qualifies under the Americans with Disabilities Act and requires accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations for information on appropriate policies and procedures. Office for Disability Accommodations; 118 College Drive # 8586 Hattiesburg, MS 39406; Tel. (601) 266-5024; Fax (601)266-6035. Students with hearing impairments can use the Mississippi Relay Service at 1-800-582-2233 or email Suzy Hebert at .
IX. CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM: Students are encouraged to study and work in groups, but cheating and/or plagiarism of another student’s work or any other source are expressly forbidden (see the code of student conduct in your student handbook). The minimum academic penalty is a grade of zero on the assignment or the examination in question. All class assignments will be assessed with plagiarism detecting software to ensure academic integrity. This software will recognize and flag papers generated by cutting and pasting from Web materials, previously submitted papers by other students at this and other participating institutions, papers purchased from commercial databases, and material from library subscription databases.Do not wear hats on exam or quiz days. Do not bring beverages or food on exam or quiz days. Do not have your cell phone or other electronic devices in sight on exam or quiz days. If your cell phone goes off during an exam,I will deduct 10 points from that exam score.If it goes of a second time, you will be asked to surrender your exam and leave. When you finish a quiz please turn in your quiz then sit quietly until the rest of the class has finished. After an exam please exit quietly to minimize the distraction. If you leave the room during an exam you may not return to complete that exam.
X.ONLINE MATERIALS: Information about the course, including printable lecture notes, should be obtained from the following web site: Click on courses, then choose the appropriate link (BSC 380).Check this website frequently for assignments. Print notes and review them before each lecture. Notes are not intended to replace attendance in lecture. Students are also responsible for all material discussed in class, as well as the material covered in the assigned chapters of the textbook. If you miss class, you are responsible for checking the website for any assignments. You will be responsible for all assignments even if you were not present when they were announced. You are required to set up an account through turnitin.com and register for this course.
The course ID# is8369584and the course password is micro. All homework papers are required to be submitted through this software before the time they are due in class. Any assignments with a similarity index of greater that 15% will only be eligible to receive ½ of the possible points for that assignment. Papers with an excessively high similarity index will not be graded at all! Keep in mind that it may require some time for the system to process submitted papers and waiting until the last minute may result in missing the submission deadline. Papers not submitted through turnitin.com will not be graded.
XI. CLASS NUMBERS: Each student will be assigned a class number during the 1st quiz. It is your responsibility to remember this class number and put it on all work for the semester (exams, quizzes, homework, and extra credit). I will deduct points from all work turned in with no class number on it. If you do not take the 1st quiz, see me for a class number. If you forget or misplace your number, you must come by my office to obtain your number. I will not give them out by email!
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Tentative lecture schedule:
TopicChapters
Introduction/ Syllabus
Scope of Microbiology 1
Cell Structure and Function4
Microbial Metabolism5
EXAM 1
Microbial Growth 6
Control of Microbial Growth7
Microbial Genetics8
Biotechnology & Recombinant DNA9
EXAM 2
Classification Systems10
Prokaryote Classification 11
Fungi & Lichens 12
Viruses, Viroids & Prions13
EXAM 3
Pathogenicity& Epidemiology14 & 15
Environmental Microbiology27
Applied & Industrial Microbiology28
FINAL EXAM (~50% old material and ~50% new material)
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Pertinent dates:
September 1Labor Day Holiday
Oct. 16-17Fall BreakHoliday
Oct. 31Last day to drop the course
Nov. 26-28Thanksgiving Holiday
Dec. 10FINAL EXAM - 10:45 am(note time difference)