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| RESEARCH GROUPS @ CIRES > |
MCDB 1030: Plagues and Peoples (Spring 2005)
MCDB 1030 Home | Announcements | Readings | Homework | Exams | Schedule (PDF)
AnnouncementsMonday, May 2, 3-4 P.M. Tuesday, May 3, 3-4 P.M. |
Professor: Shelley Copley
Office: CIRES 241
Phone: 492-6328
E-mail: shelley@cires.colorado.edu
Office Hours: Wed 3-4 and Thurs 3-4
Teaching Assistant: Chunyan Gu
E-mail: gu@colorado.edu
Lecture: T and Th, 12:30-1:45 AM
Location: Engineering Center 245
Objective: To understand the biological basis and social impacts of infectious diseases and their ongoing threat to human health
Major themes:
- To understand the various types of agents that cause infectious diseases (particularly bacteria, viruses, protozoa, prions)
- To understand how the immune system protects you from infections
- To understand the importance of natural selection and the selective pressure that humans exert on pathogens and that pathogens exert on humans
- To appreciate how understanding the mechanism by which a pathogen causes disease provides targets for intervention
- To appreciate the mechanisms by which the Really Big Threats –HIV, influenza, and malaria – cause disease and how they can be prevented and/or treated
Text: Microbiology, Robert W. Bauman, 2004
Group Assignments: Groups of four will be formed on the first day of class. In many classes, you will discuss an interesting issue or problem in your group and hand in a written summary from the entire group. You will only get credit for this work if you are present in class.
Attendance: Attendance at all classes is required. The lectures in the course will constantly build upon previous material. If you have missed lectures, you will lack the foundation for understanding later lectures. Ten or more unexcused absences will result in lowering of your grade by a full letter grade.
Grading:
| Homework | 25% |
| In-class work | 20% |
| Hour exams | 30% (two at 15% each) |
| Final exam | 25% |
Requests for re-grades on exams must be submitted in writing within two days after the exam.
The class will be graded on a curve. The median grade will be determined by how well the class does. This means that you should not feel as if you are competing against the other students in the class – there will not be a pre-set number of poor grades.
