Instructor: Dr. Derek Zelmer Office: SBDG 101C
Email: derekz@usca.edu
Phone: 641-3472
Lecture:
Lab:
TTh 4:30-5:45
Th 1:40 pm – 4:20 pm
SBDG 103
SBDG 102
Course text (required)
Bush, A.O., J.C. Fernandez, G.W. Esch, and J.R. Seed. 2001. Parasitism: the diversity and ecology of animal parasites.
Cambridge University Press.
Course description
A survey of the major parasite taxa, the evolutionary relationships among them, and the ecological and evolutionary consequencesof utilizing other organisms as habitat. The laboratory portion of the course focuses on the collection, preservation, and identification of parasitic organisms, culminating in development of a parasite collection by each student. Prerequisites: BIOL 370
Laboratory description
The laboratory section of the course will be a survey of parasite taxa, and will involve students making, and turning in, independent parasite collections.
Objectives
- to familiarize students with parasite diversity
- to understand the similarities and differences in how parasites interact with their hosts in a phylogenetic context
- to improve the ability of students to identify and analyze symbiotic relationships in the natural world.
Competencies
Upon satisfactory completion of this course, students will have demonstrated the ability to:
- discuss basic principles of parasitism, and how these are examined/applied within various fields
- describe the physiological and ecological adaptations of parasitic organisms
- describe basic methodologies for identification and classification of parasitic animals
Field Trips
There may be short excursions to nearby sampling localities during scheduled lab periods. Field activities may include informal lecture and discussion, and collection.
Exam dates
Lecture exams will be given on September 17, October 15 , and November 12 . The final exam will be given at 5 pm on
Tuesday, December 10. Exams will consist of definitions, short answer questions, and short essay questions.
Exams
If you are going to miss a lecture exam, you must receive permission from Dr. Zelmer before the day of the exam unless it is absolutely unavoidable (e.g., medical note, police report). If an exam absence is unavoidable, there must be a phone call to Dr. Zelmer (641-3472) or the Biology Department office (641-3299) on the day of the examination. Do not schedule vacations or work for exam days: you will NOT be allowed to make up the exam.
- make-up exams may be in the form of a 60 minute oral examination.
- quizzes cannot be made-up.
- the final can not be taken early.
- if you wish to contest the grading of an exam, you must do so within one week of the exam being returned
- if you wish to contest the grading of an assignment, you must do so within one week of the assignment being
returned to you.
- unless otherwise indicated, assignments must be turned in no later than 5pm on the date they are due. Late
assignments lose 10% per day.
Grading
First Term Exam (15%):
Second Term Exam (15%):
Third Term Exam (15%):
Term Paper (10%):
Lab Practical (10%)
Final Examination (20%):
Independent Project (15%):
Tuesday, September 17
Tuesday, October 15
Tueday, November 12
Friday, December 6
Tuesday, December 10, 5pm
Thursday, November 7
Friday, December 2

Attendance
I will not alter your grade for not attending lectures. I will not have to. If you are to be absent for a scheduled exam, I will need to discuss the reason with you prior to, or the day of, the exam. Unexcused absences from exams will result in a grade of 0 for that exam. Laboratory attendance is required. Unexcused absences from lab will result in a grade of 0 for assignments pertaining to lab.
Grading Scale
The following grading scale will be applied to the final percentage score derived from the examinations and assignments outlined previously: A: 89.5% - 100%; B+: 84.5% - 89.5%; B: 79.5% - 84.5%; C+: 74.5% - 79.5%; C: 69.5% - 74.5%;
D+: 64.5% - 69.5%; D: 59.5% - 69.5%; F < 59.5%. Grades will not be scaled, curved, or ‘bumped’. Extra credit is not available under any circumstance.
Academic Dishonesty
Cheating, plagiarism, and other activities that can be reasonably considered as dishonest will result in a failing grade for the course and, possibly, forwarding of the matter to the University Judicial Committee.
Plagiarism essentially is the theft of ‘intellectual property’ through an intentional attempt to present another’s ideas or work as your own, or through an unintentional omission of credit. If you are uncertain as to what plagiarism entails, please discuss it with me.
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Other Policies
1. Preparation for class includes reading of assigned material.
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If you are having difficulty with any aspect of this course, please come and see me as soon as possible.
If you have a physical, psychological, and/or learning disability that might affect your performance in this class, please contact the Office of Disability Services, B&E 134, (803) 643-6816, as soon as possible. The Disability
Services Office will determine appropriate accommodations based on medical documentation
It is the instructor’s right to remove from the classroom any student who disrupts or disturbs the proceeding of the class . Disruption of the class includes but is not limited to the use of any portable electronic devices, including cell phones, MP3 players; iPods, etc. In extreme cases the faculty member can request assistance from University
Police. If the student who has been ejected causes similar disturbances in subsequent meetings of the class, he/she may be denied admittance to the class for the remainder of the semester and assigned a grade of F.
If you use a portable electronic device during a test, quiz, or other assessment, you are eligible to receive a failing grade on that assignment.
TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE
Why study parasitology?
Definitions
Parasitic protozoans: flagellates, amoebae, apicomplexans, ciliates
Parasitic platyhelminths: trematodes, cestodes, monogeneans,
Parasitic nematodes
Arthropod parasites and vectors: insects, chelicerates, crustaceans
Immunology/Evasion of the immune response
Ecology/Epidemiology/Control
Population genetics and evolution
Evolution of virulence
August 22&29
September 5
September 12
September 19
Sept 26& Oct 3
October 10
October 24
October 31
November 7
November 7
TENTATIVE LABORATORY OUTLINE
Necropsies - fish
Specimen Preparation - fixing, staining, mounting
Microscopy/Parasitic Protozoans
Parasitic Protozoans II
Trematodes
Cestodes and Monogeneans
Nematodes and Acanthocephalans
Arthropods
LAB PRACTICAL EXAM
Parasite Control