Fall 2002 Course Syllabus
BIOL 420
MICROBIOLOGY
Instructor:
Jay Brewster, Ph.D.
Office (RAC120): 310-506-4259
Home: 310-506-4927
Office Hours: Tues., Thurs. 8-9 AM
email:jay.brewster@pepperdine.edu
Lecture:
KSC225
Laboratory: KSC330
MTR
MT
10 - 10:50 PM
12-1:50 PM
Teaching Assistants: TBA
Course Description: A study of microorganisms and the major areas of bacteriology: medical, industrial,
food, agricultural, and sanitation.
Course Objectives: The central objective of this course is to instill within the students:
1) an understanding of the origin of microbiology and how it has broadened into a wide array of specialized career
fields.
2) a knowledge of the metabolic and structural diversity microbes display and how that diversity benefits their
survival in varied environments. Recent advances in technology that have benefited the study of microbial cell
biology will be discussed.
3) a knowledge of the taxonomy of microbiology and a recognition of why classification is critical to diagnostics
and epidemiology. Human disease as a result of viral, fungal, and bacterial infection will be identified.
4) a foundational understanding of immunology, the cellular and humoral response, and the differentiation of stem
cells into mature leukocytes.
5) a competence with laboratory techniques used in the isolation, culture, characterization, and classification of
microbiological specimens.
6) a recognition of the political, humanitarian, and ethical considerations faced by wealthy nations in light of
worldwide disease. Students will discuss their perspective and opinions regarding world health issues.
Required Textbooks:
Prescott, L., Harley, J.P., and D. Klein, Microbiology (Fifth Edition), McGraw-Hill, 2002.
Benson, H., Microbiological Applications (8th Edition), McGraw-Hill, 2002.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Course Policies:
Attendance in both the lecture and laboratory sections is required. Excused absences must be presented
before class to be considered. Three unexcused absences from lecture will result in a reduction in your final
grade by one letter. One unexcused absence from laboratory will result in a reduction of the laboratory
component of your final grade by one letter.
No credit or make-up will be offered for students missing class with no prior discussion with the
instructor.
No late work will be accepted for credit, but may be handed in for evaluation.
__________________________________________________________________
Reaction and Review Papers:
Two reaction papers are required from the assigned reading list. Each reaction paper will include an introduction
(background, relevance of subject material), a summary of the article (main topic, important points), and a
discussion of your reaction to the material. These will be no more than 2 pages in length (single-spaced).
Reaction paper due dates: TBA
One review paper is required from each student covering a topic in microbiology. Each student must get approval
for the chosen topic from the instructor (before October 30). Review papers will be a comprehensive evaluation of
the chosen topic using information from relevant books, current journal articles, and current review articles.
Students will be expected to research the topic carefully and perform literature searches through library or internet
sources. Internet resources should be used cautiously as web-sites are not considered a reliable source of
information. Use these resources for general information, and as a guide to peer-reviewed resources. Review
papers that display a lack of support from scientific journals will be marked down. The review paper will be 8-12
pages in length (double-spaced). All sources will be referenced in the text and listed in an alphabetical
bibliography. The review papers will be turned in before November 18.
Laboratory: Laboratory sessions will begin promptly at the specified time. Each laboratory session will begin
with a quiz over the previous week’s laboratory material and any introductory for that week’s exercise.
Students arriving late will not be allowed to take the quiz.
Safety in the microbiology laboratory is a primary concern. Students will wear laboratory coats at all
times and gloves when directed. No food or drink is allowed in the laboratory area.
Each student is to maintain a bound notebook for recording laboratory experiments. The write-up for each
weeks exercises will include;
1) an introduction (written before class),
2) notes from lecture preceding laboratory exercise (given at the start of the lab session),
2) a materials and methods section providing a detailed description of supplies, and the protocols that were
employed,
3) a results section, describing the progression of the experiment and the data that resulted (sketches,
descriptions, and raw data will all be included here),
4) and a discussion/conclusion section.
Notebooks will be graded for content, organization, and formatting (date and signature on each page). Periodic
checks of notebooks (unannounced) should be anticipated.
Warning: Natural Science’s laboratories contain and certain class experiments or procedures will
expose you to chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects, and other
reproductive harm at levels which require a warning. For more information, contact your instructor or
the Office of Regulatory Affairs at extension 4702.
Points Available:
Exams (3 X 100)
Final Exam
Reaction Papers (2 X 25)
Oral Presentation
Review Paper
Group Project
Laboratory Quizzes
Bacterial Unknown ID (2 x 25)
Laboratory Notebook and Manual
Total Possible
Grading Scale:
300
200
50
20
80
50
120
50
100
~ 970
Percentage
94%
90%
87%
83%
80%
77%
73%
70%
67%
63%
60%
etc.
Letter Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
D-
Web Resources:
Medline/Pubmed (literature searches): http://www.medportal.com/
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/
National Institutes of Health (NIH): http://www.nih.gov/
American Society for Microbiology: http://www.asmusa.org/pcsrc/news.htm
Landmarks of Microbiology (ASM): http://www.asmusa.org/mbrsrc/archive/significant.htm
Society for General Microbiology: http://www.socgenmicrobiol.org.uk/links.htm
HIV/AIDS links - University of Washington (Mullins): http://ubik.microbiol.washington.edu/HIVsites.html
Bugs in the News! : http://falcon.cc.ukans.edu/~jbrown/bugs.html
Cells Alive! (great links): http://www.cellsalive.com/links/
Stalking the Mysterious Microbe (for children): http://www.microbe.org/
Microbe World (for the general public): http://www.microbeworld.org/
BIOL420.01 Fall 2002 Schedule
Week of:
Topic:
August
____________________________________________
26-30
September
2
3-6
9-13
16-20
23-27
26
October
Sept. 30- Oct 4
7-11
14-18
Text Readings:
History, Relevance of Microbiology
Lecture: Chapter 1,2
Laboratory: Microscopy
(Meet only on Tuesday)
Exercise 1-5
Labor Day (no class, no lab on Monday)
Prokaryotic cell structure and function
Lecture: Chapter 3
Laboratory: Survey of Microorganisms
(Meet only on Tuesday)
Exercise 5-7, 9
Eukaryotic cell structure and function
Lecture: Chapter 4
Laboratory: Bact. Morphology
Exercise 11-15
Microbial Nutrition, Growth and Control
Lecture: Chapters 5,6,7
Laboratory: Staining Techniques
Exercise 16-19
Microbial Metabolism
Exam I
Laboratory: Pure Culture, Hand Scrubbing
Lecture: Chapters 8,9,10
Microbiology of Food Industry
Lecture: Chapter 41
Laboratory: Anaerobes, Quantification
Exercise 22,23
Microbial Genetics
Lecture: Chapters 11-13
Laboratory: Environmental Stress
Exercise 35-37
Viruses and Prions
Lecture: Chapters 16, 17
Laboratory: Bacteriophages
Exercise 28, 30
Exercise 21, 44
21-25
24
Microbial Taxonomy
Exam II
Laboratory: Disinfectants
Lecture: Chapter 19
28-Nov. 1
Gram Negative Bacteria
Lecture: Chapter 20-22
Laboratory: Unknowns Staph, Strep
Exercise 78, 79
Gram Positive Bacteria
Lecture: Chapter 23, 24
Laboratory: Unknowns Staph and Strep
Exercise 78, 79
Fungi and Molds
Lecture: Chapter 25
Laboratory: Unknowns Gram - and Urinary
Exercise 80, 81
November
11-15
18-22
25-29
26
Bacteria, Viruses and Human Disease
Exam III
Laboratory: Unknowns Gram – and Urinary
(27-29 THANKSGIVING BREAK)
Exercise 40, 42
Lecture: Chapter 37-39
Exercise 80, 81
December___________________________________________________
Dec. 2-6
Bacteria, Viruses and Human Disease
Dead Week
Lab: Trip to Sepulveda
Veterans Administration Medical Center
Dr. John Garcia (medical microbiologist)
9-12
FINALS
Final Exam - Tuesday, December 10, 10:30 A.M. - 1:00 PM
Lecture: Chapter 37-39