Microbiology –Biology 350
Syllabus Spring 2014
Instructor:
Distinguished Professor John J Lee
Laboratory: MR 704
Email: jlee@sci.ccny.cuny.edu
Office hours: Tuesday, Thursday 9-11:30 or by appointment only
Course learning outcomes:
1. What are microbes? How do they differ from each other?
2. Evolution of life in a microbial world. How are microbes related to other living organisms?
3. What would the world be like without microbes?
4. How do microbes affect us in our personal lives?
5. How do microbes interact with each other and other living beings?
6. Comparative microbial metabolism and genetics.
7. How do we exploit microbes for the benefit of humankind?
8. Tools and techniques needed to study microorganisms.
Course assessment tools:
1. Class participation (responses to I-clickers and other questions) and identification of two lab
unknowns (5%).
2. Three laboratory exams (40%)
3. Written scientific paper on self-examination and identification of bacteria on each student’s
own nose, throat, gums, or face and interpretation of results (15%)
4. Three lecture exams (40%)
Text:
Madigan, M.T., J. M. Martinko, P.V. Dunlap, and D.P. Clark. 2014. Biology of Microorganisms,
13th edition Pearson / Benjamin Cummings. Supposed to be available in January 2014
Lecture Response System:
Attendance will be taken using the “I-Clickers” system. In Professor Lee’s lectures, students
will be expected to respond to 90% or more of the questions asked. There is no penalty for
wrong answers. Late arriving students are penalized by non-responses to the questions already
asked.
Additional resources:
Syllabus, Lecture schedule, Power Point® slides (you supply a DVD for copies of slides
presented in class; Blackboard is limited in the MB that it can hold and transmit). Study guides
and practice exams on CUNY Bio: 35000 Blackboard site.
Lecture topics:
1. Introduction to microbiology: microbial cells, the diversity of microbial forms. What is
Life? How do we define it? Is there life elsewhere in the universe? Some founders and
Nobel prize winners –microbial history.
2. Microbial growth and culture, tools of microbiologists
3. Nutrition, and Comparative metabolic pathways of microbes
4. Industrial microbiology
5. Microbial ecology and nutrient cycles
6. Bioremediation
7. Microbial symbioses with other organisms and the evolution of life on Earth
8. Viruses
9. Microbial genetics
10. The human microbiome
11. Microbial disease processes
12. Host defense mechanisms and brief introduction to immunology
13. Bioterrorism and germ warfare
Tentative lecture schedule on Tuesdays
Date
Lecture Topic
January
28
Introduction to microbiology: microbial cell
structure, evolution and diversity
February
4
Continuation of topic 1. Microbial growth and
culture, tools of microbiologists
11
Nutrition,
and
comparative
metabolic
pathways of microbes
Nutrition, and comparative metabolic
pathways of microbes
Lecture exam
18
25
March 4
11
18
25
Industrial microbiology and biotechnology
Microbial ecology and nutrient cycles and
bioremediation
Microbial symbioses with other organisms and
the evolution of life on Earth
April 1
8
Lecture exam
Microbial symbioses with other organisms and
the evolution of life on Earth
Spring Recess
Microbes and the human microbiome
15-22
29
Text
book Special notes
references
Consult lab
manual for
details on
microscopy
Pay attention.Not
usual orientation
May 6
13
15
Microbes and human diseases; bioterrorism
and germ warfare
Brief introduction to Immunology and human
defense systems
Finals week
Academic integrity:
The CCNY policy on academic integrity will be followed. A document is posted on Blackboard
as well as the CCNY website (CUNY policy on academic integrity—link is at the bottom of the
home page). Make sure you have read the details regarding plagiarism and cheating, in case you
are not clear about the rules of the college. Cases where academic integrity is compromised will
be prosecuted according to these rules.
Attendance:
See above for student response system—I-Clickers. If you miss 2 or more lectures and/or labs,
you will have missed a substantial portion of the course. You are responsible for obtaining the
information on your own. Labs cannot be made up because of limited space in the lab for storage
of instruments and supplies.
Syllabus is subject to change:
The course syllabus and schedule may change due to various circumstances. You are
responsible for any announcements made during class, even if you were absent.
Course policies:
Cell phone and pager sounds are disruptive to the class and must be silenced (turned off or set on
vibrate mode). Please be considerate of your classmates; if you must answer the phone, leave the
room before doing so.
Exams:
Under no circumstance may you bring an electronic devise to consult with during an exam. Plan
your “potty breaks” for before or after the exam. Missed labs, lab and lecture exams may NOT
be made up. If you are absent for a lab or lecture exam, you WILL receive a zero. Exams may
only be made up for a serious or compelling reason. You must provide appropriate medical
documentation for your absence and the makeup test will be in a format that does not repeat that
of the regular class exam.
Evaluation of your performance:
There will be 2, within the semester, lecture exams and 1 final exam. There will be 3 (1 hour)
laboratory examinations. There are 6 lab and lecture examinations in total and will count equal
weight. The best 2 of the 3 lab exams will be used to compute your final grade. The lab report
and lecture exams are mandatory and will be included towards the final grade. Class
participation and two lab unknowns will be taken into consideration for students with grades on
the border. Student participation will be measured with the “I-Clickers” system
Lab report format:
Four to five pages, Times New Roman, 12 pt font, double space. It is best to use the past tense
except for the discussion. Your lab report should include: Introduction (purpose, background),
Methods (enough detail so that anyone not involved in the course can understand what you did
(stains-diagnostic tests), Results (what you found--results of diagnostic tests, procedures for
identification), and Discussion (some information about the organism you found, can it be a
disease-causing organism? if so, under what circumstances? if there is some question about
identification, what further tests would need to be done? etc.). References should be written out
as in a traditional scientific journal format.