!!BIOLOGY!404!!!!Basic&Immunobiology&!! SPRING!2018!- 2 - IMPORTANT DATES FOR THE 2018 SPRING TERM January 10 Spring Term Classes Begin (Mon classes on Wed) January 15 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (no class) January 29 Course Selection Period Ends February 16 Drop Period Ends March 3-11 Spring Term Break (Saturday – Sunday) March 30 Last day to withdraw from a course April 25 Spring Term Classes End April 26-April 27 Reading Days (Thursday-Friday) April 30-May 8 Final Examinations (Monday-Tuesday) May 8 Spring Term Ends NUMBERS / EMAILS Mike Cancro: 284 John Morgan (215) 898-8067 (office) (215) 898-6668 (lab) [email protected] TAs: Glendon Wu [email protected] Jamie Knox [email protected] 3 - BIOLOGY 404 BASIC IMMUNOBIOLOGY MONDAYS, 6:30 to 9:10 PM COURSE GOALS: The goals of this course are several: First, I hope to introduce you to basic principles and current concepts in the field of immunology. Second, I would like to stimulate your thinking, especially from an experimental standpoint, about how these principles and concepts are formed. Finally, I hope you will leave with a foundation that will enable you to learn more on your own, through critical appraisal of the literature. COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course will begin with a general overview of immunity, followed by in depth considerations of the underlying cellular, molecular, and genetic events. Finally, later discussions will focus upon more specialized issues in immunology, such as disease states involving the immune system, as well as particularly interesting problems in modern immunology. EXAMS: There will be two exams, EACH WITH A TAKE-HOME AND AN IN-CLASS PORTION. They will be primarily essay or brief answer questions, including data interpretation and readings from the primary literature. Take-home exams will be distributed two weeks before the in-class exams and must be turned in with the in class exam. Take-home exams will not be accepted late. In toto, the exams comprise 50% of your final grade. SCHOLARLY PAPER: Every student must write a scholarly review of some area of immunology in which they are interested. The paper should be between ten and fourteen pages in length, typed, and double-spaced. It should be appropriately referenced from the primary literature, including titles and complete pagination. Your topic choice and an initial outline must be approved by me or one of TAs by as early as possible after the mid-term. THE PAPER IS DUE AT THE END OF THE MONDAY CLASS PERIOD TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE FINAL (the day the second take-home becomes available). Check the class schedule for the exact date this semester. After that, 5 chips per day of tardiness will be deducted from your paper grade. The paper comprises 25% of your final grade. THREADED DISCUSSIONS & DEBATES: There will be five threaded discussion/debate topics in each half of the course (one per week). You are expected to conscientiously contribute to these several times each week. Your contributions do not have to be lengthy, but they must be thoughtful, clear, and well-reasoned. These comprise 25% of your final grade. QUIZZES: There will be an optional quiz at the beginning of every session. These are mainly for self-evaluation, and can only improve your final grade. Each is worth 10 chips and will be corrected and returned by the next class. Since these are optional extra credit, no make-ups are given. I will replace your lowest mark (including a zero for a missed class) with a 10. SCHEDULE: Each 3-hour session will be divided as follows: * Up to the first 15 minutes will be devoted to an open discussion of the previous lecture/quiz questions. * The quiz (~15 minutes) will be given and collected. * Two one-hour lectures will be given, with a short break if there is time. READINGS: Required readings in the primary text are given in the table on page 5. I expect you to use these to strengthen your grasp and broaden your perspective on the concepts conveyed in class.- 4 - TEXT: The recommended text is Janeway’s Immunobiology 9th edition published by Garland Press. Copies are available in the University Bookstore or via Amazon.com. ATTENDANCE: Attendance is not required, although participation in the quizzes will allow us to determine if excessive absences might be the basis for poor performance - and could mitigate against any special consideration if this is the case. GRADING: The following “straight scale” grading system will be used: >97 = A+ 87-89 = B+ 77-79 = C+ 93-96 = A 83-86 = B 73-76 = C <70 = D <60 = F 90-2 = A- 80-85 = B- 70-72 = C- Throughout the course you may collect chips. At the end, you cash in your chips, and your grade will be computed by taking your total chips and dividing by 4. If taking the course pass-fail, you must complete all required evaluative instruments (i.e.; both exams, all threads/debates, and the paper, and achieve a final score of ≥60. CHIP SOURCES AND MAXIMA QUIZZES: There will be 11 optional quizzes. If you choose to take them, each is worth 10 chips. At the end of the course, 20% of your quiz chips are added to your other chips PRIOR TO division by 4. The maximum chips from quizzes are thus (110 X .20), or 22; the maximum the quizzes can add to your final grade is thus 5.5. If you miss a quiz, you may get a copy for study purposes, but as they are optional and can only improve your grade, no "make-ups" are given. Your lowest quiz gets replaced with a 10, so if you miss one, that’s your give-away perfect score. PAPER: Your scholarly paper will be worth 100 chips. THREADED DISCUSSIONS & DEBATES: Each threaded discussion or debate is worth 10 chips. There will be ten of these - five in each half of the course - so they are worth 100 chips altogether. THESE ARE A QUARTER OF YOUR GRADE – DON’T blow them off. EXAMS: The in-class portion of each exam is worth 55 chips. The take-home part of each exam is worth 45 chips. SUMMARY OF CHIP SOURCES AND MAXIMA Quizzes 22 Paper 100 Exam I in-class 55 Exam I take-home 45 Exam II in-class 55 Exam II take-home 45 Threads/Debates 100 MAX POSSIBLE TOTAL CHIPS 422 MAX