Parasitology
(Biology 3270)
Fall 2019
| Instructor: Cynthia Church, Ph.D | Office Hours: |
| Office: Science 2037 | Tue TBA |
| E-mail: churchcy@msudenver.edu | Thur TBA |
| Course Website: http://www.drchurchbiology.com/BIO3270/ |
|
Textbooks:
Roberts and Janovy. 2013. Foundations of Parasitology 9th Edition. McGraw-Hill. New York.
The text was originally written by Dr. Gerald D. Schmidt who spent his career
at the University of Northern Colorado. He was one of the most prominent parasitologists
in the world who published well over 150 articles and three books in a short
life of only fifty-six years. He was an excellent writer, dedicated scientist and delightful person.
Course description:
Introduce the common parasites of humans and their domestic animals
Introduce historical methods for studying and handling parasites
Show the commonality of the symbiotic way of life
Prerequisite: General Biology II (Invertebrate Zoology preferred)
Teaching Philosophy: Parasitology is often taught as a descriptive science where the ultimate goal is to memorize the names and appearances of the more common pathogens. This is important, especially for those who will be doing laboratory diagnostic work. In this course we will use these well-established techniques of the field, but also incorporate research skills and analytical techniques. I will ask you to spend a lot of time outside of class on this course in order to have experiences that will make memorization easy. I have tried to arrange the course so you can learn the basic fundamentals of parasitology while having as much freedom as possible to make it meaningful to yourself. I have developed a number of assignments that I hope will encourage this approach. I will strive to make this an interesting, rewarding class that you look forward to attending. My intention is to challenge you, not frustrate you. If the material seems too difficult, please see me early in the semester.
Exams: There will be three hourly exams each worth 100 points. I will drop your lowest exam grade. For that reason there will be no make-up exams. The final exam will be worth 150 points and it will be cumulative. There will be two practical exams in laboratory each worth 50 points. I will not drop the lowest practical grade.
Assignments: If
you are taking this course it means you are an upper division student. It is
time to think and reason and decide some issues for yourself. The teamwork,
discussion and book analysis assignments will require you to ask questions of
yourself and others, evaluate your peers, find and read new information beyond
the basic subject matter, and communicate clearly and concisely.
Course Evaluation
TOTAL POINTS 600
Hourly exams 200
Final exam 150
Book analysis 100
Lab exams 100
Lab Notebook 25
Teamwork 25
Attendance at RMCP meeting or presentation required for an “A” grade
Grading Scale
A = 90 – 100%
B = 80 – 89%
C = 70 – 79%
D = 60 – 69%
F = less than 60%
Laboratory attendance the first week of classes:
The Biology Department requires students to attend laboratory the first week of the semester. Students who fail to attend lab the first week and do not drop will receive an "F" in the course and will be responsible for all tuition and fees incurred.
College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Academic Policies
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WITHDRAWAL FROM A COURSE
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The Administrative Withdrawal (AW) notation is assigned when a student, or representative, requests to be withdrawn from a course due to unforeseen or extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control. When the “AW” notation is assigned, no academic credit is awarded. The course remains on the student’s academic record with an “AW” notation and counts toward the student’s attempted hours. The course is not calculated in the student’s GPA or quality points. Students may request an administrative withdrawal by completing the form on the Office of the Registrar website after the drop deadline (census date) posted in the Academic Calendar. Deadlines differ proportionally for courses offered during part of a semester, including late-start and weekend courses. Students should refer to the Student Detail Schedule via the Student Hub to review drop deadlines for individual courses. For more information see “AW-Administrative Withdrawal” in the current Catalog under “Grades and Notations.”INCOMPLETE POLICY
The Incomplete (I) notation may be assigned when a student who is achieving satisfactory progress in a course and who has completed most class assignments is unable to take the final examination and/or does not complete all class assignments due to unusual circumstances, such as hospitalization or disability. Incomplete work denoted by the Incomplete “I” notation must be completed within one calendar year or earlier, at the discretion of the faculty member. If the incomplete work is not completed within one year, the “I” notation will convert to an “F.” Students must have completed at least 75% of the course work to qualify for consideration for an incomplete. The student must be passing the course in order to be granted an incomplete. The course counts toward the student’s attempted hours, does not count toward earned hours, and is not calculated in the GPA or quality points. Determination of eligibility does not guarantee that an incomplete will be granted. Students who meet the qualifications may request an incomplete from the faculty member who is teaching the course. The decision to grant an incomplete is up to the faculty member or at the department chair’s discretion. If an incomplete is granted, the student and instructor should fill out and sign an Incomplete Agreement form to clarify what the student needs to do to complete the course. For further information, see the “I – Incomplete” section in the current Catalog under “Grades and Notations.”BEST GRADE STANDS
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Access Center - Accommodating Students with Disabilities
tthe designated department responsible for coordinating accommodations and services for students with disabilities. Students will need to provide an Accessibility Notification Letter obtained from the Access Center to their faculty to activate their accommodations. Information pertaining to a student’s disability is treated in a confidential manner. Further information is available by visiting the Access Center website. The “Required ADA Syllabus Statement” above is also available on the Access Center website.Class Attendance
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