Syllabus: MCB 229 “Fundamentals of Microbiology”

Spring 2004

Instructors:

Robert T. Vinopal, BSP 405, 486-4886

Office hours: Tuesday 10-12 and by appointment

vinopal@uconnvm.uconn.edu

Thomas M. Terry, BSP 402B, 486-4255

Office hours: Tuesday 10-12 and by appointment

thomas.terry@uconn.edu

You may come to office hours, or communicate by e-mail or telephone. We will try to answer e-mail questions promptly, but questions should be short and to-the-point. Don't count on getting last minute advice before an exam; contact us well before the examination if you need help. E-mail is more efficient than voice mail. If you do leave voice mail give your phone number SLOWLY, and REPEAT it SLOWLY! Please don't send both e-mail and voice mail on the same subject - one or the other will do!

Web Site: The class web site can be found at: http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~terry/229sp04/

You'll find the syllabus there, class information, problem set answers, etc.

Textbooks:

• Microbiology, by Prescott, Harley and Klein, 5th edition, 2002, McGraw-Hill

• Laboratory Manual, MCB 229 Fundamentals of Microbiology, revised January 2004, available at the UConn Co-op

• A Photographic Atlas for the Microbiology Laboratory, by Leboffe and Pierce, 2nd edition, 1999, Morton Publishing Co.

Lectures: Tuesday and Thursday, 8 - 9:15 am, in TLS 154

Labs: Begin the second week of class (starting Monday, January 26) in TLS 207. Attend only the lab section for which you are registered!

Hour Exams: (Exam questions will be multiple choice. Know your PeopleSoft number!)

1. Thursday, February 19th, 8 - 9:15 am, TLS 154

2. Thursday, April 1st, 8 - 9:15 am, TLS 154 (bring a calculator)

3. Final Exam: Saturday, May 8th, 8 - 10 am, probably in TLS 154

The final exam will be in two parts, the first part (1 hour maximum) covering lecture material given after the second hour exam, the second part covering lecture material given at any time in the course (cumulative). Both parts will be multiple choice. Questions may require quantitative answers, so you should bring a calculator. There will be a Question and Answer session before all exams.

Problem Sets: As a study aid, problem sets will be handed out about every two weeks. These will not be graded, but answers and explanations will be posted at the class web site.

Course Grade:

Exams 75%

Lab 25%

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ADVICE FOR GETTING A GOOD GRADE IN THIS COURSE

1. Come to lecture on time, take rough notes, and then copy them promptly into a notebook, using your textbook and class handouts to flesh out the rough notes.

2. Read the laboratory manual assignments carefully before coming to la. Don't miss lab, and hand in neat and thoughtfully prepered lab reports on time.

3. Work on the problem sets promptly, using your lecture notes, class handouts, and textbook, then compare your answers with the posted answers. Looking at the posted answers without doing the work yourself first is likely to be a waste of time.

4. Prepare specific questions for the Question and Answer sessions that will be scheduled before each of the exams.

5. Think about forming a study group with a few other students in the course.