BIOL 4125     SUMMER 2010
10:30-13:20     M W     206 WILLIAMS

Instructor:  Brent C. Christner
Office:  282b Life Sciences Building
Phone:  (225) 578-1734
Email:  xner@lsu.edu
Office hours:  Tuesday 11:00–12:00

Prerequisite:

BIOL 2051 – General Microbiology

Course content:

·         Biology of the Bacteria and Archaea
·         Evolution, diversity assessment, systematics, and ecology
·         Emphasis on molecular approaches

Text:

Recommended: Madigan, M.T., J.M. Martinko, P.V. Dunlap, and D.P. Clark. 2009. Brock: Biology of Microorganisms (12th or current eds.), Prentice Hall. Amazon – 12^th ed. (new - $110; used - $90 and up); 11^th ed. (new - $30; used - $5 and up).

Grading:

Exams: There will be 2 exams.  Exams consist of multiple choice (60%), short answer (30%), and essay (10%) questions. If a student misses the midterm exam for any reason, there will be one opportunity to makeup the exam at the end of the course.  The makeup exam will cover the same material but will be in essay format.  The final is cumulative. There will be no early or late finals administered.  The only exception is if a student has 3 or more final exams scheduled in 24 hours and a request is submitted to the University Registrar (http://appl003.lsu.edu/slas/registrar.nsf/index) by the specified university deadline.

Written assignment:  All students must submit a critical analysis of a research paper focusing on some aspect of microbial diversity.  Papers are to be based on published research articles from journals such as Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, and International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.  The paper should be composed of 4 sections: (i) the objective(s) the research; (ii) the methods used to address this; (iii) a summary of the authors results and conclusions; and (iv) a critique of the authors’ approaches and conclusions.  Length should be at least 3 full double-spaced pages (1 inch margins) using 12-pt Times New Roman font.  Each student must choose a research article and submit a pdf version to me (email to xner@lsu.edu; subject line ‘BIOL4125 research article’) by 21 June.  Come see me during my scheduled office hours if you need help selecting an article.  A hard copy of your paper is due in class on 30 June. DO NOT place your paper in my mailbox or under the door of my office. In addition to the hard copy, you must also submit an electronic version of your paper to receive credit for the assignment.  Email this file to xner@lsu.edu with the file named using your first initial and last name in the file name (e.g. BChristner_BIO4125ResArt.doc).  The penalty for late turn in of a research paper is deduction of 10 percentage points per day.  Graduate students: see below for additional requirements.

Class participation:  Student participation in class discussions is encouraged and expected.  Attendance may affect your participation grade.

Additional requirements for graduate credit: Graduate student exams will be different (i.e., contain more essay questions) and will be graded on different standards from those designed for undergraduate students.  Graduate students are also required to submit a research paper of at least 5 pages in length.  The paper should focus on a topic rather than a specific research article.  As with exams, graduate student research papers will be evaluated separately from the rest of the class.  Grades for graduate students will be straight scale, meaning there will be NO curve or rounding of the final grade.  To obtain a passing grade (i.e., C or higher), graduate students must accrue at least 70% of the possible points in the course.

Other course information:

Email and internet access are required for the course.  Students should check the course site and read their email regularly.

Lecture slides:  The instructor will supply a hard copy of the lecture slides for each class.  An electronic copy (pdf version) of these notes will be made available on the course website.

Attendance will be documented but is not directly factored into the final grade.

Study hint:  The LSU Center for Academic Success (CAS; http://appl003.lsu.edu/slas/cas.nsf/index) exists to help students do well in their classes.  At their web site, consider taking their “Test Your Learning Style” to see how you learn best.

Code of Student Conduct:

Students are expected to adhere to the Code of Student Conduct, which can be accessed at: http://appl003.lsu.edu/slas/dos.nsf/$Content/Code+of+Conduct?OpenDocument.  University regulations on academic misconduct will be strictly enforced and violators will be referred immediately to the Dean of Students.

Students with disabilities:

If a student has a disability which may require accommodation, you should immediately contact the office of Services for Students with Disabilities to officially document the needed accommodation.  The instructor must be presented with this documentation during the first week of class.

To make our time together as valuable as possible:

·   Attend all scheduled classes and arrive on time.
·   Come prepared to discuss the material.
·   Please turn off cell phones and refrain from sending text messages, checking email, or any other behavior that might be disruptive to other students.
·   If you have trouble concentrating on the lecture because of a distraction, quietly ask those responsible for the distraction to stop. If the distraction continues, please let me know.
·   Please contact me immediately if you have any problem which is preventing you from performing satisfactorily in this class. 

TENTATIVE course calendar
(Subject to change) 

^† Numbers indicate chapters in Brock Biology of Microorganisms 12^th ed. (11^th ed.).