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Texas A&M University-Texarkana BIOL 445/545 –

Summer 2019 Course Syllabus Online Course

Instructor: Dr. Sebastian Schmidl Email: [email protected] Phone: (979) 317-1252 Office Location: Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR), Suite 1128 1041 RELLIS Parkway, Bldg. 8535 Bryan, TX 77807 Office Hours: MW 1:30p-2:30p, T 9:00a-12:00p or by appointment (Note: When emailing or leaving a phone message, please indicate which course you are contacting me about.)

Semester Credit Hours: 3

Course Description: This course is designed to introduce students to the of , with a particular focus on viruses of medical importance. Topics covered include , classification and , cycles of viruses as well as their interaction with cells, mechanisms of pathogenicity, host responses to viral , and vaccine applications. Prerequisites: You should have an understanding of basic college level introductory biology and it is recommended to have at least one other more specialized biology course such as (BIOL 310), General (BIOL 311) or and (BIOL 402).

Course Delivery Method: The course will be delivered online.

Required Textbooks/Resources: Louten, J. (2016) Essential Virology, 1st Edition, Academic Press, ISBN 978- 0128009475.

Student Learning Outcomes: • Learn to identify important groups of viruses based on virus structure and genetics. • Develop an awareness of the impact of viruses on . • Gain knowledge about evolutionary changes, the functional repertoire, and specific host responses to better understand viral infections. • Evaluate available lab techniques for growing, identifying, and tracking the spread of viruses. • Learn how to find and critically evaluate primary virology literature. • Develop comfort and skill with written scientific communication. 1

Course/Instructor Specific Information:

Lecture: Lecture notes as well as details about exams and course assignments will be provided on Blackboard. Attendance of periodic Zoom meetings is highly recommended to ask questions and receive additional course information. You will receive meeting invitations through your TAMUT email account. Students are strongly encouraged to read the assigned textbook chapters.

Exams: There will be four lecture exams and a comprehensive final one. Students will be told which content is covered in the specific exam. The exam format will include multiple choice, true/false, and short-answer questions. Sample questions will be available on Blackboard to guide the study process. All exams are scheduled to be taken online. The examination periods run Monday to Sunday (end of the day). Students may take the 75-minute exam at any time during the one-week period. Tardy students will not be given extra time to complete exams. Absences from an exam will only be excused under special circumstances and proper documentation must be provided. Excused absences include university-sanctioned events, extreme illness or other extenuating circumstances. Arrangements for make-up exams due to university-sanctioned events must be made prior to the exam. In case of other acceptable excuses, you must notify me at the soonest possible time in to avoid getting a zero on the missed exam.

Research Article Summary and Critique: Two research article summaries and critiques will be written by each student following the guidelines provided on Blackboard. Both reports should be in APA format (1.5-spaced and 11-point Times New Roman or Arial font). Grading is based on the quality and completeness of the report as well as on basic spelling and grammar. There are two deadlines associated with this assignment: • First research article summary and critique is due July 7 at 11:59 pm. • Second research article summary and critique is due August 4 at 11:59 pm.

Syllabus: Any changes to the syllabus or course information will be posted on Blackboard.

Final Grade: If you have any issues with your individual grades, you must take care of this prior to the last class day (August 7, 2019).

Methods of Evaluation:

Grading for the course will be as follows (100% total): • Exams (4) 15% each • Final Comprehensive Exam 20% • Research Article Summary and Critique (2) 10% each

Grading Scale: A = ≥ 90% B = 80-89% C = 70-79% D = 60-69% F = < 60% 2

Important Dates (10 Week Session – Summer I; June 3-August 8):

June 3 First class day. June 17-23 Exam 1 period. June 18 Census. Last day to drop/withdraw with no grade. July 1-7 Exam 2 period. July 4 Independence Day. University closed. July 7 First research article summary and critique due. July 15-21 Exam 3 period. July 26 Last day drop/withdraw with a “W”. July 29-August 4 Exam 4 period. August 4 Second research article summary and critique due. August 7 Last class day. August 8 Final exam day. August 12 Final grades due for all students by 5 pm.

Course Outline (Subject to Change):

Date Topic/Assigned Reading Week 1 Chapter 1 – The World of Viruses June 3-9 Week 2 Chapter 2 – Virus Structure and Classification June 10-16 Chapter 3 – Features of Host Cells: Cellular and Molecular Biology Review Week 3 Chapter 4 – Virus Replication June 17-23 Chapter 5 – Virus Transmission and Week 4 Chapter 6 – The Immune Response to Viruses June 24-30 Chapter 8 – Vaccines, Antivirals, and the Beneficial Uses of Viruses Week 5 Chapter 9 – Viruses and July 1-7 Week 6 Chapter 10 – Viruses July 8-14 Chapter 11 – Human Immunodeficiency Virus Week 7 Chapter 12 – Viruses July 15-21 Chapter 13 – Herpesviruses Week 8 Chapter 14 – July 22-28 Chapter 15 – Poxviruses Week 9 Chapter 16 – Emerging and Reemerging Viral Diseases July 29-Aug. 4 Week 10 Final Exam Review Aug. 5-7

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For University policies on Academic Integrity, A&M-Texarkana Email Address, and the Drop Policy, please refer to Syllabus Policies*.

For policies governing all web-enhanced and online courses, please refer to Online Education**.

Disability Accommodations: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal non- discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this law requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Office of Student Life in UC room 126, or call (903)223-3116. For additional information visit Disability Services***.

* http://bit.ly/TAMUT_SyllabusPolicies ** http://bit.ly/TAMUT_OnlineEducation *** http://bit.ly/TAMUT_DisabilityServices

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