50 IMPORTANT DATES FOR THE 2019 Fall term

Aug 27	First Immunology class!
Oct21-22	Fall break
Dec 13	Dead day. Immunology last day of class is Dec 12th
Dec 19	Final Exam begins at 12:45

 

575-7000 is the phone number for announcements concerning University closings. This is useful for checking if the class is canceled due to inclement weather. If the University is not closed, the class will be held.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

As we begin this semester, I want to take a few minutes and discuss emergency preparedness. The University of Arkansas is a very safe campus and there is a low probability that a serious incident will occur here. However, we want to emphasize our emergency procedures for evacuation and shelter in place incidents. Our preparedness will be critical IF an unexpected event occurs!

Many types of emergencies can occur on campus; instructions for specific emergencies such as severe weather, active shooter, or fire can be found at emergency.uark.edu.

Severe Weather (Tornado Warning):

• Follow the directions of the instructor or emergency personnel
• Seek shelter in the basement or interior room or hallway on the lowest floor, putting as many walls as possible between you and the outside
• If you are in a multi-story building, and you cannot get to the lowest floor, pick a hallway in the center of the building
• Stay in the center of the room, away from exterior walls, windows, and doors

Violence / Active Shooter (CADD):

• CALL-  9-1-1
• AVOID- If possible, self-evacuate to a safe area outside the building.  Follow directions of police officers.
• DENY- Barricade the door with desk, chairs, bookcases or any items.  Move to a place inside the room where you are not visible.  Turn off the lights and remain quiet.  Remain there until told by police it’s safe.
• DEFEND- Use chairs, desks, cell phones or whatever is immediately available to distract and/or defend yourself and others from attack.

Commitment to an open and inclusive learning environment:              It is the policy of the University of Arkansas to provide an educational and work environment in which thought, creativity, and growth are stimulated, and in which individuals are free to realize their full potential. The university should be a place of work and study for students, faculty, and staff, which is free of all forms of discrimination, sexual intimidation and exploitation. Therefore, it is the policy of the University of Arkansas, to prohibit discrimination and sexual harassment of its students, faculty, and staff and to make every effort to eliminate discrimination and sexual harassment in the university.

As your instructor, I strive to create an open and inclusive learning environment. The department of Biological Sciences and the University intend to make sure that students from diverse backgrounds will be well served by this course, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit. Everyone in this classroom should feel safe and respected, regardless of age, disability, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, veteran status, socioeconomic status, family background, or worldview. Please let us know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for either you personally, or for other students or student groups. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated.

As members of the university community, we are mandatory reporters and thus must report any instances of sexual harassment, sexual violence and/or other forms of prohibited discrimination. If you would rather share information confidentially, STAR Central at the Pat Walker Health Center (https://respect.uark.edu) does not have this reporting responsibility. Reporting of instances of sexual harassment or other forms of prohibited discrimination can be made through the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance (http://oeoc.uark.edu). We encourage anyone who has experienced or witnessed sexual assault to report the crime to the University of Arkansas or Fayetteville Police Departments. You may also contact the University of Arkansas Title IX Coordinator (https://titleix.uark.edu/titleix-officers.php).

Contact information

Jeannine Durdik:

Email:  jdurdik@uark.edu    this is the BEST way to contact me
Cell:  (479) 530-3071 (note:  I am not available after 9 pm or before 8 am)
Office Hours:  by appointment

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BIOL4713, 4713H, 5713

IMMUNOLOGY

Meeting: Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30-1:45 in SCEN 408

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Important Class Details

COURSE GOALS: The goals of this course are several: First, I would like 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. The assignments are designed to illustrate key concepts. Finally, I hope you will leave with a foundation that will enable you to learn more on your own, through critical appraisal of current science and its literature.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course will begin with a general overview of innate and adaptive 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.

PREREQUISITES: Cell Biology and Genetics are prerequisites. It is very important to review Mendelian genetics to succeed in this course.

EXAMS: There will be three exams, there will be two IN-CLASS exams. The exact format of these will be announced prior to each exam. Exams will be cumulative and comprehensive. They will cover the presentations of classmates, the lectures, drills, and readings. Any absence from an exam must be pre-approved and approval is NOT guaranteed. The 3rd exam is the final.

PRESENTATIONS, QUIZZES, and DRILLS: There may be both quizzes and/or drills given in class. Quizzes will mostly be short answer. Drills will involve problem-solving. Drills will be thought about in small groups and written up individually and turned in on Blackboard or by email as directed.

HONORS and GRADUATE CREDIT: To obtain honors or graduate credit for this course, you need to register at the beginning of the semester. Honors and graduate work will entail leading the presentation of clinical cases and the scientific background of the disease to the class. We will use “Case Studies in Immunology: a clinical companion” for this. I will supply the needed sections.  For graduate credit, no exams will be taken. Presentations [20 chips each] and drills [10-30 chips each] will constitute the basis of your grade.

NOTE for those doing their Senior Writing requirement or taking BIOL 4801 to fulfill their Senior Writing requirement (Durdik, 1 hr) a scholarly paper is required:  The paper should be 15 to 25 pages in length, typed, double-spaced and appropriately referenced. This paper will be graded on a basis of 100 points. It should be appropriately referenced, from the primary literature, including titles and complete pagination. The science librarian is very helpful and he can help you get started with searches. The internet is also a great source, I find ‘www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov’ which is “PubMed” very useful. Finding a topic is the first step, if you don’t have an idea already, come to see me. I have been collecting “HOT TOPICS” and you may browse through this collection. Your topic choice and an initial outline and computer search must be approved by me [the sooner the better]. Make an appointment to see me soon.

SCHEDULE: Each week will be divided as follows:

* Two 50 minute lectures will be given.

* Up to 30 minutes will be devoted to clinical correlations and a discussion of the current and previous week’s lectures/quiz questions.

* The quizzes and drills will be given.

* Remember the general rule for independent study time: a minimum two hours outside of class time per week to study for each hour in class (that is, eight hours per week for a four-hour course, six for a three-hour course).

READINGS: Readings in the primary text are given in the table below. I strongly suggest you use these readings, as you see fit, to strengthen your grasp and broaden your perspective of the concepts conveyed in class.  The vast majority of what I test on is covered in the textbook.

TEXT: The recommended text is Peter Parham’s Immunology 4th edition 2015. Garland press. Available in softcover or as an e-book for rental or purchase.

ATTENDANCE: Participation in class, the quizzes, drills and discussions will allow determination if excessive absences might be the basis for poor performance – and could mitigate against any special consideration if this is the case. I expect you to attend.

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GRADING

For all students, 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-

 

The grading scale will not shift upwards, I promise. However, I reserve the right to lower these standards!

CHIP SOURCES AND MAXIMA for undergrads

 

CHIP SOURCES AND MAXIMA for graduate students

Presentations, quizzes, and drills: The maximum chips from quizzes and drills will be 150 depending on how many are given over the course of the semester. There are no make-up quizzes or drills.

Exams: Exams are cumulative. If the class average exam score is below 70 percent of the total possible score, all grades will be adjusted upwards.

After an exam is returned, written arguments for adjustments in the grading of any question may be submitted within one week of return of the exam. Adequate justification for a change must be given. For instance, quoting from the textbook may help support your request.

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 (the total number possible x 100%.)

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Academic Honesty

Please read on Blackboard or class website and sign indicating that you agree.

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HOWEVER,  THAT SAID

For most of the drills and the presentations, I insist that you do collaborate. Please use these parts of the class to make mistakes and to learn from each other.

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SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND TOPICS

INTRODUCTION TO BASIC IMMUNOLOGY

Aug 27 – How the course will be run, Immune system players and their roles

Aug 29– Adaptive and innate immunity

Sept 3– Innate immunity–immediate and induced

Sept 5– Complement

Sept 10, – Toll-like receptors, NK cells

Sept 12 –continued

Sept 17– Antibody structure and diversity generation

Sept 24 – VDJ joining, secretion and class switching

Sept 26 –In-class exam 1 

Oct 1– T cell antigen recognition

Oct 3 –MHCI and II and peptides, cell biology

Oct 8–   Development of B cells

Oct 10 –  Development of T cells

Oct 17– T cell mediated immunity,  B cell mediated immunity

Oct 24–  Mucosal strategies

Oct 29– Immune memory and vaccination,co-evolution of innate and adaptive immunity

Oct 31– Failures by subversion, inherited defects, acquired deficiencies

Nov 5– In-class exam 2

Nov 7 – Allergy,

Nov 12– Transplantation,

Nov 14 -Autoimmune responses

Nov 19 -Hypersensitivity reactions

Nov 21 – Tolerance

Nov 26 –  Tolerance

Dec 3– Cancer and the immune system

Dec 5

Dec 10

Dec 12 – review and Q&A

TBA FINAL – IN-CLASS EXAM 3