Fall 2022

Microbiology

Listed in: Biology, as BIOL-270

Faculty

Alexandra E. Purdy (Section 01)

Description

Microbes inhabit the world's oceans, deserts, lakes, soils, and atmosphere, and play a vital role in the Earth's biogeochemical cycles. As humans, we harbor a diverse microbial flora estimated to outnumber our own human cells. During this course, we will explore this microbial world by investigating the structure, physiology, genetics, and evolution of microorganisms with a focus on bacteria, but including discussions of archaea, viruses, and microbial eukaryotes. The goal of the course is to gain an understanding of the unique properties of microbes that enable their persistence and diversification. We will also pay special attention to microbial interactions with eukaryotic organisms, by studying both host and microbe contributions to virulence, mutualism, and symbiotic relationships. Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week.

Requisite: BIOL 191. Recommended: BIOL 181. Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall 2022. Professor Purdy.

How to handle overenrollment: Preference to senior biology majors, then junior majors, then senior non-biology majors or pre-med, then junior non-bio majors or pre-med, then sophomores.

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: an emphasis on group work, discussions of primary literature, problem sets, oral presentations, in-class exams, scientific writing, and independent research.

BIOL 270 - LEC

Section 01
Tu 11:30 AM - 12:50 PM SCCE E208
Th 11:30 AM - 12:50 PM SCCE E208

This is preliminary information about books for this course. Please contact your instructor or the Academic Coordinator for the department, before attempting to purchase these books.

ISBN Title Publisher Author(s) Comment Book Store Price
Prescott's Microbiology (10th ed.) McGraw Hill, 2016 Willey, Sherwood, and Woolverton Amherst Books TBD

These books are available locally at Amherst Books.

Offerings

Other years: Offered in Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2022