FRS 002D —
Sec. 001 —
(2 units) — CRN 76160 — T/R 12:10 - 1:00 pm — 1106 Hart
Contemporary Infectious Diseases
Instructor: JaRue Manning, Department of Microbiology,
Division of Biological
Sciences
Description: As the world continues to shrink via travel and
globalization, contemporary society faces increasing exposure to
novel and reemerging
infectious agents. We live in a microbial world and the anxiety associated with
staying healthy among all the various bacteria, viruses and fungi has become a
major concern for many people in our society. In this course we will learn more
of these microbes and understand that while some are quite dangerous
to us, others
are either beneficial or harmless. We will discuss aspects of the
discovery, history,
societal reactions and medical approaches to selected infectious diseases. As
we learn the modes of action of various pathogens, we will also learn
of our important
defense mechanisms which we possess that act to protect us against
infection and
disease. Topics will be chosen covering contemporary infectious
diseases affecting
humans. Examples of infectious diseases to be discussed include AIDS,
influenza,
mad cow disease, tuberculosis, plague, SARS, syphilis, EBOLA fever, smallpox,
etc.
Format: The seminar will meet for 1 hour twice a
week. Seminars
will be interactive and involve both organized and open discussions
among members
of the class and the professor in charge. During the first several lectures I
will lead the class through an introduction to disease microbes. Students will
then be asked to form groups of 5 each. On one day each week each
group will present
(10 min.) their findings, observations, and ideas related to the group topic.
A question and answer session will follow. Each week a different student in the
group will be asked to be the group leader/presenter. Parallel to these student
presentations will be seminars presented by myself and by faculty
from the campus
or videos directly or indirectly related to topics being covered. Students will
be asked to maintain a journal in which they note thoughts,
questions, and concerns
regarding infectious diseases. Grading: Grades will be
based on presentations (1/4), classroom participation (1/4), their
journal (1/4)
and a short term paper (6-8 pages) summarizing a specific aspect of
their “topic
area” (1/4).
About the Instructor: Professor Manning is a member
of the Section
of Microbiology within the Division of Biological Sciences. He has taught lower
division, upper division and graduate courses in virology, mechanism
of microbial
pathogenesis and the history of infectious diseases. His research has covered
diverse pathogenic viruses including oncogenic (tumor), encephalitic,
and neurological
agents.