BIO370Y5Y LEC0101 Syllabus
BIO370Y5Y LEC0101 Syllabus
Course Description
In-depth discussion of bacterial structure and ultrastructure; physiology and nutrition; growth and cultivation; nature of viruses
(bacteriophage and a limited survey of animal viruses and their properties); microbial genetics; immunology; the role of micro-
organisms in medicine, industry, agriculture and ecology. [48L, 72P]
Prerequisite: BIO206H5 and BIO207H5 and 2013-14 and prior: BIO206H5 and BIO207H5 and BIO215H5; (SCI)
Distribution Requirement: SCI
The UTM Calendar states that students who lack the prerequisites for a course can be deregistered at any time
Objectives
This course aims to facilitate student understanding of the structure, function, molecular organization, metabolism, genetics, and
global impact of microbial organisms. Through lectures and experimentation, students will explore a broad foundation of topics in
microbiology and learn to perform a wide range of investigative techniques in the field. Students who complete this course will
have a broad foundation to explore the expansive field of microbiology and be capable of performing many of the latest
experimental techniques in the field.
https://uoftbookstore.vitalsource.com/textbooks?term=9781260597554
2. Quercus: All supplementary materials from lectures and labs will be available on the course Quercus page. Scores on graded
assessments will also be posted on Quercus.
https://q.utoronto.ca/courses/275717
3. Other Technical Requirements: In order to access Quercus and complete assignments, students will require access to a
computer, internet, and a printer. You can also take advantage of online learning resources (Learn Anywhere) that were constructed
by the staff at the UTM library in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
https://utm.library.utoronto.ca/students/quercus/learn-anywhere
All of the term tests in this course will be delivered in-person during the designated lecture in the designated lecture hall (see
Lecture Schedule). They will be closed note and must be completed independently. No phones or electronics are permitted to be
used during your term tests. Each test will be graded out of 100 points. The first term test will be worth 10% of your final grade in
this course as you familiarize yourselves with the format. The second, third, and fourth term tests will then each be worth 20% of
your final grade.
Fall Term Test 1 will primarily cover Fall Lectures 1 to 10 and the corresponding readings. Fall Term Test 2 will cover Fall
Lectures 11 to 20 and the corresponding readings. Spring Term Test 1 will cover Spring Lectures 1 to 10 and the corresponding
readings. Spring Term Test 2 will cover Spring Lectures 11 to 20 and the corresponding readings. If the material covered on any
term test changes because of modifications to our schedule, you will be notified prior to the test.
While the material covered on tests will focus heavily on the topics covered in lecture, the readings will help to connect topics,
which will be important for short answer and long answer questions. These questions may also draw somewhat on earlier lectures
not covered by this term test when the topics are highly connected. In other words, while each term test will focus mostly on
recently covered lectures, they should be considered cumulative with respect to critical concepts that we revisit throughout the
course.
Lab Overview
All labs will be held in DV4073 during your designated lab period on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, starting at 2:10 pm. Each
lab will begin with a brief introduction by your TA's, followed by an interactive laboratory experience where you and your lab
mates will explore some of the latest laboratory techniques in the field of microbiology. Pre-lab quizzes will require you to read the
lab manual before your lab and answer a series of basic questions about the lab. Follow-up worksheets will then require you to
record and analyze the data that you collect. Finally, a multi-week investigative lab focussed on the identification of an unknown
bacterial sample will include a formal lab report and there will be a practical exam at the end of the semester. The lab component of
this course will be worth 30% of your grade (15% per term) and the grade breakdown for each term is provided below.
Live Lectures: Lectures will provide detailed coverage of a series of critical topics in microbiology, including microbial diversity,
microbial metabolism, microbial genetics, virology, microbial ecology, pathogenicity, immunology, and microbial disease. In-class
activities will include discussions, investigative activities, and reflective exercises.
Lab Sessions: Laboratories will provide an interactive experience where you will conduct experiments that are used in research
and medical laboratories around the world with the guidance of your TAs. These sessions will include both individual and group
activities that are hands-on and will allow for active interactions with knowledgeable personnel in a small-class setting. Some labs
will also include a lab report and most labs include a post-lab worksheet. Attendance to all lab sessions is mandatory.
All e-mails from students must include your full name and student number as well as have the course code in the subject line.
Re-Mark Policy
Requests for re-evaluation of course work must be made in writing to the instructor no later than one month following the return of
the work. Re-evaluation may result in a grade increase, decrease, or no change.
Requests for re-evaluation of course work must be made via e-mail to the course instructor (for term tests) or your TAs (for lab
assessments) no later than one month following the return of the work. Your request should consist of an itemized list indicating all
proposed grading errors. However, any time a re-mark is requested, the entire assessment will be subject to a re-grade. This re-
evaluation may result in a grade increase, decrease, or no change, and you must accept the resulting mark whether it has increased
are decreased (i.e., you cannot revert to your original grade if there is a decrease).
If you are not satisfied with your re-grade, you do have two-weeks from the date you receive your re-evaluation to submit a
secondary appeal to your instructor. Secondary appeals will only be considered if there is a substantial error comprising more than
5% of your grade. The procedures for secondary appeals are the same as those for initial appeals (see above). You may only appeal
a mark beyond the instructor if the term work is worth at least 20% of the course grade.
Most of the materials for this course will made available to students on Quercus page. However, these materials belong to your
instructor, the university, and potentially other sources. They are protected by copyright. In this course, you are permitted to
download these materials for your own academic use, but you should not copy, share, or use them for any other purpose without the
explicit permission of your instructor. Live lectures and Q&A sessions should also not be recorded for any reason without the
permission of your instructor.
Religious Observance
Information about the University's Policy on Scheduling of Classes and Examinations and Other Accommodations for Religious
Observances is at http://www.viceprovoststudents.utoronto.ca/publicationsandpolicies/guidelines/religiousobservances.htm
Classroom Management
In order to establish a learning routine, all students are strongly encouraged to attend live lectures at their regularly scheduled
times. Studying from the PowerPoints online should be used a last-resort or for review, and should always be supplemented with
notes taken by one of your classmates during the live lecture. Missing lectures will also potentially result in missed in-class
activities, which are the primary consideration in decisions to boost final grades. Following scheduled lectures, office hours will be
available to address any questions that come up during the lecture in my office (DV3034).
In the event that a live lecture or a lab has to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, students will be notified via email. You
should notify your TA as soon as possible if you will be forced to miss a laboratory for excused circumstances. If these rare cases,
we will attempt to coordinate make-up labs or activities.
You are expected to submit all assignments on time, complete all term tests, and attend all labs. The University of Toronto is
temporarily suspending the need for a doctor's note or medical certificate for absences from academic participation, but all absences
must still be declared via the Absence Declaration tool on ACORN. You are also responsible for contacting your instructors to
request the academic consideration you are seeking. Please note that holidays and pre-purchased plane tickets, general family plans,
lack of preparation, or too many other tests are not acceptable excuses for missing a term test or a lab. If you miss a submission
deadline, term test, or a lab due to university-approved circumstances, you must do the following:
Any email declaration that is submitted for missed assignments, tests, or labs represents an appeal from you, requesting the
opportunity to make up that portion of your grade in some other manner. If an appeal is not received, or if the appeal is deemed
unacceptable, you may receive a grade of zero for the item that was missed. If the appeal is granted - that is, your reason for
absence is considered acceptable - then a mechanism for making up the missed item will be offered.
Late assignments that are not approved for an extension will be docked20% per business day. If you miss a term test and satisfy
the academic accommodation criteria, the weight of your grade for the missed test will be shifted to the next term test. However,
this accommodation is only available once in this course and is not available on the final term test. If multiple term tests or the final
term test is missed due to approved circumstances, a makeup oral examination will be administered for you by your course
instructor. Only one absence from the lab is available in this course for each term and all missed labs will require corresponding
make-up assessments. If multiple laboratories are missed in a term, you may receive a grade of zero for the lab component of the
term.
Academic Integrity
The code of Behaviour on Academic Matters states that:
The University and its members have a responsibility to ensure that a climate that might encourage, or conditions that
might enable, cheating, misrepresentation or unfairness not be tolerated. To this end all must acknowledge that seeking
credit or other advantages by fraud or misrepresentation, or seeking to disadvantage others by disruptive behaviour is
unacceptable, as is any dishonesty or unfairness in dealing with the work or record of a student.
It is your responsibility as a student at the University of Toronto, to familiarize yourself with, and adhere to, both the Code of
Student Conduct and the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters.
This means, first and foremost, that you should read them carefully.
The Code of Student Conduct is available from the U of T Mississauga website (Registrar > Academic Calendar > Codes
and Policies) or in your print version of the Academic Calendar.
The Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters is available from the U of T Mississauga website (Registrar > Academic
Calendar > Codes and Policies) or in your print version of the Academic Calendar.
Another helpful document that you should read is How Not To Plagiarize, by M. Proctor.
Other Resources
AccessAbility
The University accommodates students with disabilities who have registered with the AccessAbility Resource Centre. Please let me
know in advance, preferable in the first week of class, if you will require any accommodation on these grounds. To schedule a
registration appointment with a disability advisor, please call the centre at 905-569-4699 or e-mail at: [email protected].
http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/access/
We will make every effort to stick to the preliminary schedule outlined below. However, given the unique circumstances presented
by each academic year, the lecture schedule is subject to change. Any updates to the course schedule will be posted on Quercus and
the material covered on term tests will be modified accordingly. Lectures will be held on Monday's from 11:10 AM to 12:00 PM in
IB140 and Wednesday's from 1:10 PM to 2:00 PM in IB140.
A complete domain-to-species taxonomy for bacteria and archaea Parks et al., 2020 (Nature
Biotech)
Mon Nov 21st Eukaryotic and Archaeal Transcription Eukaryotic and Archaeal Translation Prescott's Microbiology
A programmable dual-RNA-Guided DNA Endonuclease in Adaptive Bacterial Jinek et al., 2012 (Science)
Immunity
We will make every effort to stick to the preliminary schedule outlined below. However, given the unique circumstances presented
by each academic year, the lecture schedule is subject to change. Any updates to the course schedule will be posted on Quercus and
the material covered on term tests will be modified accordingly. Lectures will be held on Monday's from 11:10 AM to 12:00 PM in
IB235 and Wednesday's from 1:10 PM to 2:00 PM in IB140.
Environmental genome shotgun sequencing of the Sargasso Sea Venter et al., 2004 (Science)
Wed Mar 29th Microbial Diseases: Bacteria, Fungi, and Protists Prescott's Microbiology
Last Date to drop course from Academic Record and GPA is February 20, 2023.
Every attempt will be made to follow this syllabus, but its content are subject to change, according to the rules as outlined in the
UTM Instructor's Handbook, section 3.2.2.