COURSE SYLLABUS:
BIPN 150 (4 units)
Title:
Diseases of the Nervous System
Prerequisites:
BIBC 102 (Metabolic Biochemistry)
BICD 100 (Genetics) completed
BIPN 140 (Cellular Neurobiology) may be taken concurrently
Time:
Tuesday and Thursday 8:00-9:20 am
Location:
Warren Lecture Hall 2111
Text books/reading material:
Reading will be assigned from:
1. Neuroscience fourth edition (editors: Purves, Augustine, Fitzpatrick, Hall, LaMantia, McNamara, White)
2. Scientific American (PDF files available on class web site).
3. Scientific American Mind (PDF files available on class web site).
4. Lancet Journal Review articles (PDF files available on class web site).
5, Primary research articles (PDF files available on class web site).
Grade:
40% – Midterm with multiple choice questions and 2 essay questions covering first half of course. (Exam Thur. Feb 5 in WLH 2111)
40% – Final with multiple choice questions and 2 essay questions covering second half of course (Exam Thur. March 19 9:30am-11:00am (WLH 2111))
20% – TA grade based on study session oral participation
Grades will be assigned based on definitions below.
Study Sessions:
All study sections will be held in Center Hall, room 217B
Option 1: Starting Jan 12 every Monday, 4pm-4:50pm
Option 2 Starting Jan 14 every Wednesday, 11am-11:50am
You must attend one study session per week. Approximately 30 minutes per session will be used for presentation of a research paper/s relevant to the most recent lectures. Students will be called on to describe portions of the papers and discuss the research. Participation in this will be assigned a grade. Remaining time will be used to address questions regarding the lecture material and reading.
Course Instructors:
Primary – Sam Pfaff (pfaff@salk.edu, 453-4100 x2018)
Secondary – Martyn Goulding (goulding@salk.edu, 453-4100 x1558)
Kuo-Fen Lee (klee@salk.edu, 453-4100 x1120)
TA:
Dan Clark
dan@ucsd.edu
Div. of Biological Sciences
349 Leichtag Biomedical Research Building
m.c. 0674
Office Hours:
Thursdays 11am-12: Leichtag Floor 3A conference area
Map to Leichtag
General Information:
Reading the assigned material before the class is held will help you follow the lecture.
Attendance at classes AND 1 TA session per week is your best way of ensuring you get a good grade. Every attempt will be made to post reading material and lecture notes on the class website (URL to be provided during class). This information will not necessarily cover everything discussed during class lectures and TA sessions, and therefore is not a substitute for attendance.
If you miss a lecture arrange to get the class notes from another student – this is not the responsibility of the instructors or TA.
If you cannot attend one of the two TA sessions and/or the mid term and final exams it is recommended you drop the course because your grade will likely be affected. If an emergency arises and you cannot take the midterm or final exam, the make up will be an oral examination of the material.
Grading and Definitions:
Do not expect to be graded solely in comparison to your classmates (i.e. a curve).
A: Honor grade indicating excellence. Earned as a result of a combination of superior examination scores and ability to deal resourcefully with abstract ideas. This grade reflects highly probable success in a field relating to neurobiology or probable continued success in sequential courses.
B: Honor grade indicating competence. Earned as a result of a combination of high examination scores and commendable mastery of pertinent skills. This grade reflects probable success in a field relating to neurobiology or probable continued success in sequential courses.
C: Standard grade indicating successful performance earned as a result of a combination of satisfactory examination scores, and fair ability to deal with abstract ideas. This grade reflects sufficient evidence of ability to warrant entering sequential courses.
D: Substandard grade indicating the student has met only minimum requirements and is usually associated with low examination scores, a poor ability to grasp abstract ideas, and/or poor class participation.
F: Non-passing grade indicating failure to meet minimum requirements for exams and participation.