BIOL 270 Microbiology

Course Information

Pre/Corequisites

Prerequisite: A grade of C or higher in BIOL115 OR BIOL225 OR BIOL220 AND CHEM108 OR CHEM110 OR CHEM120

Institutional Core Competencies

• Communication - Students will be able to demonstrate appropriate and effective interactions with others to achieve their personal, academic, and professional objectives.
• Critical and Creative Thinking - Students will be able to demonstrate purposeful thinking with the goal of using a creative process for developing and building upon ideas and/or the goal of using a critical process for the analyzing and evaluating of ideas.

Course Competencies

1. Distinguish between the major classes of microorganisms based on their respective characteristics.
2. Use the terminology of cell structure and function, cell reproduction, and microbial taxonomy.
3. Describe microbial metabolism.
4. Explain microbial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replication.
5. Explain mutations including their potential causes, consequences, and uses.
6. Describe the process of protein synthesis in a prokaryotic cell.
7. Evaluate microbial biotechnology and its applications including genetic engineering.
8. Describe horizontal gene transfer in bacteria.
9. Describe means of controlling microbial growth.
10. Explain the modes of action of antimicrobial drugs including identifying the major types of antimicrobial drugs which work via each mode of action.
11. Explain processes related to microbial pathogenesis.
12. Explain the basic principles of epidemiology.
13. Explain the basic principles of immunology.
14. Explain the roles that components of the immune system play in preventing and occasionally causing disease.
15. Describe the field of applied microbiology.
16. Identify infectious diseases including the causative agent and its characteristics, modes of transmission, signs and symptoms, as well as treatment of the disease.
17. Read, interpret, incorporate, and cite information and ideas from primary literature into writing.
18. Demonstrate technical laboratory skills such as microscopy, bacterial cell staining, aseptic techniques, culturing, and isolation.
19. Demonstrate proper handling of infectious and biohazardous waste in the laboratory setting.
20. Apply staining and metabolic tests to characterize and identify unknown bacteria.
21. Enumerate the number of microbes in a sample.
22. Evaluate the effectiveness of antimicrobials in the laboratory.
23. Formulate a hypothesis, and conduct and analyze an experiment with a model organism.
24. Organize, draft, edit, and revise formal scientific writing.