Microbiology / Immunology Interest Group: Courses
The Biological Chemistry and Molecular Biology Programs offer a variety of course work that provides a grounding in the wide range of scientific disciplines that are critical components on modern research.
Here is a partial listing of graduate-level courses that are of special interest to microbiologists and immunologists.
Basic Immunology
This is a survey course covering the basic principles in Immunology. Students should have some exposure to biochemistry, modern genetics, and cell biology. The final third of the course will feature clinical and experimental topics in Immunology with lectures provided by faculty directly involved in the particular area.
Host-Pathogen Interactions and Human Disease
This is a didactic course that will examine the mechanisms by which microbial pathogens interact with their hosts and cause disease. The means by which viral and bacterial pathogens can establish both acute and chronic infections, stimulate and overcome host defenses, and contribute to disease states such as cancer and arthritis will be explored. This course is suitable for all graduate students. No textbooks required.
Advanced Immunology
This is an advanced lecture and seminar course addressing topics of immunological research and interest. The course will focus upon original research articles, not a textbook. Students will be expected to participate in discussions and prepare a research proposal based upon some aspect of immunology covered in this course.
Pathologic Principles for the Basic Scientist
This course will present a detailed study of normal microscopic anatomy of human tissues and organs. Alterations in tissue structure that occur in various human diseases will be discussed. This visual course will emphasize the morphologic differences between normal and abnormal tissues. Inflammatory, immunologic, infectious, neoplastic, and other disease states will be presented. Structure-function relationships will be discussed in detail. The course objective is to provide students in the basic sciences with an understanding of normal tissue morphology and the alterations that occur under various pathologic conditions.
Elective Courses
Each year members of the Microbiology/Immunology Interest Groups offer at least one, and usually several advance half semester elective courses for students in the Graduate Programs. Recent examples include Vascular and Inflammatory Cell Biology, Stem Cell Biology in Hematopoiesis and Other Systems, Concepts in Viral Pathogenesis, The Biology and Biochemistry of Cytokines and Their Receptors, Neuro-Immune-Endocrine Interactions, and Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting - Applications in the Biosciences.