Fall 2009

Tuesday and Thursday 10:30AM - 11:45AM in LSE 104

Instructors:

Teaching assistant: 

Lynn Lucas                                                    

Life Sciences A, L1 room 55 (L1-55)                                            

lmlucas@asu.edu

480-727-7839

Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday 12:00 - 1:30  or by appointment

Course Description: This course examines the role played by disease in human existence, from the beginnings of humanity to the present. Students will define what a disease is, learn the difference between infectious and non-infectious diseases, and see how populations and disease organisms have evolved in tandem. Infectious diseases will include those carried by animal parasites (malaria, schistosomiasis), bacteria (such as bubonic plague, leprosy, tuberculosis, syphilis, lyme disease, typhus), viruses (smallpox, influenza, AIDS), prions, and fungi (coccidiodomycosis). This course will also include a discussion of the epidemiological transition.

Course web site:  All information will be available through ASU Blackboard

Text:  Unless otherwise noted in the reading assignments, we will use the course book by Barnes (2005) Diseases and Human Evolution, University of New Mexico Press.

Extra Readings:  Additional readings for the course will be made available to the class two weeks in advance of their discussion.

Grading:  The final grade for the course will be based on three exams and four homework  assignments. Each exam is worth 20% of your total grade, and homework is worth 10% of your total grade. Extra credit will not be offered in this course. All cell phones and electronic devices must be turned off and out of sight during exams. If a student is spotted with a cell phone out during an exam, the student will receive an immediate grade of zero for the exam, and potentially further disciplinary action.

Qualified students with disabilities needing appropriate academic adjustments should contact us as soon as possible to ensure your needs are met in a timely manner. Handouts are available in alternative formats upon request.

Homeworks = four x 50 pts each =  200

Exams = three x 100 points each = 300

                         Total points  =             500

Grade scale for the class: Grades will be scaled in the following manner:

97-100%           A+                   70-76%              C

94-96%             A                     60-69%               D

90-93%             A-                    below 60%         E

87-89%             B+                   

84-86%             B                     

80-83%             B-                   

77-79%             C+

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY!

ASU Policy on Academic Dishonesty: “In the ‘Student Academic Integrity Policy’ manual, ASU defines Plagiarism [as], ‘using another's words, ideas, materials or work without properly acknowledging and documenting the source. Students are responsible for knowing the rules governing the use of another's work or materials and for acknowledging and documenting the source appropriately.’  You can find this definition at: http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/judicial/academic_integrity.htm#definitions. Academic dishonesty, including inappropriate collaboration, will not be tolerated. There are severe sanctions for cheating, plagiarizing and any other form of dishonesty.”

All work presented in this class must be your own, unless collaboration is specifically and explicitly permitted. If a student is found to be cheating on an Exam or Quiz, the minimum penalty will be to FAIL THE ENTIRE COURSE, and most likely a grade of XE (failure due to academic dishonesty). In serious cases, your instructor can request that you be expelled from the university. 

If you are thinking about cheating, be aware that this is a decision that can negatively affect the course of the rest of your life!   By enrolling in this course, you explicitly pledge on your honor that you will not give or receive any unapproved assistance on any quiz, exam or assignment.

The course syllabus is a contract between student and instructor. We will do our best to uphold our end of the deal, and we expect you to behave in a mature, responsible and ethical fashion as outlined in this document. If you do not accept the rules for conduct in the class, please drop the class now.

 Tentative Schedule (subject to change!)

Web sites of interest:

The World Health Organization

Centers for Disease Control

Arizona Department of Health Services

Pandemic Flu

The Black Death, 1348 (eyewitness account)

Genetics Home Reference