Biology 312

Pathophysiology

Spring 2008

A. Course objectives:

Biology 312 is an in-depth, comprehensive study of the physiology of human diseases.  Students will gain an understanding of how diseases affect normal physiology and how the body responds to stimuli, which disrupt homeostasis.  The primary emphasis of the course is on the biological aspects of disease processes.  The course is designed to give students in nursing, other health related fields, and the biological sciences a thorough understanding of the biological basis for disease.

B. Course prerequisites:

All students enrolled in this course must have successfully completed (a grade of C or above) 8 credit hours of Human Anatomy and Physiology.    Enrollment in Biology 392, Pathophysiology Recitation is strongly recommended as a co-requisiste.

C. Required textbook:

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY - The Biological Basis for Disease in Adults and Children.  5th ed. 2005.  McCance and Huether

D. Student responsibilities:

Students are responsible for all lecture materials and assigned learning objectives.  Chapter outlines and the learning objectives are located on the web and should be downloaded and printed as the course progresses.   The course is undergoing some modification, so please do not print out course outlines until instructed to do so. Go to www.lcsc.edu/jfinan and click on the appropriate links to access both the chapter outlines and the learning objectives. The outlines can be used to determine which sections of each chapter will be covered.  Chapters should be read before they are discussed during class. Usually, entire chapters will not be covered in class.

Students are responsible for all lecture materials and assigned learning objectives. The outlines can be used to determine which sections of each chapter will be covered. Outlines include significant portions of the lecture notes and references to diagrams and figures referenced during the lectures

Normal physiology must be reviewed for each system before it is discussed in class. Success in this course requires a solid knowledge of physiology and anatomy.  Students should be prepared to answer questions orally during weekly discussions pertaining to normal physiology.  Students who are not adequately prepared perform poorly in this course.

Success in this course requires a considerable time commitment.  The rule of thumb in a 300-level biology course is that for every hour of lecture, 3 hours of studying are required at a minimum.  Some students may require additional time in order to review normal physiology.

It is advantageous to review the normal physiology for each system before it is discussed in class. Success in this course requires a solid knowledge of physiology and anatomy.  Students should be prepared to answer questions orally during class pertaining to normal physiology.

In the case of an absence, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain the information that they missed (this includes any announcements regarding exams or quizzes). Students who miss an exam or quiz must contact the instructor within 24 hours of the missed exam.  Students who fail to do so will not be allowed to make-up the missed exam or quiz. Students may only make up an exam or quiz if there was a valid and extraordinary reason for missing the exam such as illness.   Exams may not be made up if a vacation or personal trip is scheduled on an exam date.   Make-up exams and quizzes will cover the same material as the original exam but will not necessarily be in the same format. Quizzes and exams must be made-up before the quizzes and exams are returned to the class. Any student who is absent for the final exam and has a passing grade at the time of the final exam will earn an incomplete for the semester and will take the final exam during the next semester. Drop slips will not be signed after March 28, 2008.

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment to talk with me.

E. Evaluation:

Final grades will be based entirely on scores earned on three exams and 6 quizzes.  Dividing the total number of points earned by 390 and then multiplying by 100 will compute average grades.  Each exam will be worth 100 points and each quiz will be worth 15 points. Final grades will be based on the following: 

93-100% = A     90-92% = A-      87-89% = B+  83-86% = B      80-82% = B-     77-79% = C+

73-76% = C      70-72% = C-     67-69% = D+     60-66% = D      less than 60% = F

Students who wish to audit this class must indicate so by January 28, 2008. 

F. Office Hours and contact information:

I am very available via email. Please email me at jfinan@lcsc.edu. I check my email regularly (including most weekends and evenings)

I should be in my office MW 9-11 am on a regularly basis, but I’m available at many other times.

Please do not hesitate to ask questions – students may use email, office hours, or specifically requested time to have any information in the course clarified. I check my email very regularly and

LCWarriormail  will be used exclusively to contact students.  Please plan on checking it daily because   reminders and assignments will be sent regularly via email or posted as announcements on warriormail.  Please manage your LCWarriormail regularly; if your mailbox is full you will not receive any additional email until you archive or empty your inbox.

Students must use their LCWarriormail account to contact me via email.  Because of spam protection on my computer, email sent from other accounts (like hotmail or yahoo) may be placed in a quarantine file and I may never see them.

G. Course content, tentative lecture schedule and chapter references.