Course Description for Histology (Biology 204) Fall 2005

Dr. Lauren J. Sweeney

Subject focus: Histology focuses on understanding structure as the starting point for understanding function. Specifically, it focuses on the characteristics of the different tissue types that form organ systems, how they are combined to form those systems, and how collectively they work together to perform the functions of each system. As part of this focus, we will pay a great deal of attention to the cellular level features that characterize individual cell types within each tissue type, as well as how the cells within each tissue are organized to form the tissue. Thus, structural features will serve as the basis for exploring function at the cellular, tissue, and whole organ system level.
  • Histology focuses primarily on human biology, but the details apply for the most part to all mammals, and the broad features apply to most vertebrates. Since all complex animal life shares the same 4 basic tissue types, an understanding of the characteristics and functions of the basic tissue types can be applied to all animals, both vertebrates and invertebrates.
  • Course pre-requisite: college level introductory biology. The content of this course is aimed at students who have recently taken an Introductory Biology course, which covered some of the basics of cell and organ system biology. (That doesn't mean that you remember it all, but that this will be at least the second time around for many of those basic points, and thus you will more easily relearn them!) This means that you do not have to have taken any advanced biology courses to be completely comfortable with the content of this course.
    • The role of the lab: Labs can have many purposes in biology courses. This is a course in which the labs are designed to provide you with an active learning experience that reinforces the major points described in lecture, as well as providing you with more specifics than can be covered in lecture. The act of examining prepared slides of tissues and organs drives home the points more thoroughly than is possible in the more passive experience of sitting in class and listening to a description of the same features. Furthermore, the process of having to find specific features in a larger field of tissue provides you with an understanding of tissue structure that can't be gained from hours of examining perfect pictures of perfect features of that tissue. Thus, the lectures and lab really cannot be separated from each other in this course. The labs are closely coordinated with the lecture material.
     
    Study materials provided for this course:
    You will have several sources provided for you. They can all be accessed through links on the syllabus.
    Lecture guides: outlines of topics covered in each week's lectures, intended to give you orientation for studying and for reading ahead. They are NOT intended to be complete descriptions of lecture content. Links to the syllabus are found at the start of each week's material; one guide per week. 1-2 pages in length.
    Lab manual: The lab manual was written specifically for the slides you will be examining, and takes you on a guided tour through the relevant features for that lab. It contains both detailed descriptions that guide you through what to look for in each of the specific slides in each lab, as well as summaries of some basic points introduced in lecture. Preview contents before lab. Each week's lab manual is linked to the syllabus listing for the lab. Length varies from 4-10 pages.
    Lecture slides (Powerpoint slides in pdf format): Each day's lecture will employ a Powerpoint slide show, which will be turned into a pdf file and linked to that day's lecture on the syllabus. Each will become available after the lecture is completed.
     
    Examinations and grades:
    There are 3 midterm exams and one final exam. Each of the exams has both a "written" and lab component. The lab exam is confined to questions that ask you to recognize the major tissue components and organs. More complex questions about material covered in lab are included in the written exam, reflecting the fact that the lab and lecture material really cannot be separated from each other. The philosophy of the lab exam is that you should be able to recognize and identify anything that is on the lab exam, if you have concentrated during the labs and done some modest reviewing before the exam.

    Exam format: All midterm exams will be take-home exams. They will contain lab questions that ask you to identify specific tissues or structures from pictures that will be included in the printed exam. The exams will be handed out at the end of specific class sessions. They will be due at a specified time, generally at the start of the next class (see syllabus for specifics). The exams will be closed book exams.

    Final exam: The final is a self-scheduled exam. The final is "somewhat" cumulative, which means that, in addition to the new material, cumulative questions will focus on comparisons between different tissues or organ systems that could not be asked until all the organ systems have been covered.

    Exam percentage values: Each of the 3 midterm exams is worth 22% (total 66%) and the final exam is worth 34%.

    The grading scale is as follows:

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    This page updated 8/15/05