Instructor: Rod Langman email: langman@salk.edu
Office: Salk Insitute (453-4100 ext 1308)
(kiss the frog, or click it, to email me)
The
course:
In
this course we consider Immunology from the point of view of an immune
system that has evolved to protect vertebrates against infectious diseases.
While there are many facts in a subject as large and broad as Immunology,
unless we understand what to do with them, how to organize them, and generally
put them to some use, the facts remain sterile. Evolution is, of course
our guide in how to approach the facts and their uses. As with any rapidly
growing field of biology it would be a fair bet that 10 years from now
half of today's "facts" will be ignored as wrong or in the wrong context.
The objective of this course is to discover which facts belong to which
half.
The
Final Exam:
Emphasis
is given to understanding basic concepts, but it is not always easy to
become fluent in this approach; therefore, the final exam comes in two
flavors. There is the traditional factual exam and the novel conceptual
exam. The setup is a follows. 40% of the final is composed of compulsory
questions, 20% are factual and 20% are conceptual. The remaining 60% is
EITHER factual or conceptual questions. Thus, if you want to take the hard-core
factual approach, you will still need to have some idea of the conceptual
side, and convesely if you want to gamble on the conceptual approach, you
still need to have a solid factual groundwork. The exam is closed book
in defference to the factual content and lasts 3 hours. A letter grade
including the +/- gradations will be assigned and written comments will
be incorporated on the paper that will be available at Pacific Hall as
usual after it is processed - I 'm not sure of the dates at the moment,
but they will be posted. I will add a check box on the final for you to
indicate your consent to have the grade published on the class web site
using the last 4 digits of your perm to identify yourself. I believe there
are not duplicates at this level. These web grades will be published as
soon as I have them finalized - usually by Tuesday, March 23.
What
to expect:
This
class is designed to teach you how to think, not what to think. The topic
is immunology and you will learn the significance of somatic evolution,
both with respect to the immune response and your self. Exams are
designed to help you discover what you understand rather than how many
facts you have accumulated. In short, this is a different experience, but
when you take this college education into the real world, out there they
want to use what you have in a new and different context. I will also bring
online a computer simulation of the immune system that will allow you to
test your ideas and see if they provide a solution to the need to make
enough specific antibody to eliminate the pathogen is a short enough time
(i.e., before it kills you, and you kill it).
Attendance at sections is highly advisable and will earn extra credit. Some topics not covered in detail during class will be presented in section. In general section periods are opportunities to ask questions in the friendliest possible environment (yes, your instructor is a fire-breathing monster who eats meek students).
Also attendance at UCSD Theater and Dance productions will earn extra credit. I expect to see you at at least 3 of the 7 winter performances. The schedule of performances will be posted when dates are finalized. Yes, this is not a course for the narrow minded.
The
web as a lifeline:
AFTER each lecture a summary
that highlights the class room presentation and supplements any point I
think could be improved in retrospect is posted on the web. These pages
can be downloaded and used as a study guide. I do not expect prolific note-taking
because it is important to get the concept in your own way, and copying
mine is not going to get much better than a C. I expect you to be able
to use a concept, not simply repeat it.
Grading:
This
will be on an absolute scale that is designed to tell you how you match
up against the rest of the world, not just your class mates. This means
that everybody can get an A and it means that you will all do better by
cooperating and helping each other - a strange concept, but one worth thinking
about.
Office
hours:
You
will be encouraged to visit early and often.
If you have any questions please feel free to send email. All inquiries will be promptly answered.
Link to an autobiographical sketch of your instructor
The relentless search for red stuff to fill you minds (i.e., further work
is planned for your amusement)