BIO 307D BIOLOGY OF AIDS

Fall, 2010
MWF 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. JGB 2.216

Instructor: Barbara E. Moore, M.A., Ph.D.

Office: NMS 3.304
Office Hours: Mon 7:30 8:30 a.m., Wed 2 3:30 p.m. or by e-mail appointment (M F)
e-Mail: barbaramoore@mail.utexas.edu
Teaching Assistant:
Required Texts: Foundations in Microbiology: Basic Principles (7th ed., soft cover), Kathleen P.
Talaro, McGraw-Hill, Boston, MA, 2009 (ISBN-13 9780077263164). [Note: Foundations in Microbiology
(7th ed., hardcover), Kathleen P. Talaro contains the same chapters found in the soft cover Basic Principles text
as well as additional chapters which will not specifically be used in this course. Foundations in Microbiology:
Basic Principles (6th ed, soft cover) may also be used, however the chapter outlines that I post on Blackboard
will be based on the 7th edition of this text.] For anyone who is interested, Foundations in Microbiology:
Basic Principles (7th ed.) text is available at lower cost as an eBook from Course Smart as either an online or
downloadable eBook (www.coursesmart.com ).

AIDS, the Biological Basis (5th ed), Benjamin S. Weeks & I. Edward Alcamo, Jones & Bartlett,
Sudbury, MA, 2009.

Additional materials: Copies of course textbooks as well as other hardcopy and digital materials to
supplement this course are on reserve at the Life Sciences Library, MAI 220.

Discussion Sections: Every student is expected to attend & participate in the discussion section in which
she/he is enrolled. Discussions are designed to allow students to review and clarify concepts covered in
lecture.
48260 Monday 11 a.m. 12 noon JESA209A
48265 Monday 12 noon 1 p.m. JES A217A
48270 Monday 2 p.m. 3 p.m. RLM 5.116
48275 Monday 4 p.m. 5 p.m. PHR 2.114

Important Dates: Census Date/Last day to drop w/ possible refund Sept 10th
Last day to Drop without possible academic penalty Sept 22nd
Last day to change to credit/no credit or pass/fail Oct 20th
Last day to drop a course or withdraw from UT Oct 20th
Final Exam Thursday, Dec 9, 2010
[beginning at 9 a.m.]

[Note: The Final Exam is mandatory. Students should not plan to leave campus prior to this date.]

Course Goals: This course is designed to teach basic principles involving microbes and human disease using
HIV/AIDS as its focus. Objectives of this course are to enable each student as an active participant to:
1. Understand the basic nature of microbes including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses and to apply
this knowledge in understanding how these microbes can be controlled outside and inside the human
body.
2. Understand how the human body is defended against foreign invaders, specifically microbes.
3. Develop a conceptual framework of HIV replication within a single cell and the effects of its
replication within a human host.
4. Understand current prevention and treatment options for HIV based on the biology of this virus.
5. Apply knowledge of microbes, host-microbe interactions, and human actions in evaluating the
spread of microbial diseases within human populations, specifically the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
6. Consider the societal impacts of the AIDS pandemic in the USA and upon nations of the world.

NOTE: This course is structured for non-majors with no prerequisite requirements. However, it is not
an AIDS awareness course; it is a biology course with substantial scientific content. Be prepared to work!!
Course Format: Course materials will be covered using lectures, in-class discussions, out-of-class
assignments, and individual testing. Students are expected to participate in both lectures and their discussion
section regularly. Attendance and participation are the most valid predictors of student success as measured
by grades. To encourage active student involvement, a point system is established through which individuals
can earn points that will be added to their numeric average prior to assigning their course grade (see below).

Use of Personal Computers in Class: Students who wish to use their computers in class are expected to sit
either in the first two rows at the front of the classroom or in the last row at the back of the classroom. [If you
habitually use your computer to access social networking sites or to view non-class related materials during my
lectures, be prepared to be called upon to answer questions relevant to materials being discussed in my lecture.]

Web page: Additional course materials will be provided on Blackboard webpage accessible at
http://courses.utexas.edu . You will need your UT EID and password to enter the site. Materials include
outlines for chapters, Power Point slides, sample test questions, out-of-class assignments, Internet links, student
grades, and other materials as appropriate. Each student is responsible for checking the Blackboard course site
regularly for class work and announcements. It will be my tool for communicating with the entire class.
As with all computer systems, there are occasional scheduled downtimes as well as unanticipated
disruptions. Notifications of scheduled interruptions are posted on the Blackboard login page. Blackboard
support is provided by the ITS Help Desk at 475-9400, M F from 8 a.m. 6 p.m. Downtimes (scheduled or
not) are not an excuse for lack of information on the part of students.

Classroom Etiquette: Although a large part of this course is based upon lecture presentations, all students are
encouraged to participate by asking questions and discussing current events relevant to the course materials in
class. At the beginning of each lecture, I will entertain any questions or comments students may have regarding
previously covered material and/or news items that students wish to discuss. If points are not clearly conveyed
during lecture and/or discussion, you should ask for clarification. If you don't understand a concept, it is highly
likely that others in class share your confusion.
In order to maintain a focused classroom environment and because I find them distracting during class,
I expect that all cell phones and personal electronic devices will be either turned off or set in a "vibration only"
mode during class time. There will be no use of cell phones for any purpose inside the classroom.

Policy on Cheating: All work must be original; and done independently where appropriate. If your work is
not original or if you copy from another student, you will face disciplinary action as prescribed by UT Austin
including reduced course grade, failure in the course, and/or dismissal from the University. For more
information visit http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sys/acint_student.php or
http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/scholdis.php.

Grading:
Exams. Four exams plus a final exam will be given at times indicated on the tentative course
schedule. [See accompanying schedule.] The final exam will be given at the time scheduled by UT and will
focus on various aspects of HIV (the virus), HIV disease and AIDS, the HIV pandemic, public health options
in controlling the spread of this virus, and societal issues involved in HIV/AIDS. Exams will include multiple
choice and short answer questions. Each exam will be based on 100 points and will include materials covered
during lecture and discussion sessions, in course texts, and may include materials from out-of-class
assignments.
NOTE: There will be no makeup (i.e., late) exams given! If you miss one of the first four exams,
your grade will be recorded as "0". There are no exceptions to this policy! However, with sufficient notice
[minimally, 7 days], arrangements can be made for a student to take a single exam before the scheduled date.
Each student may arrange to take only 1 exam early during the semester.

Optional Extra Credit on Exams. In the week(s) preceding each in-class exam, your Teaching
Assistant (TA) will create and grade assignments as part of the discussion sections. Assignments are designed
to reinforce concepts covered during lecture and will have a maximum value of 10 points. Extra credit points
are applied only to the exam for which they are assigned; specifically extra credit points do not carry over to
other exams. For example: A students submission for Assignment #1 is assigned a grade of 4 by their TA and
their score on Exam #1 is 78 points. This students grade for Exam #1 is 82 (78 + 4 = 82). [Note: There are
no extra credit options for the Final Exam.]
 Attendance and Participation Points. Attendance/participation (A/P) will be monitored in both
lecture and discussion section meetings. A variety of approaches may be used to measure A/P, including in-
class student submission of responses to questions. Over the course of the semester, students will be able to
earn a maximum of 100 A/P points. At the end of the semester, students who have accrued A/P points will
have additional points added to their numeric average prior to assigning their course grade using the following
scale:
No. of A/P points earned Points added to numeric average
> 95 3
85 94 2
75 84 1
< 75 0

Course Grade. A students numerical grade will be calculated by averaging their 3 highest exam
scores from among the first 4 in-class exams given; this average will count 70% of your course grade. The
final exam is mandatory and will be weighted as 30% of your course grade. Any attendance and participation
points earned as described above will be added to a students numeric grade and then final course grades will
be assigned using the following numerical distribution:
90 - 100 A
80 - 89 B
70 - 79 C
60 - 69 D
below 60 F

NOTE: There are no additional "extra credit" options available at the end of the semester. Your
final course grade is based solely upon your work during the semester as determined by: (1) your exam grades,
(2) extra credit points applied to individual in-class exams based on a students submission of assignments
through the discussion section in which she/he is enrolled, and (3) attendance/participation points (maximally,
3 points) earned by a students participation in lecture and discussion class meetings.

University of Texas Honor Code: The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning,
discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the University is
expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and
community.

Policy on Testing: All personal items including caps, hats, books, purses, backpacks, electronic devices
(including cell phones & computers) and briefcases will be placed out of view during exams. No one will be
allowed to wear headphones during an exam. No one will be allowed to leave the room during examinations.
There will be no makeup exams given! If you miss an exam, your grade will be recorded as "0".

University Electronic Mail Notification Policy (Use of E-mail for Official Correspondence to Students): All
students should become familiar with the Universitys official e-mail student notification policy. It is the
students responsibility to keep the University informed as to changes in his or her e-mail address. Students are
expected to check e-mail on a frequent and regular basis in order to stay current with University-related
communications, recognizing that certain communications may be time-critical. It is recommended that e-mail
be checked daily, but at a minimum, twice per week. The complete text of this policy and instructions for
updating your e-mail address are available at: http://www.utexas.edu/its/policies/emailnotify.html

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Students who require special accommodations need to get a
letter that documents the disability from the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) area of the Office of
the Dean of Students [471-6259 (voice) or 471-4641 (TTY)]. This letter should be presented to the instructor
in each course at the beginning of the semester and accommodations needed should be discussed at that time.
Five business days before an exam the student should remind the instructor of any testing accommodations
required. It is the students responsibility to initiate all forms required to schedule testing through the SSD
office.
Religious Holidays: Religious holy days sometimes conflict with class and examination schedules. If you
miss an examination, work assignment, or other project due to the observance of a religious holy day you will
be given an opportunity to complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence. It is the
policy of The University of Texas at Austin that you must notify each of your instructors at least fourteen
days prior to the classes scheduled on dates you will be absent to observe a religious holy day. [For
purposes of this class, you must notify me by e-mail or in writing of your upcoming religious holy day absence
at least 14 days prior to your absence. When practical, you will be encouraged to take a scheduled exam early.]

Student's Responsibilities:
1. Attend class regularly, take good lecture notes, and review class notes in context of relevant reading
assignments. Exam material will largely be drawn from my lectures and the text. However, relevant material,
drawn from other sources, may be used in lecture. You may record lectures on audio tape for use as your own
personal study aid. [Video or digital image capture in class is not allowed however.]

2. Prepare for class by reading assigned material before it is covered in class. Minimally read chapter
summaries and/or scan designated chapters for general understanding before we cover the material in class.
Chapter outlines posted on Blackboard will indicate important topical material within each chapter. I expect
every student to read and comprehend the assigned chapters; my job is to clarify concepts.

3. Commit adequate study time outside of class - attend your discussion sections and network with other
students in class to form study groups. You will find that it is not enough to memorize lists of words and/or
definitions. To succeed in my course you will need to use the materials you are learning this means that
words and concepts must mean something to you. Discussions with other individuals help this process. In
addition, you may earn extra credit points toward individual exams by completing assignments in the
discussion section in which you are enrolled. With the possibility of earning up to 10 extra credit points (with
your books open, the Internet at your disposal, and the ability to discuss topics with your peers and/or the TA),
everyone should be motivated to participate in completing assignments.

4. Ask questions - seek help when you need it!! At the beginning of each lecture, I will answer any questions
about previous days' lectures or "current news events". I urge all students to take advantage of my office hours
well in advance of scheduled exams. In addition, you are reminded that there are weekly discussion sessions
where teaching assistants will help you in any way they can to comprehend and apply concepts.

5. Dont fall behind! Use your available time wisely. You have multiple courses and each places time
demands on your schedule. In order to stay abreast of all courses, you need to spend time every day reviewing
and studying materials covered in class, preferably on that date. Concepts covered in this course are
cumulative; i.e., you must continually relate previous material to new material - you will be tested in this
manner as well.
 BIO 307D Biology of AIDS
Tentative Course Schedule **
Pre-lecture
Date Lecture Topic Reading Assignment
Aug 25 , 27 Course administration; Syllabus
Historical Perspectives Chapter 1 [Weeks]
Frontline video clips
Aug 30 Life of a Cell: Basic Genetics Chapter 9 [Talaro]
Sep 1, 3 Prokaryotic cells: Bacteria Chapter 4 [Talaro]
Sep 6 Labor Day Holiday
Sep 8, 10 Eukaryotic cells: Fungi & Protozoa Chapter 5 [Talaro]
Sep 13 Overview of animal viruses Chapter 6 [Talaro]
Chapter 2 [Weeks]
Sep 15 HIV origins & cellular replication Video clips
Chapter 2 [Weeks]
Sep 17 Catch-up Day Exam #1 Review
Sep 20 Exam #1
Sep 22 Controlling microbes outside the body Chapter 11 [Talaro]
Sep 24 Controlling microbes inside the body Chapter 12 [Talaro]
Sep 27 Antiretroviral therapy Chapter 8 [Weeks]
Sep 29 Overview of U.S. Drug Approval Process Guest Lecture
& the Pharmaceutical Industry Marvin Shepherd, Ph.D., Director
Center for Pharmacoeconomic Studies
College of Pharmacy, UT Austin

Oct 1 Drug resistance

Oct 4, 6 Host defenses: Innate immunity Chapter 14 [Talaro]
Oct 8 Catch-up Day Exam #2 Review
Oct 11 Exam #2
Oct 13, 15 Host defenses: Adaptive immunity Chapters 15, 16 [Talaro]
Oct 18 Vaccines Chapter 3 [Weeks]
HIV Vaccines Chapter 9 [Weeks]
Oct 20, 22 Human microbe interactions Chapter 13 [Talaro]

Oct 25, 27 HIV in vivo pathogenesis, Chapters 3, 4 [Weeks]

HIV diagnosis Chapter 7 [Weeks]
Oct 29 Catch-up Day Exam #3 Review
Nov 1 Exam #3
Nov 3, 5 What kills an AIDS patient? Blackboard
[Selected infectious diseases associated w/AIDS]
Nov 8 Overview of Epidemiology Chapter 13 [Talaro]
Nov 10 HIV/AIDS in Texas & Travis County Guest Lecture
Ella Puga, Epidemiologist
Austin/Travis County Health & Human
Services

Nov 12 Global HIV Epidemiology Chapter 5 [Weeks]

Nov 15 Prevention of STIs Guest Lecture
Gulie Fager, M.P.H.
Healthy Sexuality Education Coordinator
University Health Services, UT Austin

Nov 17 Intervening in HIV Transmission Chapter 6 [Weeks]

Nov 19 Catch-up Day Exam #4 Review
Nov 22 Exam #4
Nov 24 No-class (See Dec 1st 7 p.m. panel discussion)
Nov 26 Thanksgiving Holiday
Nov 29, Dec 1 Public Health & Societal perspectives Chapter 10 [Weeks]
Blackboard
Dec 1 [7 p.m.] Panel Discussion: Living with HIV Guests
[attendance required] James Zachary, M.D.
Dennis Nelson, LMSW
David Powell Clinic
HIV+ individuals
Dec 3 HIV/AIDS Q & A
_________________________________
** Actual dates of coverage may change; this schedule is intended to reflect the tentative course
content and relative order of presentation. Presentation dates (or content) may be modified as
necessary during the semester at the discretion of the instructor.