HISTOLOGY (BIOL 465)

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

Department of Biology

Fall Semester 2001

Important Information About the Course

Course Description

This course will examine the microscopic structure of animal tissues and organs. Emphasis will be on understanding the cells and tissues of humans and other vertebrates; however, the application of these concepts to other organisms will also be introduced (comparative histology). This syllabus is based on a combination of laboratory and lecture in two 150-minute sessions each week for a total of 4 credits. Note that credits are divided equally between lecture and laboratory in this course (3 hours/2 credits for the lecture and 3 hours/2 credits for the laboratory). The reason for this situation is that lecture and laboratory are closely linked and require similar levels of understanding; the laboratory exercises reinforce material that is presented during the lectures; exams given during either session will cover material from both.

Course Objectives

The goals of this course are to provide students with:

A basic understanding of the microscopic structure of animal cells and tissues,

How their structure and composition relate to metabolic function and organismal processes,

Criteria for the selection of various techniques to prepare animal tissues for study by light and electron microscopy,

The ability to prepare animal tissues for light microscopic examination using specific equipment and procedures,

The role of histology in various areas of scientific investigation, and

Where and how to find more information on this field of study.

Course Expectations

The course is targeted toward upper-level undergraduate students who have completed, at a minimum, introductory courses in biology and chemistry. Undergraduate students will work in teams on assignments. Graduate students can take the course at the same time and obtain graduate-level credit by successfully completing work on their own in both the lecture and laboratory sections, as indicated on the syllabus. (Please see Dr. Peters immediately if you wish to receive graduate-level credit.) The first day of each weekly session will be lecture and the second day will present laboratory techniques and slide reading. The class is limited to 15 students due to laboratory space.

In the laboratory section, teams may rotate among activities as needed, thus permitting more hands-on opportunities with equipment under the instructor's supervision. For example, rotations might occur among (1) self-study of histoslides by light microscopy, (2) research or preparation of team assignments, and (3) participation in sample processing with the instructor, so each group has approximately equal time in each activity each week. Note that the laboratory sessions are different from those experienced in other biology laboratory sessions (i.e., a single experiment is not done each week; rather, subsequent sessions build on what is learned in the previous sessions). The lecture section will highlight each week=s reading and study assignments; the laboratory section will include student examination of histoslides by light microscopy.

As with any 400-level or graduate offering, this will not be an easy course. The successful student must spend several hours each week reading the textbook, studying supporting materials, and preparing assignments outside of class. Self-directed study skills are important in learning to read and interpret histoslides . A solid background in biology and basic chemistry is essential. The ability to organize material logically; to visualize the structure and composition of cells, tissues, and organs (i.e., develop a Asearch image@ or Amental organization pattern@); and to integrate structure with an understanding of function (why a group of cells is a tube vs. a sac vs. a sheet) will be most helpful. Interim exams based on images from the histoslides, reading assignments, and other materials will be given regularly, along with final examinations based on the textbook, other assignments, and histoslide reading.

Class Preparation

"He who hesitates is lost...."

Reading, research, and assignments are detailed on the following class outlines. Any concerns about keeping up with assignments should be discussed with the instructor prior to class.

Class Participation

Students should come to either the lecture or laboratory ready to participate in all activities (assignments completed prior to class). They should behave in a mature and professional manner and abide by the GMU honor code. Please turn off cell phones or pagers before class begins.

Because this class will cover material that needs to be personally examined under a microscope and procedures that need to be personally experienced to demonstrate proficiency, absenteeism should be limited to illness or emergencies.

Students should notify the instructor before class whenever possible if they must miss a class. Multiple missed classes can affect student grades, particularly in the laboratory session. Students will need to work with the instructor to determine whether class activities can be made up later, although this is likely to be difficult due to schedule conflicts. Students should contact classmates to obtain lecture/laboratory notes and assignments.

Assignments and Due Dates

Research, problem set, and other assignments and their due dates are detailed on the following class outlines. Please note the following:

Assignments should be prepared neatly (either hand- or type-written or computer-generated). Be sure to proofread your work to double-check facts, grammar, and spelling; use spell-check if possible. (Sloppily prepared assignments can adversely affect your grade, especially if improvement is not noted during the course).

Assignments not turned in by the due date will lose 10 points if turned in between 1 and 7 days after the due date and 20 points if turned in between 7 and 14 days after the due date. Assignments will not be accepted at all 15 days after the due date or after the last day of regular classes, whichever comes first. Grades on all assignments will be counted as part of the final grade. (A score of "0" will be given to assignments not turned in by 15 days after the due date or the last day of regular classes.)

Missed Exams

Several interim exams and a final exam will be given during this course in both the laboratory and lecture sessions. If a student is seriously ill or must miss the test for another reason, the instructor should be notified and options for completing the test later will be discussed. The lowest interim exam grade (not final exam) will be dropped. A student can count one missed interim exam as the lowest grade to be dropped; however, no other grades can be dropped.

Course Textbooks and Materials

Students need to purchase the following textbooks and the Lecture and Laboratory Packet, which contains additional notes, reading materials, and assignments. The packet is available in the Johnson Center.

Required Textbooks

The primary textbook and atlas is available in the George Mason University bookstore for purchase to be used in the lecture and laboratory slide reading sessions. This book contains a CD-ROM with color images of cells and tissues to aid your study sessions.

Wheater's Functional Histology: A Text and Colour Atlas

B. Young and J.W. Heath; 4th edition, 2000

Churchill Livingstone

ISBN 0443-05612-9

The following supplementary textbook is available in the George Mason University bookstore and is highly recommended to provide additional explanatory material:

Basic Concepts in Cell Biology and Histology: A Student=s Survival Guide

J.C. McKenzie and R. M. Klein; 2000

McGraw-Hill Health Professions Division

ISBN 0-07-036930-5

Histology textbooks, atlases, other reference materials, and histoslide images on CD-ROM have been placed on reserve for students in this course in the Johnson Center or are available in the George Mason Library. They should be consulted for information and the images studied.

The following methods manual should be purchased from the Book Store for use in the laboratory sessions:

AFIP Laboratory Methods in Histotechnology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and American Registry of Pathology, March 1992, ISBN: 188104100X (spiral-bound)

Books also will be available from the instructor or the library for consultation on the procedures being used. Below are some options for textbooks if students are interested in obtaining them:

Reading and studying histoslides. [Individual work]

Perform a limited Internet search. [Individual work]

Completion of 10 Slide Reading Worksheets. [Individual work]

Two problem sets provided on handouts: practice solving common histology laboratory calculations. [Each individual must complete one, but work can be discussed with others or teammates]

Two standard operating procedures: practice writing, follow directions, learn to document methods (an essential lab skill). [Team work]

Projects

For the lecture section of the course, each student is expected to participate in the preparation of a 5-page research paper on histology as it relates to one of the following fields of study: physiology, biochemistry, pathology, toxicology, systematics, molecular biology/genetics, immunology, microbiology, embryology, ecology, etc. (human, nonhuman perspectives). The objective of this project is to learn more about how this field works and supports other sciences, as well as to provide practice in scientific writing and following directions. The paper should basically provide information on who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Undergraduate students will work in teams of 2 or 3, graduate students will each prepare their own research paper.

Each paper should be neatly prepared and proofread, especially checking for consistency, completeness, and correctness (Help: The Writing Center, OWL/On-line Writing Lab).

These books might help when writing:

Ross-Larson, B. 1996. Edit Yourself: A Manual for Everyone Who Works With Words. W.W. Norton & Co., New York, NY. (about $10)

Sabin, W.A. 1996. The Gregg Reference Manual, 8th edition. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY. (about $24)

APA. 1998. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC. ISBN 1-55798-243-0.

For the laboratory section of the course, each student is expected to participate in the preparation of a final lab report, based on examination of histoslides prepared in class. Students will summarize what was done to prepare the various tissues, draw on all course knowledge to identify the tissues, critique the quality of the preparations, and draw conclusions about the study.

The report will be based on a minimum of 5 histoslides, describing their preparation and interpretation, either as a team (undergraduate) or individual (graduate), including documentation of the procedures used on those samples, why the samples were selected for the particular study (presentation of hypotheses and objectives), methods used and justification, results of light microscopical examinations of the tissues in relation to what has been learned in the class), and discussion of their significance in relation to the objectives of study.

Exams

During both the laboratory and lecture sessions, interim exams will be given on several days as indicated on the following class outlines. A final exam will also be given, and cannot be made up. Material to be covered on the exams is indicated on the class outlines, and will include interpretation of histoslides, as well as material from the textbook and other resources.

Grading Criteria

The total grade received for this course will be based on the following assignments and assessments on an individual or team basis as noted above (graduate-level credit, all done by individual):

Activity Percent Contribution to Total Grade

Internet Search 2

Problem Set 1 2

Problem Set 2 2

Procedure (SOP 1) 2

Procedure (SOP 2) 2

10 Slide Reading Worksheets 10

5-page Research Paper 10

Final Lab Report 10

4 Interim Exams (9 % each) 36

[5 will be given, lowest score dropped]

Final Exam during Laboratory 12

Final Exam during Lecture 12

TOTAL 100

The final grade will be based on this scale: A = 100B90, B = 89B80, C = 79B70, D = 69B60, F # 59. No plus/minus grades will be given. A CURVE WILL NOT BE APPLIED.

Honor Code

The GMU code of honor states that cheating and attempted cheating, plagiarism, lying, and stealing will not be tolerated. Honor code violations discovered by either students, staff, or faculty will be referred to the Honor Committee. All students in this course should be aware of the following policies for completing work and taking examinations.

For assignments in the "Individual" category:

Students are expected to complete the work on their own, usually using the textbook and other materials, although they may discuss issues and seek guidance on questions from other students or the instructor. These assignments are designed to help you learn the material in preparation for tests.

For assignments in the "Team" category:

Students are expected to work with the other members of their team to prepare a product. This collaboration can include discussion, sharing of books and materials, and division of labor as needed to get the job done. Each student on the team is expected to contribute equally. If team members experience difficulty in working together, please contact the instructor immediately. The final product belongs to the team and all members of the team will receive the same grade. The final product can be copied so that each member of the team can keep a copy of the material for future reference, if desired.

All exams will be completed by individuals in the classroom (those registered for the course).

Unless otherwise noted by the instructor prior to the exam, these assessments will be taken without the use of study aids, memoranda, textbooks, other books, data, or other information available. The purpose of these assessments is to evaluate the student's progress in understanding the material.

It is important to note that materials produced for this course, particularly for the research paper, require creativity in organization and presentation, but that the information presented within the paper or other product must be properly acknowledged as to its source.

For example, discussing how histology is used in physiology might include historical information, case studies, detailed methodologies, quotations, and/or data. Statements of a general nature or that synthesize information from several sources need not be attributed to a specific source; however, statements of specific details or direct quotations (Abetween quotation marks@) from books, journals, newspaper or other media articles, Internet web pages, or other authorities must be identified with the name of the author and year in the text and the full citation provided in a literature cited section at the end of the paper. The format for citations will be provided by the instructor. Sources of laboratory procedures included in the laboratory manual must also be fully identified.

Histology Assignments and Assessments at a Glance

Fall 2001

(Detailed assignments and topic outlines are provided in the Course Packet

along with the course information, reading materials, and instructions

for completing problem sets, the research paper, and lab report)

Week	Date	Lecture		Date	Laboratory
Week	Date	Assessment or Assignment Due	Topics	Date	Assessment or Assignment Due	Topics
1	August 28		1 Cell Structure and Function; 2 Cell Cycle and Replication	August 30		Intro to Histotech-nique; Mi-croscope; 2 to 3 Dimen-sions
2	September 4	Internet Search	3 Blood	September 6		Sample Preparation and Fixation, Worksheet 1
3	September 11	Interim Exam 1: Chapters *1-3*	4 Supporting/ Connective Tissues; 5 Epithelial Tissues	September 13		Post-fixation Procedures; Worksheet 2
4	September 18	Research Paper Topic	6 Muscle; 7 Nervous Tissue	September 20	Problem Set 1	Embed Tissue Samples; Worksheet 3
5	September 25		8 Circulatory System; 9 Skin	September 27	Interim Exam 2: *Chapters 4-7*	Begin Block Sectioning; Worksheet 4
6	October 2		10 Skeletal Tissues; 11 Immune System	October 4	SOP on Fixation	Finish Block Sectioning; Worksheet 5
7	October 9	HOLIDAY		October 11		Worksheet 6
8	October 16	*Interim Exam 3: Chapters* *8-11*	12 Respira-tory System	October 18	Problem Set 2	Stain Histoslides; Worksheet 7
9	October 23		13 Oral Tissues; 14 Gastroin-testinal Tissues	October 25	SOP on Staining	Teams Study Histoslides; Worksheet 8
10	October 30		15 Liver and Pancreas; 16 Urinary System	November 1	*Interim Exam 4: Chapters 12-14*	Teams Study Histoslides; Worksheet 9
11	November 6		17 The Endocrine Glands	November 8		Teams Study Histoslides; Worksheet 10
12	November 13	Research Paper	18 Male Reproductive System; 19 Female Reproductive System	November 15		Teams Study Histoslides; Worksheet 11
13	November 20	*Interim Exam 5: Chapters 15-19*	20 Central Nervous System	November 22	HOLIDAY
14	November 27		21 Special Sense Organs	November 29	Final Lab Report	Review All Worksheets
15	December 4

Histology Assignments and Assessments at a Glance

HOLIDAY

HOLIDAY