Course List

Freshman Seminar: Infectious Disease - Fact and Fiction.

This is a freshman seminar course where we look at the microbes that cause disease and the body's response to these infections. We then compare what we find in the body to what we see in Hollywood movies. The goal is to learn about infection and immunity and to study the way writers turn this into fiction.

Senior/ Graduate Seminar: Innate Immunity.

We will look at the basic mechanisms behind innate immunity. We will cover classic topics like Toll signaling, macrophages, NK cells and complement. We will also look at behavioral responses to infection, neural immunology and the role of native flora. We will strive to look at immune responses linked to infections and will look at both the immune response and the response of the pathogen.

Continuing Studies 41: How Microorganisms Cause Disease.

In this course we discuss the mechanisms microorganisms use to invade our bodies and study the methods our bodies use to fight these pathogens. Interactions between host and pathogen involve many complex interactions and each organism evolves to win. The course is suitable for students of all levels. We start with a review of basic cell biology and move on to more advanced topics in pathogenesis.