Course Description

An introductory review of the immune system of the human body, including the cells and molecules that play a major role in the immune response to disease. The course will include antigen presentation, cytokine networks, vaccines and vaccine development, immunodeficiency diseases, tumor immunity, tolerance, autoimmunity, and contemporary topics in immunology.

Rationale

Students will have an opportunity to learn about all aspects of the immune system and how it affects medical conditions. This will help students to prepare for graduate or professional school immunology courses and to understand how their own immune system functions while they gain a deeper appreciation of the human body as God’s creation.

Measurable Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Explain the anatomy and function of the immune system, including both primary and secondary immune responses.
• Explain humoral and cellular immunity.
• Discuss cell signaling and hematopoiesis.
• Discuss the immune response to specific pathogens.
• Explain the nature of self and non-self-recognition and tolerance.
• Explain the problem of autoimmunity and immunodeficiency and their related diseases.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (5)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided promptly. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads.

Quizzes (2)

Quiz: Midterm will cover the Learn material in Module 1: Week 1 – Module 4: Week 4, containing multiple-choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and matching questions, and have a 2-hour time limit. Quiz: Final will cover the Learn material in Module 1: Week 1 – Module 8: Week 8, contain multiple-choice, true/false, and matching questions, and have a 2-hour time limit. Both quizzes will be open-book/open-notes.

Case Study Assignments (4)

Proposal Assignment

The student will submit a ½ page proposal explaining his/her plans for the case study paper and presentation that focuses on his/her chosen disease topic.

Outline and Bibliography Assignment

The student will submit a 1-page outline and a 1-page bibliography.

Presentation Assignment

The student will give a 15–20 slide presentation on his/her chosen disease using case studies as the learning tool.

Paper Assignment

The student will submit a 5–7 page research-based paper that focuses on the chosen case study.