Department of Zoology
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

ZOOL 409 -- HISTOLOGY

 

• COURSE DESCRIPTION
• SYLLABUS
• GRADING AND OTHER POLICIES
• CLASS NOTES
• LINKS TO RELATED SITES

 

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ZOOL 409,  Histology

COURSE DESCRIPTION.  This course is intended to provide life-sciences students with an introduction to the microscopic structure of animal tissues, with strong emphasis on human anatomy.

Objectives.  By the end of the course, successful students should be familiar with the organization and appearance of animal tissues; should be able, with a microscope, to identify specimens (including cell and tissue components) from all major organs of the body; and should understand the relationship between tissue composition and organ function.

Evaluation will be based on written examinations of lecture/text-book content (primarily short-answer and multiple-choice formats), on practical laboratory examination (visual identification of specimens) and on class participation (e.g., lab notebook).

Prerequisites:   10 hours of biological science.

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• SYLLABUS
• GRADING AND OTHER POLICIES
• CLASS NOTES

Syllabus

ZOOL 409         HISTOLOGY         SPRING 2008
Lecture:  Monday and Wednesday 4:00pm, Room 450 LSII
Laboratory:  Tuesday and Thursday 11:00am (section 001) or 2:00p.m. (section 002), Room 303 LSII

• Beginning of SYLLABUS
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ZOOL 409 -- HISTOLOGY

Additional grade consideration may be given (at the discretion of the instructor) for well-kept lab notebook, with thorough specimen observations documented by recognizable, accurately labelled drawings. 

 

 

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• GRADING
• ABSENCES
• WITHDRAWAL
• EXAMINATIONS

 

Absences:   Class attendance is expected, and regular class participation can contribute significantly to exam performance and to grade.   Attendance for exams is required.   A grade of 0 will be recorded for any examinations missed due to unexcused absence.   For excused absence from one exam, a make-up exam or alternative work must be scheduled with the instructor.  Valid excuses include previously approved official University trips or illnesses attested to in writing by the Health Service.   Any other excuses must be validated by the Dean of your College.

Withdrawal from the course:   Rules and dates for withdrawal may be found at the registrar web page.  Note that official withdrawal REQUIRES that a student process a program change through his/her advisor and the registration center.   Merely stopping attendance will result in a grade of F, even if an instructor has been informed of your intent.

Examinations:   Midterm lecture and laboratory exams will be held during regularly scheduled class periods.   Final lecture and laboratory exams will be scheduled during finals week (see SIU final exam schedule).   Each exam will represent 100 points (see grade scale above).   Questions may be multiple choice, short answer, or essay and will be based primarily on information and ideas presented in textbook and lecture.   Personal identification with photo (student ID or driver's license) may be required and should be brought to each exam.

Text reading and class attendance.  

Thorough textbook reading is essential to provide you with the detailed knowledge for which you have enrolled in this course.  (That is, if you don't read your text, you will have wasted the investment you made in the book itself, not to mention tuition, even if you pass the course.) 

Please, discipline yourself to read each text assignment before coming to class.  In lab periods, the more you know coming in, the more you can see when you look.  Limited observation time is squandered if you must first read material that you could (should) have read before coming to lab.  Similarly, lectures are more meaningful if you already have some acquaintance with the material. 

After class, carefully re-read each assignment.  The material will "take" better after you have seen the real specimens. 

About lectures:  Your instructor shall not be leading you by the hand through the text.  Charles Darwin once observed, "to my mind there are no advantages and many disadvantages in lectures compared with reading."  Darwin, presumably, was referring to lectures as a substitute for reading.  Darwin notwithstanding, many students find lectures to be beneficial, providing helpful orientation and emphasis (as well as an opportunity to ask questions!).  But do NOT let lecture attendance distract you from reading your textbook and using lab time to examine real specimens. 

Class attendance is truly advantageous only with active participation.  That means, most importantly, thinking critically and asking questions (of your text, your instructor, your slides, and yourself).  Passive listening will not address the confusion that YOU feel or help fill the gaps in YOUR background.  Questions asked in class give your instructor the opportunity to offer clarification and additional background information and to correct misunderstandings.

REMEMBER:  The only dumb question is the one that is not asked. 
As Linus, in the comic strip Peanuts, once sagely observed (in response to Lucy's ridicule), "Even stupid questions have answers."   

Extra class meetings may be arranged at the initiative of class members, whether for in-depth exploration of topics of interest or for extra assistance with difficult concepts.  Past experience indicates that active learning -- including thoughtful reading, regular attendance, preparation of assignments, participation in class discussion, and completion of in-class exercises -- is essential for satisfactory grade.

Lab attendance is ESSENTIAL.

Histology is not only an accumulation of information from text and lecture, it is also a skill that requires experience and practice to acquire.

Laboratory provides an opportunity to explore the appearance of real tissue specimens.  No single preparation shows all aspects of a tissue, and nearly preparation offers some surprises.  So look actively, with questions and with intent to interpret all that is visible in terms of the facts and concepts presented in text and lecture.  Note that if you approach lab as a rote "check-list" duty (i.e., "yes, I saw that -- and that -- and that"), you will be unlikely to acquire a deep and lasting appreciation of the body's tissue architecture.

It is your responsibility to establish that you have correctly identified particular structures.
This involves two steps:  (1) Check your text or atlas resources.  (2) Confirm your identification with your instructor.

Prepare in advance.  Read your text before coming to lab. The more you know coming in, the more you can see when you look.  Limited observation time is squandered if you haven't studied before coming to lab.  

Note that our resource slides may be examined only during scheduled lab periods.  The notes and, especially, drawings you make during lab provide an invaluable tool to prepare for laboratory evaluations.

Lab Notebook -- You are strongly encouraged to keep a lab notebook with thorough entries, including drawings of representative observations.

Drawing is one of the most powerful study-aids for learning visual information, such as the microscopic appearance of tissues.

A well-kept notebook, with recognizable and accurately labelled drawings, may be submitted for special consideration.

Each lab period should receive an entry for each slide that you observe, including the following information.

• Date and time.
• Number and label for the slide that you are observing.
   
• A list of expected observations.
  • From text, atlas, and instruction, what features do you expect to see?
     
• A list of realized observations.
  • Real specimens do not always display all typical features.
  • Honestly, from your own observation, what features do you actually see?
     
• A list of features that were expected but not seen.
   
• A list of unexpected observations, or features that raise questions.
   
• Sketches of your observations, with appropriate labels for tissue and cell types.  Sketches should include:
  • An overview (or "map") of the specimen, good for relocating specific features.
    • Anything visible by naked eye should be included in this map.
  • Examples of features seen which are typical or expected for such a specimen.
  • Features which are unexpected or unexplained.

As an aid to sketching, use the the circular field of view in your microscope as a frame.  Imagine a circle drawn halfway between the center of this field and the edge.  Then imagine the circle as a clock-face, with four quarters, and with each quarter divided into three parts.  Use this imagined grid to help position the features in your picture.

If you have a question about some feature that you have found, the best way to indicate the feature is by way of a sketch that shows its location in the field of view and its relationship to other features.  Your instructor may refuse to address your question until you have made such a sketch.

 

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• COURSE DESCRIPTION
• SYLLABUS
• GRADING AND OTHER POLICIES
• CLASS NOTES
• LINKS TO RELATED SITES

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