Department of Biology
Three credit hours
Prerequisites: 12 hours of Biology, 9 hours of Chemistry
Dr. Stine
kstine@ashland.edu
Course description: Survey of the major categories of biologically active substances and their effects on humans. This course will cover both the therapeutic and potentially toxic aspects of drug administration, as well as examining the actions of classes of toxicants such as solvents, pesticides, and heavy metals.
Course objectives: To help students gain a familiarity with the many different types of drugs and toxicants and their biomedical actions.
Content of course: See attached schedule
Instructional approach: Three lecture hours per week. Almost all test material will come from your class notes, and we will regularly discuss topics which are not covered in your textbook. Therefore, although roll will not be taken each day, regular class attendance is expected and will be to your benefit. Do not rely on "getting the notes from someone" on a regular basis- - it will make things much more difficult for you in the long run.
Evaluative criteria: There will be four lecture tests during the semester, each worth 100 points. There will be a 100 point non-cumulative test during finals. Tests are an important part of this course and it is your responsibility to be in class on test days. If you are ill or have another valid excuse, you must notify me prior to the scheduled test to arrange how it will be made up. Otherwise you will receive a zero for that test. Make- up tests will generally be either an essay type or oral exam. Students wishing to take this course for graduate credit must in addition complete a paper or project worth 100 points.
Along with the four tests and final this semester, you will have one additional assignment. Each student will be responsible for a paper to be worth a total of 100 points. In this paper you will discuss three things. First, you will give some background information on the disease of your choice. There are many, many options here--my only requirement is that it be a disease that is currently being actively researched. Second, you will research and discuss current therapies for this disease. Third, you will discuss current research in this field and speculate on how that research might be applied to develop new and better therapies. To keep you on track, we'll have several "checkpoints" during the semester:
We will discuss this assignment in more detail as the semester progresses.
Grades will be figured on the basis of total points:
So for a total of 600 points, 540 and up will be in the A range, 480- 539 will be in the B range, 420- 479 will be in the C range, 360- 419 will be in the D range, and 359 or fewer points corresponds to an F. Don't get too worried about counting points, though. Just work hard and do your best and the points will take care of themselves.
Resource materials: The textbook is Pharmacology by Rang, Dale, Ritter, and Gardner.
This book will be used for both fall and spring semesters. Chapters we will cover at least in part are listed on the syllabus so that you may look ahead if you wish. More specific assignments will be given regularly throughout the course. Although you may bring your book to class to refer to figures, structures, etc., it is usually not necessary.
If you have problems or questions, I encourage you to come by my office during office hours, or call to make an appointment for other times. During office hours I will be either in my office OR somewhere nearby (in the labs upstairs, for example). I usually try to leave a note on my door when I have to step out for longer than just a moment, so if there's no note I'll probably be back within a few minutes. You can wait briefly, or leave a message with the secretary in the main office and I will get back with you as soon as possible. Likewise, if you call during office hours and I'm not there to answer my phone, it will ring in the main office. They can either track me down or take a message. Also meetings and other conflicts occasionally require me to change or cancel office hours. I will do my best to notify you in advance, if possible, or at least to have a note posted explaining the circumstances.
Office: 207 Kettering
Office hours: see my home page for current office hours
Tentative Schedule
| Week | Topic covered |
| 1 | Digitalis |
| 2 | Antiarrhythmic drugs, angina |
| 3 | Anticoagulants Body fluids |
| 4 | Drugs that act on the kidney |
| 5 | Antihypertensives |
| 6 | Drugs and the gastrointestinal tract |
| 7 | Endocrine system |
| 8 | Endocrine, cont. |
| 9 | Reproductive systems and contraceptives |
| 10 | General principles of antibiotic therapies, Antimicrobials |
| 11 | Antimicrobials, cont., Antifungals, Antiparasitic drugs |
| 12 | Antivirals, AIDS therapy |
| 13 | Cancer chemotherapy, Immune suppression, stimulation |
| 14 | Heavy metals Solvents |
| 15 | Pesticides Biological toxins Radiation |