PLP 2060: SYLLABUS & LECTURE SCHEDULE
MOLDS, MILDEWS, MUSHROOMS,
AND MAN
CREDITS: 3
OFFERED: Each year during the Fall and Summer A semesters.
Note: The Summer A course content differs slightly from the Fall course content due to fewer class meetings.
TEXT: Molds, Mildews, Mushrooms, and Man by James W. Kimbrough
Available
at the HUB and the University Copy Center, 1620 W. Univ. Ave.
INSTRUCTOR: James W. Kimbrough (Mycologist & Professor of Plant Pathology)
Records: Dana LeCuyer
OFFICE: Building 168, west of Fifield Hall, Hull Road. This white, concrete block building houses my lab, office, and the Fungal Herbarium.
OFFICE HOURS: Because of other classes and labs, you should make appointments, however, since I have meetings in other buildings on campus or am occasionally out of town. (392-2158)
NUMBERS TO CONTACT: Instructor (Tel: 352-392-2158; Fax 352-392-7670; jwk@ifas.ufl.edu); Records (dlecuyer@ufl.edu)
TESTING & GRADING: There will be 3 written exams scheduled on designated days during the Fall Semester (see attached Lecture Schedule). The 3rd written exam is scheduled during the time of final exams. All written exams will be exclusively multiple-choice questions. These exams will be weighed equally and there will be no cumulative final. In addition, during the term, 25 daily four-point questions will be given. Students will be allowed to drop the lowest score of their written exams, but not the daily questions. Each written exam, and the 25 four-pointers, will count 100 points each, giving, after the dropped score, a total of 300 points. Brief review sessions will precede each exam.
ADMINISTERING THE DAILY QUESTIONS: Each student will be provided the daily question or questions as they enter the classroom, but not those who are 10 minutes late. These questions must be returned in person only to the instructor or assistants before the student leaves the room (no proxy), and they will not be accepted until after the class is over. If you have questions or if there are any circumstances beyond your control that make it impossible for you to comply with any of the above instructions, please email the instructor beforehand. He will evaluate the circumstance and email you an appropriate response. Those allowed to take a daily quiz late may do so at the close of next lecture.
GRADING SYSTEM: Based upon a total of 300 possible
points: A= 270-300; B+= 255-269; B= 240-254; C+= 228-239; C =210-227;
D+ =194-209; D =180-193; below 180 = E.
Pass/Fail (S/U) Option: Students taking the S/U option should earn enough points for a letter grade of a least a C. A grade of D+ or lower will be considered unsatisfactory. Students must also inform Dr. Kimbrough or Dana LeCuyer in writing (e-mail is fine) that they have signed up for the S/U option prior to the submission of final grades - this will prevent grade delays.
CLASSROOM COURTESY:
Please be considerate of others and do not talk in the classroom. Please try to arrive and leave the classroom on time. If you have permission to do otherwise, enter or leave quietly. Food and beverages are not allowed in the classroom. The use of tobacco products of any sort is prohibited in the classroom. Disruptive behavior in any fashion will not be tolerated and active cell phones are strictly prohibited. Abusers of any of the above may be asked to leave the classroom and not be permitted to return the daily question (s).
Class attendance is mandatory. Frequent absenteeism will result in a
poor score on the daily questions and can unfavorably impact your final grade.
In case of medical or other unforeseen problems, please call or email the
Instructor. He will evaluate whether it is an excused absence and, if so,
will allow you to make up any work you have missed.
UF COUNSELING SERVICES: Resources are available on campus for students having personal problems or lacking clear career and academic goals which interfere with their academic performance. These resources include: 1.University Counseling Center, 301 Peabody Hall, 392-1575, personal and career counseling; 2. Student Mental Health, Student Health Center, 392-1171, personal counseling; 3. Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS), Student Health Care Center, 392-1161, sexual assault counseling; and 4) Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601, career development assistance and counseling.
ACCOMMODATION: Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office (Students with Disabilities Office, Peabody 202 at 352-392-1261). The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation. Further information is available from the Disability Resource Center at http://www.dso.ufl.edu/OSD/.
SOFTWARE USE / COPYRIGHT: All faculty, staff, and students of the University are required and expected to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.
All faculty, staff, and students of the University of Florida are required and expected to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.
EXAMINATION PROCEDURES:
Because of the large class size, a strict protocol must be followed on examination day as follows:
1. Bring a #2 pencil(s) with you to each examination.
2. Students will not enter the classroom until instructed to do so by the exam proctors.
3. Examination proctors will distribute examinations and Scantron answer sheets contained within a manila envelope as they assign you to a seat.
4. No talking will be allowed after entering the room. Any questions should be directed to the proctors.
5. All books must be closed and notes put away before entering the room. Books and other materials should be placed on the floor with no material open to sight.
6. Students wearing caps must either remove them or turn them so that the bill is facing backwards.
7. When instructed to enter, students will come down the aisles and begin filling seats from the front row. All seats must be filled before beginning another row.
8. Be sure to print your name and social security number and also bubble in each very carefully on the answer sheet. Also, be sure to bubble in the correct Test Form code in the upper right hand corner of the answer sheet.
9. Your name and social security number should also be entered on the question sheet.
10. As soon as you have completed the examination, place both the examination and answer sheet in the envelope and hand it to one of the proctors as you leave the auditorium.
11. Questions about the exam will not be answered by the instructor or any of the proctors but will be discussed at the next class meeting, and necessary adjustments will be made at that time.
12. Grades will be posted at the back of the auditorium during the next two lectures following the examination and they will also be on the website. Grades will not be given out over the telephone or by Email. Please do not call or Email.
COURSE CONTENT: PLP 2060 is a lecture/demonstration course that deals with fungi and human affairs. Questions will be answered on: What are fungi? How do they differ from other organisms, and how do they impact mankind? It will be a non-traditional course that will often go behind the scene to discover often little known but significant activities of fungi. We will be looking at both the detrimental and beneficial aspects of fungi, including their use in the manufacture of medicines, food, beverages, and growth hormones, and the consumption of mushrooms for food and recreational purposes. Of growing interest in biological sciences today is the use of fungi in the biocontrol of pests such as insects, weeds, and plant diseases.
On the dark side we will see that fungi are involved in the destruction of wood and wood products, fabrics, fruits, vegetables, grains, and all sorts of food products. Of growing interest is the impact of fungi on indoor air quality and the creation of “sick buildings” that lead to allergies and other hypersensitive reactions.
A fascinating part of the course involves the mutually beneficial relationships that fungi have established with various groups of plants and animals. Some of these relationships have had a global impact.
PLP 2060:
MOLDS, MILDEWS, MUSHROOMS, AND MAN
Lecture 1 - What are molds, mildews, and mushrooms?
Lecture 2 - The rules of the game.
Lecture 3 - “The Rotten World Around Us”—a video.
Lecture 4 - So many kinds, they’ll blow your mind!
Lecture 5 - They’re everywhere, they’re everywhere!
Lecture 6 - Spitballs, fungal guns, catapults, and cannons.
Lecture 7 - Without them, we’d be up to our armpits.
Lecture 8 - Acceptance or rejection, it’s not a love affair.
Lecture 9 - How to stop a speeding bullet.
Lecture 10 - Providing the better things of life.
Lecture 11 - How to make a lots of dough.
Lecture 12 - A little something to go with the bread.
Lecture 13 - A time to review.
FIRST EXAM
Lecture 14 - Some very intoxicating subjects.
Lecture 15 - Growing mushrooms in your own backyard.
Lecture 16 - Mycophagists, the woods are full of them.
Lecture 17 - Folklore and “ole wives tales.”
Lecture 18 - Why there are no “old, bold mushroom hunters.”
Lecture 19 - Which are good; which are bad?
Lecture 20 - Mushrooms and the search for deity.
Lecture 21 - Soma, the divine mushroom of immortality.
Lecture 22 - Why are there so few log cabins in Florida?
Lecture 23 - The “sick house syndrome,” is yours sick of molds?
Lecture 24 - Allergens and opportunistic pathogens.
Lecture 25 - What happened on the way to market?
Lecture 26 - Ate a peanut, it was rotten; what’ve I gotten?
Lecture 27 - Aftermath of Silent Springs, a time
to review
SECOND EXAM
Lecture 28 - The biological control of plant diseases & insects.
Lecture 29 - Biocontrol of weeds and noxious plants.
Lecture 30 - What is herbivory & how is it prevented?
Lecture 31 - The night of St. Anthony’s Fire.
Lecture 32 - Why an Irish cop on every New York street corner?
Lecture 33 - Beneath the spreading chestnut tree, a thing of the past.
Lecture 34 - Root, rots, cankers, and spots.
Lecture 35 - Baby, I’ve got you under my skin!
Lecture 36 - Silent but necessary partners.
Lecture 37 - Fungi making cozy arrangements with other organisms.
Lecture 38 - Recap of how fungi impact mankind. (review for 3rd exam**)
THIRD EXAM
© 2008 Dr. James W. Kimbrough
