Overview
Biology 480: Immunology covers principal concepts of defense systems in humans and animals. You will learn about the components of the immune system and the biological defense mechanisms critical to immune function. This course explores the immune responses to infection and disease, as well as other physiological manifestations that affect immunity when the body is compromised or nonfunctional. You will also be introduced to the current methods of studying immunology and its clinical applications in the field.
Outline
Biology 480 is divided into 16 units:
- Unit 1: Overview of the Immune System
- Unit 2: Recognition and Response
- Unit 3: Innate Immunity
- Unit 4: The Complement System
- Unit 5: The Organization and Expression of Lymphocyte Receptor Genes
- Unit 6: The Major Histocompatibility Complex and Antigen Presentation
- Unit 7: T-Cell and B-Cell Development and Activation
- Unit 8: Effector Responses: Antibody- and Cell-Mediated Immunity
- Unit 9: Barrier Immunity: The Immunology of Mucosa and Skin
- Unit 10: The Immune Response in Space and Time
- Unit 11: Allergy, Hypersensitivities, and Chronic Inflammation
- Unit 12: Tolerance, Autoimmunity and Transplantation
- Unit 13: Infectious Disease and Public Health
- Unit 14: Immunization and Vaccines
- Unit 15: Immunodeficiency Diseases and Cancer
- Unit 16: Experimental Systems and Methods
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to
- explain the components and functions of innate and adaptive immunity.
- identify the role of signal transduction in the immune response.
- compare and contrast the components of the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses.
- explain the function and components of the complement system.
- describe antigen presentation and the role of the major histocompatibility complex.
- explain the principles of hypersensitivity reactions, inflammation, and autoimmunity.
- review the immune response to infectious diseases and the role of immunization and vaccines in disease protection.
- discuss the role of the immune system in AIDS, cancer, and transplantation.
- describe the contributions of public health agencies in monitoring and the study of immunity.
- distinguish between various immunological techniques and animal models used in immunology.
Evaluation
To receive credit for BIOL 480, you must achieve a course composite grade of at least D (50 percent), and grade of at least 50 percent on each assignment, laboratory quiz, and invigilated examination.
The laboratory component provides you with the opportunity to learn basic immunological applications and reinforce important concepts in this course. There are five online laboratories in BIOL 480. You are not required to perform work in an actual laboratory. Rather, you are required to understand the laboratory procedures; study the photos, figures, and tables; and watch the videos in each online laboratory. You will be tested on your understanding of each laboratory with an associated laboratory quiz.
The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1 | 10% |
| Assignment 2 | 10% |
| Assignment 3 | 10% |
| Assignment 4 | 10% |
| Midterm Exam | 20% |
| Laboratory Quiz 1 | 4% |
| Laboratory Quiz 2 | 4% |
| Laboratory Quiz 3 | 4% |
| Laboratory Quiz 4 | 4% |
| Laboratory Quiz 5 | 4% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
| Total | 100% |
The midterm and final examinations for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Stranford, S. A., Owen, J. A., Punt, J., & Jones, P. P. (2023). Kuby immunology: Covid-19 & digital update (8th ed.). Macmillan Learning.