Quick start
Study Lab
Process maps, Radial map, Match, Super map and Mind map for Exams 1 and 2 (Exam 3 sets coming).
Sheets
Fill-in practice and diagram sheets per lecture (Exam 2 done; Exam 3 sheets coming), checked on the spot, graded by Claude.
Practice Exam
MC and short answers with explanations. Now on Exam 3: Lectures 23 and 24 (metabolism A to C).
Textbook
Slonczewski 6e by chapter: one PDF per chapter with its sections and exam, plus whole-book search.
Exam 2 Diagram
The full Exam 2 concept map (Exam 2 done Oct 28; kept for the final), plus the short-answer and study guide PDFs.
Study Guides
Exam 3 outline answered from Lectures 23 and 24 (new), plus the Exam 2 and Exam 1 guides.
Lecture Slides
Filled lecture decks: his complete notes for L15 to L21 and his filled L22 slides.
Syllabus
Rowen's syllabus: grading, schedule and exam dates.
Mistakes
Everything you got wrong, grouped by exam and topic; review it or download it.
Predicted schedule of topics & exam dates
Chapter numbers below are Slonczewski, Foster & Zinser 6e, exactly as listed in the syllabus. Rowen labels this schedule "predicted": dates can shift. Every section opens in the Textbook reader.
| Unit | Topic | Chapter(s) | Assessment / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Methods for studying microorganisms | Notes | |
| 1 | Methods for culturing and counting microbial cells | 4.3 to 4.4 | |
| 1 | Methods for observing microbial cells | 2.1 to 2.6 | |
| 2 | Features of microbial genomes and chromosomes | 7.1 to 7.6, 6.3 | |
| 2 | Genomic sequencing and annotation | A3.6, 9.5 | |
| 2 | Genome evolution | 9 | |
| 2 | Microbial phylogeny and taxonomy | 17.3, 17.5, 18.1 | Exam 1: Oct 5 (done) |
| 3 | Bacterial external structures | 3.6 | |
| 3 | Bacterial envelope and cell wall | 3.3 | |
| 3 | Cell membrane and transport | 3.2 | |
| 3 | Bacterial internal structures | none listed | |
| 3 | Bacterial cell division | 3.4 to 3.5 | |
| 3 | Viruses | 6 | No lecture Oct 26 · Exam 2: Oct 28 (done) |
| 4 | Energetics and catabolism | 13 | Lectures 23 to 24 so far (Oct 21, 23) |
| 4 | Aerobic/anaerobic respiration, lithotrophy and phototrophy | 14 | |
| 4 | Biosynthesis and CO₂ fixation | 15.1 to 15.2 | Exam 3: Nov 23 |
| 5 | Transcription and translation | 8.1 to 8.5 | |
| 5 | Molecular regulation | 10, 12.1 | |
| 5 | Biofilms and cell differentiation | 4.5, 12.2 | |
| 5 | Adaptations to environmental influences | 4.6, 5.1 to 5.6 | Exam 4: Dec 16, 10 to 11:59 AM · optional Final Dec 16 to 18 |
What the exam pattern means for you
- Exam 1 (Oct 5) covers Units 1 + 2: methods, genomes, phylogeny. It is the only exam that carries two units, so it is the longest stretch of material.
- Exams 2, 3, 4 cover Units 3, 4, 5 respectively.
- Exam 4 and the optional final both fall in finals week: Exam 4 on Dec 16 morning, the comprehensive final somewhere in Dec 16 to 18. If you are happy with your first three scores you can skip the final entirely.
Grading
| Assessment | Points | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Best four of five exams (4 × 100 pts): four unit exams plus the optional comprehensive final | 400 pts | ~73% |
| Homework assignments, including the Microbe Presentation | ~150 pts | ~27% |
| Total | ~550 pts | 100% |
Grading scale. A+ 96 to 100 A 92 to 95.9 A− 89 to 91.9 B+ 86 to 88.9 B 82 to 85.9 B− 79 to 81.9 C+ 76 to 78.9 C 69 to 75.9 D 60 to 68.9
The syllabus scale lists no C− and no F band; C spans a wide 69 to 75.9%, and anything below 60% is by implication failing.
Policies worth memorizing
- Homework is due 11:59 PM on the posted date. Late work loses 3% per day, capped at 50% off, so a late assignment is always worth turning in.
- Missed exam: if the reason is valid (Rowen's judgment) and you notify him in advance or shortly after, you may make it up.
- The optional final replaces one of exams 1 to 3, not exam 4.
- Academic dishonesty: zero on the first offense, failing grade in the course on the second.
Instructor & logistics
| Instructor | Donald Rowen, PhD |
| Lectures | Mon / Wed / Fri, 11:00 to 11:50 AM · Allwine 305 |
| Office | Allwine Hall 114J |
| Office hours | Tuesday & Wednesday 10 to 11 AM, or by appointment · Zoom available |
| drowen@nebraska.edu, his stated best contact method | |
| Phone | 402-554-2143 (voicemail) |
| Cross-listed | BIOL 4640 / 8646, graduate section runs alongside |
| Syllabus | 4640-Syllabus-Fa2026_v4.pdf, hosted here; also on Canvas as .docx and .pdf |
Accessibility. Accommodations are provided for students registered with the Accessibility Services Center who request them sufficiently in advance: 104 H&K · 402.554.2872 · unoaccessibility@unomaha.edu.
Course objectives
By the end of the course Rowen expects you to be able to:
- Describe the function and importance of structures found in bacterial cells.
- Predict the properties of a bacterium from an analysis of its genome.
- Describe some of the diversity in energy-generating metabolic pathways found in bacteria.
- Describe ways that bacteria regulate their processes and adapt to their environment.
Objective 2 is the one that shapes the exams most: Unit 2 is genome-first, and "here is a genome annotation, what can this organism do?" is the natural question format.