College of Chemistry Course Guide

PH 162A - Public Health Microbiology Lecture (3 Units)

Course Overview

Summary

Public Health 162A is a microbiology course taught from the perspective of epidemiology and the impact of infections diseases on public health. It is taught by three professors, and there are a few guest lecturers throughout the semester. It is memorization-based and does not go into much detail about the molecular level of infectious diseases. This course may be taken with or without its lab component (PH 162L). MCB C112 is the other microbiology course offered at Berkeley.

Fall semester (15 weeks)

Summer Session D (6 weeks)

Prerequisites

One year each of college-level chemistry and biology

Topics Covered

  • Microorganisms in Health and Disease
  • Bacteria
  • Microbial eukaryotes
  • Viruses
  • Innate and Adaptive Immunity
  • Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Control
  • Vaccines and Immunological Disorders
  • Hygiene and Water Purification
  • Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases
  • Respiratory Diseases
  • Foodborne Illnesses
  • STDs and STIs
  • Emerging Diseases

Workload

Coursework

  • Read one chapter of “The Ghost Map” for discussion each week
  • Weekly quizzes in discussion section
  • 2 midterms and a cumulative final

Time Commitment

Fall: 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week

Summer: 8 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week

Choosing the Course

When to take

The class is an upper-division elective for juniors and seniors. It is only offered in the Fall and Summer.

What Next?

Additional Comments and Tips

This course is easier than MCB C112 since it focuses more on the public health impact of infectious diseases rather than the molecular cause of the diseases. It is also 3 units, while MCB C112 is 4 units.




Written by: Emmy Tian

Last edited: Fall 2018