Advanced Immunology In this course students will be introduced to recent advances in immunology and emerging themes in immunology research via short introductory lectures and in-depth readings from the current primary literature. Topics for in-class discussion will include transplantation tolerance, mucosal immunity, vaccine biology, tumor immunology, immunogenetics, neuroimmunology, antibody engineering, and microbiome-immunity interactions. Students will critically assess the published literature via weekly response papers, active participation in small group discussions, student-led journal club presentations, and a final written project.

Immunology In this course we will explore the human immune system and how it works to protect the body from infection.  Students will be introduced to the cells and molecules of the immune system and how they work together to protect the host from foreign invaders.  We will focus on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of innate immunity before exploring the cellular and genetic principles that underlie the adaptive immune response.  Finally, we will investigate how innate and adaptive immunity work together to combat infection and how disease can arise from inadequacies in this coordinated host response.

Cell Biology and Genetics In this introduction to modern cellular, genetic, and molecular biology we will explore life science concepts with an emphasis on their integral nature and evolutionary relationships.  Topics covered will include cell membrane structure and function, metabolism, cell motility and division, genome structure and replication, the regulation of gene expression and protein production, genotype to phenotype relationship, and basic principles of inheritance.  Major concepts will be illustrated using a broad range of examples from plants, animals, and microorganisms.  Current topics in biology will be integrated into the course as they arise.

Grace Spatafora

Reviews and ratings for Grace Spatafora at Middlebury College.Grace Spatafora teaches Advanced Immunology, Immunology, Cell Biology and Genetics and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Grace Spatafora good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

I really enjoyed this class, and if you are taking it for your major in a STEM field, I would highly recommend it. Overall, the exams weren't easy, but not that hard at the same time, and everything that was needed to pass them was covered in the lectures. There was not a lot of homework either, just the occasional case studies that were pretty easy to solve.

The course was definitely one of the most (if not the most) difficult course I've taken at Midd, but I felt that the information was very valuable, and with Spatafora, you know that you are really going to learn a lot.

Spatafora is an incredible lecturer but her exams are extremely difficult. This course should not be stacked with more than one other MBBC/BIO/CHEM/PHYS course. She is very helpful in office hours and will write you an incredible letter of recommendation if you ever need it. She is an iconic professor but be ready for a GPA hit or a CR/NCR situation. 