BIO110 Principles of Biology I Fall 2018 Syllabus
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Instructor: Dr. Barry K. Rhoades (Section 2) 106 Munroe Science Center                                                                      Office Phone: 757-5238                                                                     Home Phone: 755-1630 Office  hours:             Monday           9:00 - 10:00 AM                                     Tuesday           10:00 - 11:00 AM                                     Wednesday      9:00 - 10:00 AM                                     Thursday          10:00 - 11:00 AM                                     Friday              9:00 -10:00 AM                                          or by appointment (I will be in my office during these times.  Feel free to drop in to my office any other time from 9:00 to 5:00 weekdays.  When I am not in my office in MSC 106, I am often in my lab space in MSC 101/103.  If I can meet with you at that time I will, otherwise I will make an appointment for a future time.)       Textbook:  CAMPBELL BIOLOGY (11th Ed.) by Reese, et al., 2017 Pearson  with Mastering Biology.                    (MasteringBiology exercises and quizzes are required for many homework assignments)   Lab Manual:   Principles of Biology I Laboratory Manual. Fall 2018. Wesleyan College.                          A composition (quad-ruled or graph squares) notebook for keeping lab notes                          may be purchased at the Wesleyan gift shop, Walmart, Office Depot, or Staples.                          Your note should ideally have sewn-in pages, rather than a spiral binding.         Class Meetings:  Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays   Period 3 (10:00 - 10:50 AM)  MSC 128         Laboratory Meetings: Thursdays Periods D-E  (3:00-5:40 PM)  MSC 128         T3 Meetings: attend Tuesday OR Thursday every week (12:30-5:40 PM)  MSC 128          Important Dates:    End of Drop/Add:                   Friday, August 24                                         Holidays (no class or lab):       September 3 - Labor Day                                                                                       October 8,9 - Fall Break                                                                                       November 21-25 - Thanksgiving Break                                                                                    Schedule of Topics, Readings, Laboratory Exercises, Exams, and Assignments:  A complete schedule for the course is listed at the end of this syllabus.  This is a tentative schedule and is subject to revision.    Course Description:  Principles of Biology I is a four credit hour course which is designed to introduce you to the underlying principles which govern the functioning of organisms. In both the classroom and in the laboratory, we will explore the chemical basis of life, cell structure and function, metabolism, molecular biology, genetics, evolution and ecology. The pace of this course is brisk, and not for the faint of heart, so good study habits are critical. However, enjoyment of the course material is also important, so the instructor reserves the right to surprise and otherwise amuse you at times to help retain your  interest. This course is a prerequisite for all higher level Biology courses.   In the class portion of the course, you will learn the fundamentals of the scientific method as applied to the study of life, organic evolution, biochemistry, cellular structure and function, and molecular and transmission genetics.  In the lab portion of the course, you will learn how the science of biology is done, i.e. you will be introduced to practical aspects of the scientific method and get "hands-on" experience with some central laboratory techniques applied to critical biological concepts.   Course Objectives:  Upon completion of this course you will be able to: ·         Recognize and apply the scientific method in proposing testable hypotheses with appropriate controls. ·         Demonstrate your understanding of chemical principles which are essential in the study of biology. ·         Examine the molecular basis of cell structure and function, and understand the importance of cellular       function to the organism as a whole. ·         Explore the genetic components which are responsible for heredity. ·         Understand mechanisms of evolution and population dynamics. ·         Synthesize and communicate verbally and in written form unifying themes of biology and apply this        knowledge to ethical considerations in the use of modern technology. ·         Appreciate the importance of collaborative work in the scientific process. ·         Internalize the importance of time and information management ·         Smile, because you enjoyed learning about biology, the science of life, and will take the lessons learned       therein and apply some throughout the rest of your life.   Wesleyan College Statement on Accessibility: Wesleyan College is committed to equal education, full participation, and access to facilities for all students. Any student who requires reasonable academic accommodations, use of auxiliary aids, or facility acess for a class must first register with Disability Resources by contacting Christy Henry, Dean of Students, at chenry@wesleyancollege.edu or (478) 757-5219.  If reasonable accommodations are established, the student should request Accommodation Letters from Disability Resources then schedule an appontment to meet with the professor to determine how the accommodations will be implemented for each class as early in the semester as possible.  Accommodations require advance notice to implement and will not be retroactively administered for the semester. Accommodations that decrease the integrity of a course will not be approved. See the Wesleyanne Student Handbook for the complete policy regarding students with disabilities.   Wesleyan College Department of Biology Policy on the Honor Code: All students of Wesleyan College have agreed to abide by the Wesleyan College Honor Code and strict enforcement of the Honor Code will be practiced by all Biology faculty. Any violation of the Honor Code including plagiarism or cheating on exams, quizzes or any assignment will not be tolerated and will be reported to the Wesleyan College Honor Court. Cheating (giving or receiving any unauthorized information or supplying information from any source other than your memory) on any exam will result in a course semester grade of F. Plagiarism and/or improper citation on any assignment will be dealt with on a case by case basis, but also may result in an F grade for the assignment or the course. If you are unclear about violation of the Honor Code for any assignment, you should contact the instructor before handing in the assignment.  If you have ANY questions as to what would constitute cheating/plagiarism for any assignment, it is your responsibility to clarify this with the instructor.   A special note on plagiarism:   Student who are new to college often have difficulty determining exactly what would constitute plagiarism for any given assignment.  When one uses someone else’s ideas, words, opinions, etc without giving proper credit to the source, that is plagiarism. In spite of the fact that in many cases you will be collaborating with a group, one student’s ideas should never appear more than once, in her own work. It is OK to have the same data as other students, because you generated the data together. It is not OK to have the same discussion, or the same wording in answers to questions in the lab notebook.  It is OK to reference articles in the internet, in books or peer-reviewed journals, but it is not OK to just copy the info into your assignment without giving proper credit. I’m sure that no one would intentionally do this, but if you are tempted, please remember that a student accused of plagiarism must appear before the Honor Court and will certainly fail that portion of my course.   All students in Biology courses must read and sign the Biology Department Policy on the Honor Code (see below).   Cell Phones: Please do your classmates the courtesy of turning off your cell phones during class and lab periods. If you must answer your cell phone, please leave the room to do so. If you leave the room, please do not come back. If you feel that you must monitor your cell phone during class or lab, please get permission from the instructor.   Wesleyan College Statement on Civility in the Classroom: Students, faculty, and staff are expected to treat each other with respect in all interactions.  Int the classroom, rude, disruptive, and/or disrespectful behaviors as determined by the faculty member interfere other students’ rights and with the instructor’s ability to teach. Therefore, anyone exhibiting unacceptable behaviors during the class will be asked to leave and will be counted absent for that class period. Failure to cooperate with this process will result in disciplinary action that may include withdrawal from the class or dismissal from the College. Violations will be reproted to the Provost.   Wesleyan College Statement on Educational Privacy:   In order to promote an environment in which ideas may be freely expressed, the interior office and classroom spaces at Wesleyan are private spaces. The unauthorized creation of photographic images, audio or video recordings of students or faculty in these spaces is considered to be disruptive behavior which may result in a student's removal from class according to the instructor’s discretion. The distribution of any such recordings of students or faculty without the express written permission of the College is strictly prohibited and is subject to disciplinary action by the Provost of the College.    All novel materials developed and presented in this course are the academic and intellectual property of the course instructor, course students, and/or Wesleyan College.  Unauthorized photography, recording, electronic monitoring, and/or web dissemination of any portions of class or laboratory materials or sessions potentially violates the legitimate expectations of privacy of your classmates and the course instructor.  Please obtain the explicit permission of the instructor before making any video or audio recordings in this course.  Please do not, under any circumstances, post recordings from this class to electronic or social media.   Attendance:  As we cover a great deal of material, class attendance is mandatory; missing class will put you at a disadvantage, because material for which you are responsible is derived from both the collaborative learning that takes place in class and the text.  More than four absences will be reported to the Director of Student Success in accordance with College policy. As your final grade computation (see below) is partly based on class participation, absences would also adversely affect your grade.  So, avoid the occasion of skipping class and we all will be much happier. At the instructor’s discretion, attendance may be excused if you e-mail in advance with a reasonable excuse that involves your health and well-being; please be advised that late penalties on assignments may still apply. Athletes are required to provide the instructor with all anticipated absences in advance, in keeping with the Athletic Policy of the College. Failure to do so may adversely effect your grade, so please do keep up with this if you are an athlete.    The laboratory is vital to understanding much of what we cover in this class, so ATTENDANCE IN THE LAB IS MANDATORY.  Since there are fewer labs than lectures, missing even one will result in a lowering of your final grade (a decrease of 5% in your laboratory grade, per absence) so please do show up all of the time. NO LABS WILL BE MADE UP IN A LATER WEEK.  As there are multiple sections of BIO 110 lab, you may, at the instructor’s discretion, ask and receive permission to attend another lab section; this should be a rare occurrence and will require permission IN ADVANCE from both Dr. B-T and the instructor who teaches the other section’s lab. In weeks where there are exams, this option is not available and all due dates and lab assignments for this course will follow that indicated in this syllabus, regardless of the lab section you attend.   Safe and Appropriate Attire: Proper and appropriate dress is required during both class and labs.  For safety reasons, proper dress for lab sessions will include closed-toe shoes, not open-toed sandals or flip-flops.   Laboratory Cleanup:  You will be expected (required!) to clean up your work area after each laboratory exercise.   Mastering Biology "MB" Quizzes:    For each chapter you will also take an on-line quiz due; these assessments will count as 5% of the final semester grade (scoring a 60% or higher is required for credit on any quiz) and are accessible via Mastering Biology.  These quizzes will provide a valuable indicator to you and to me as to how well you understand the material.  Since so much material is covered in this course, these quizzes will also insure that you are keeping up with the reading assignments. These quizzes are in association with the “Mastering Biology” suite that is a required component of this course. Please use the access code that came with your text in the “Mastering Biology” suite. You can access Mastering Biology at the following website: http://www.masteringbiology.com/site/register/new-students.html. The course code is MBRHOADES88452.  I will provide more information on how to access Mastering Biology and online quizzes during the first day of class.    BIO T3 Homework/ Collaborative Work/ Case Studies:  Your syllabus indicates a number of REQUIRED Tutorial Sessions (Biology Tutorial Tuesdays/Thursdays or BIO T3) wherein certain types of homework activities, collaborative work and case studies will be undertaken. ATTENDANCE AT ONE OF THESE SESSIONS EACH WEEK IS REQUIRED; ATTENDANCE WILL BE TAKEN AND ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE COLLECTED FROM ACTIVITIES DURING THESE SESSIONS. You (and in some cases your partner or group members), will work on these activities and will be expected to participate in the discussion of the material in class. In some cases you will hand in individual responses, in some cases A group response is required and in some instances this work will not be collected, but will count as class participation. In total, this activity will represent approximately 10% of your course grade.    Laboratory Notebook:  Excellent record-keeping is essential to good science. Part of being able to reproduce your results depends upon your making detailed notes of how you performed the experiment.  For some labs, you will be practicing parts of a lab report; you will be given the sheets that correspond to these sections and turn those in before you leave lab. For all labs, you will keep your notes in a “quad-ruled” notebook that can be obtained from the bookstore. We will review lab writeup formats in lab. When a full length lab report is required, it will have the following components:   Title of Lab Abstract – Short summary of lab Introduction - Background information on the topic in the lab Materials and Methods – Items and protocols used in lab, written in narrative, prose form    (no lists!) using complete sentences. Results- What happened (or didn’t happen) in the lab. Include any graphs, charts, tables etc.    from your data here. Make sure to narrate all of your results (that is, introduce the experiment,    describe your results, graphs, charts, etc., in the narrative and include charts, graphs, etc.,    that illustrate this narrative).    Discussion- Brief narrative of the significance (or lack thereof) of your findings   Grading: Your semester grade will be computed as follows (in approximate percentages):       Lecture Lab   TOTAL Grade   Exam I 10% 2.5%   90% + A   Exam II 10% 2.5%   80%-89% B   Exam III 10% 2.5%   70%-79% C   Final Exam (cumulative) 10% 5%   60%-69% D   BIO T3 Assignments 10%     <60% F       Mastering Biology quizzes 10%         T3  Attendance 5%     Class Attendance/Participation 5%           Lab Writeups 17.5%                         TOTAL 100%           Late Penalty: The penalty for late assignments is 10%/day; all assignments are due at the BEGINNING of class. Please note that if you walk in 5 minutes late for class when an assignment is due, the penalty will be a decrease in 5% of the available points for that assignment. If you turn that assignment in later in the day, it will be 10% late. No work will be accepted three days after the deadline (yes, weekends count as a day). Extensions will be given only for serious, documented medical reasons or family emergencies. Please note that unless you have a communicable disease or a medical condition that precludes you from attending class, as verified by Wesleyan’s nurse, a note from the nurse that you have visited Health Services is not sufficient to excuse you from class or assignments. Please provide verification of family emergencies and the instructor will work with you to minimize the impact on this class.   Testing Format: Lecture and lab tests will be given together. Lecture exams include multiple choice objective questions, fill-in the blank, short answer and essay questions. At least one short answer or essay question will be integrative, wherein the student will need to apply her knowledge to solve some novel problem or hypothetical situation. I will give examples of these kinds of questions before the exam. The Laboratory portion of the exam will be of similar format for the written portion, in addition to some laboratory stations where the student identifies structures, organisms, parts of the microscope etc.  I will explain this format in greater detail before the first exam.  I do not grade on a curve, and only rarely throw out exam questions (if for instance, the whole class misses the question).  I will make every effort to return all tests the week after administration.   Lab Notebook Grading:   Lab write-ups will be collected during the semester and count as 17.5% of your final grade. Excellent record-keeping is essential to good science and part of being able to reproduce your results depends upon your making detailed notes as to how you performed the experiment.  Toward this end, you will learn how to write a lab report in the first lab meeting. In subsequent lab meetings you will be required to write specific sections of the lab report and then later in the semester you will be responsible for full lab write ups. You will keep notes from lab exercises in a “quad-ruled” notebook that can be obtained from the bookstore (or Walmart, Office Depot etc.).  Full lab write-ups, generated from the notes you take from your experimental findings, will be typed (1.5 spaced, Times New Roman 12 font) and submitted on the dates indicated in the schedule below.   Course Support:  The key to success in Introductory Biology is the following:  Read the information Before class, Actively Participate in class discussions/exercises/laboratory activities, so that you can reinforce what you have read and clarify any misconceptions or uncertainty about material, Review Material on a regular basis and Self-check on a regular basis. Please do Ask Questions if you need help. The course instructor has office hours for assisting you, please do come and you will be helped. In addition to the required Tutorial Tuesday and Thursday sessions, individual tutoring is available in the ARC. Tutors will help you in content understanding and application, but ARE NOT meant to do your homework or proofread your lab write-ups. . 2018 Tentative Class and Laboratory Schedule - Section 2   Dates  Topics Course Prep/MB Laboratory T3 Assignments Aug 13-17 Ch 1 Introduction,          Scientific              Method Ch 22 Natural            Selection Read Ch 1 MB Pre-Assessment        Quiz MB Quiz #1 - Ch1 No Lab Mandatory T3 meeting, Taylor Hall Aug 16th @12:30PM receive Assignment #1 Aug 20-24  Ch 2 Chemicals  Read Ch 22 MB Quiz #2 - Ch 22 Read Ch 2 Lab 1: Scientific Investigation Writup due Aug 28 Assignment #1 due August 24 Aug 27-31 Ch 3 Water Ch 4 Carbon  Read Ch 3,4 MB Quiz #3 - Chs 2,3,4 Lab 2: Evolution Writeup due Sept 4 Assignment #2 due August 31 Sept 3 Sept 5-7 Labor Day Ch 5 Macromols Read Ch 5 MB Quiz #4 - Ch 5 MB Reiew #1 P89, Skills due Sept 6 Lab 3: Chemical Analysis of Food Writeup due Sept 13 Assignment #3 due September 7 Sept 10-14 Ch 6 Cell Group Activity Read Ch 6 MB Quiz #5 - Ch 6 Class/Lab Exam #1 September 10 [Chapters 1,22,2-5, Labs 1-3] Review Materials for "Bringing It All Together" Sept 17-21 Ch 7 Membranes Ch 8 Metabolism Read Ch 7,8 MB Quiz #6 - Chs 7,8 Lab 4: Properties of Cells Writeup due September 25 Assignment #4 due September 21 Sept 24-28 Ch 9 Respiration Read Ch 9 MB Quiz #7 - Ch 9 Lab 5: Enzymes Writeup due October 4 Assignment #5 due September 28 Oct 1-5 Ch 10      Photosynthesis Read Ch 10 MB Quiz #8 - Ch 10 P205 Scientific Skills due Actober 4 Lab 6: Photosynthesis/ Respiration FULL Writeup due October 11 Assignment #6 due October 5 Oct 8 Oct 10-12 Fall Break Ch 12 Cell Division Read Ch 12 No Lab Review Materials for "Bringing It All Together" Oct 15-19 Ch 13 Meiosis Read Ch 12 Class/Lab Exam #2 October 15 [Chapters 6-10, Labs 4-6] Review Materials for "Bringing It All Together" Oct 22-26 Ch 14 Mendel Read Ch 13 MB Quiz #9 - Chs 12,13 Lab 7: Genetics FULL Writeup due November 7 Assignment #7 due October 26 Oct29-Nov2 Ch 15       Chromosomes Read Ch 14 MB Quiz #10 - Ch 14 Read Ch 15 Lab 8:  DNA Technology I Assignment #8 due November 3 Nov 5-9 Ch 16 Mol.  Basis         of Inheritance Read Ch 16 MB Quiz #11 - Chs 15, 16 Lab 9:  DNA Technology II FULL Writeup due November 16 Assignment #9 due November 9 Nov 12-16 Ch 17 Genes to           Proteins Read Ch 17 MB Quiz #12 - Review -Chs 12-16 Class/Lab Exam #3 November 12 [Chapters12-16, Labs 7-9] Review Materials for "Bringing It All Together" Nov 19-23 Thanksgiving Break No Classes No Lab No T3 Nov 26-30 Ch 18 Regulation            of Gene           Expression Read Ch 18 MB Quiz #13 - Ch 18 No Lab Assignment #10 due November 30 Dec 3-5 Course Review MB Quiz #14 - Review MB Post-Assessment          Quiz Review Materials for "Bringing It All Together" Dec 6 Reading Day       Dec 10 Monday  8:30 AM      CLASS AND LAB FINAL EXAM     Tentative Schedule for T3 Meetings:   Mandatory BIO T3 Group Meeting For ALL STUDENTS Enrolled in BIO 110 Courses – Peyton Anderson Amphitheatre, August 16, 2018 12:30-1:20     All subsequent BIO T3 Meetings - MSC 128 Tuesdays & Thursday 12:30-1:20:     Aug 16 – Mandatory Meeting and First Assignment (give out Cricket paper and assignment)   Aug 21, 23 – Session 1 – Scientific Method & Evolution (help with Cricket paper and assignment)   Aug 28, 30 Session 2 – Water and the Elements of Life (Receive and work with Assignment #2)   Sept 4, 6 Session 3 – Applied Macromolecules (Receive and work Assignment #3)   Sept 11, 13      Bringing it all together (all notes, T3 and in class activities with guided review)   Sept 18, 20 Session 4 - Cell Structure and Function   Sept 25, 27 Session 5 – Enzymes and Metabolic Pathways   Oct 2, 4 Session  6 – Energy Transformation in Biological Systems   Oct 16, 18 Session 7 – Bringing it all together(all notes, T3 and in class activities with guided review)   October 23, 25 Session 8 - Cell and Organismal Replication   October 30, Nov 1 Session 9 – Functional Genetics   Nov 6, 8 Session 10 – From Genes to Proteins   Nov 13, 15 Session 11 – Bringing it all together (all notes, T3 and in class activities with guided review)   Nov 27, 29 Session 12 – Gene Regulation   Dec 4 Session 13 – Bringing it all together (all notes, T3 and in class activities with guided review)