Cell and Organismal Biology

BI:102. Cell and Organismal Biology.

Spring, 2008

Announcements

Laboratory
Lab research experience instructions
Senior/First year research collaboration lists

This website refers specifically to Section 01, taught by Dr. Richard. Please refer to Dr. Peeler's website/Blackboard page for specific details on her section.

To gain an understanding and appreciation for the molecular complexities of life. This course comprises a survey of the major processes and structures of biology with a general emphasis on animals. Examines the molecular basis of heredity, cell function, metabolism and photosynthesis, and adaptive solutions to areas such as locomotion, digestion, respiration, internal transport and immune responses. Laboratory section includes studies on DNA , proteins, respiration and photosynthesis, and physiology. 4SH. 3 lecture hours, 3 Laboratory hours.

This course is the second required course for the Biology major, and generally the first biology course for biochemistry majors. ITDOES NOT fulfill the Science and Technology core requirement.

For many of you, certain topics of the course material will be already familiar to you. In biology, the same recurring themes occur over and over again throughout the curriculum. Each time you cover familiar material, you should understand it at a more mature level, and do a better job of integrating it with other knowledge, not just from biology but also from chemistry and physics.

There are two sections of the class. Although the two sections will cover generally the same material and follow the same format, tests and grading will be done independently. There will be some common activities and classes during the semester, and students from both sections are mixed in the laboratory sections.

Biology: Seventh Edition. Campbell and Reece Benjamin Cummings Press. This is the same text as you used if you had EEH last semester. Specific chapters and pages will be assigned during the course of the semester (see below for details). The exams and quizzes will be based on material covered in the lecture. Unless otherwise specified, material in the book which was not covered during class will not be included on exams and quizzes. You can best make use of the text as a means of supporting and clarifying the material presented in the lecture. The text has an accompanying web site CD and web site and various activities from these may also be used during the semester.

Each lecture will be based on a series of Power Point slides. A set of slides will be posted for each chapter, and if you so choose, you may print out the slides and bring them with you to class to facilitate your note taking. However, be aware that there may be slides in your printout that we do not actually cover in class that are still required for study. Some students learn better through more active note taking. If you fall into this category, you may wish to take notes in class on your own, and then use a copy of the slides to help you organize your notes and for review for quizzes and exams.

Additional readings and web sites used to supplement lecture and discussion topics will be place on E-RES. When assigned, you should print out a copy, read it before class, and bring the copy with you for the discussion.

There is a separate syllabus for lab that details the specific lab requirements. You will need a lab notebook similar to the ones you used last semester. If you have space left in the one you used in first semester, please continue to use it. There is no required text for the lab, but handouts and preparation guides will be available on the web from Dr. Richard’s web address http://www.susqu.edu/facStaff/r/richard/courses.html, and you are expected to download them and bring them to lab. Essential information for lab will be posted on the lab web site, and you are expected to check it regularly.

This is the order in which we will cover the course material. The exact schedule will depend on how quickly we can move through some of the material.

The structure and function of macromolecules Chapter 5 (topics from Chapters 2-4 addressed as needed)

Introduction to Animal Physiology (parts of these chapters will be integrated into the above topics as warranted)

The lecture section will comprise 65% of your final grade in this course (includes midterm examinations, quizzes and short papers). The laboratory section will comprise 35%. The lecture grade will be determined as follows:

Six quizzes/problem sets will be given. For each set, the quiz will count 70% and the problem set will count 30% of your grade for that date The quizzes will cover your knowledge of the information presented in class, and the problem sets will help you develop your higher order thinking skills as you apply that material to more complex problems, working in a group and using your notes. The dates are listed below. The best five will be counted (5% each) towards the final grade. One quiz may be dropped for any reason. If a student misses more than one quiz (for any reason), a zero score will be assessed for those extra absences. Quiz dates are listed below.

The problem sets will be group exercises solving problems based on the information covered in the preceding two weeks. These will be handed out on the day and collected at the beginning of the following class. You will work together on these during the class period and get as much help as you ask for in the class, but you must write them up individually. The problem sets will be graded very stringently since you will have extensive time and resources to answer them.

There will be two exams. The first exam (Monday Feb 29th) will be worth 12.5% and cover material from the first half of the semester. The second exam (Friday May 2nd) will be worth 12.5% (to cover the second half of the semester) plus 5% to cover material from the entire semester.

The final assignment for the lecture portion of the class will be a paper written on a topic within the field of bioethics. Specific guidelines will be distributed in advance of the assignment. The paper will be approximately 5 pages in length and will require extensive research into your specific topic, the generation of a thesis, and the presentation of a well-reasoned argument that supports your thesis.

Final copies of the papers are due by 4:05PM Friday April 18th. We require a paper copy as well as an electronic submission to www.turnitin.com. Late papers will be assessed a 10% penalty for each day that they are late.

You are expected to attend lecture regularly. In general, students who miss class frequently are not successful in the course. However, there will be no specific penalty for missing class, apart from the impact on your ability to learn the material. If you are absent for any reason on the day of a quiz, that “zero” will be the dropped quiz grade. If you miss additional quizzes, they will affect your average as “zero’s”. Make ups for exams will be granted only for extraordinary circumstances (cheap plane tickets for spring break do not qualify!)

Please review the student handbook policy, especially on your responsibilities regarding plagiarism. We take this issue very seriously, and any violations will result in the highest possible penalties being incurred. The use of turnitin.com is meant to be a deterrent to plagiarism on your written assignments, but be sure to ask about referencing, etc if you are unsure.

Susquehanna University assumes no responsibility for the content of this personal web page. Please read the disclaimer.