INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY 1030A & 1030AX Spring 2006

Professor: Karen Kendall-Fite Office Number: 230 WARF

Office Hours: Posted on Office door and Web page Office Telephone: 931-540-2696

Webpage: http:\\.kkendallfite.columbiastate.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

A survey course in biology. This course provides an introduction to the biological sciences, including the scientific method, structure and function of cells, metabolism, genetics, diversity of life, and ecology. 3 hours lecture, 2 hours laboratory.

TEXTBOOKS: Required - BioInquiry, Making Connections in Biology, Pruitt, Nancy L. & Underwood, Larry S., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006

MEETING ROOM AND TIME:

Call # Course # Day Time Room

1030A TR(lecture) 2:00-3:20 PM W203

1030AX TR(lab) 3:30-4:25 PM W212

Other Courses Taught- Microbiology and Anatomy & Physiology

Call # Course # Day Time Room

2230A MW (lecture) 9:30AM-10:50AM W203

2230AX MW (lab) 11:00AM-11:55PM W212

2230E MW (lecture) 9:30AM-10:50AM W203

2230EX MW (lab) 11:00AM-11:55PM W212

2230 FBX W (lab) 6:00 PM- 8:00PM WCC111

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Students are expected to be present and on time for each class session. You will be responsible for obtaining notes for missed material.

LECTURE TESTS

MAKEUP OF LECTURE TESTS: DECIDED ON A CASE-TO-CASE BASIS. THE PROFESSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE THE DECISION BASED ON DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED BY THE STUDENT OF EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES. STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO NOTIFY THE PROFESSOR WITHIN 24 HOURS OF THE MISSED TEST UNLESS THEY ARE PHYSICALLY INCAPABLE OF MAKING SUCH CONTACT. ALL MAKEUP TESTS WILL BE SCHEDULED ON FRIDAY MORNINGS. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE DOCUMENTATION OF EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES, YOU WILL RECEIVE A “0”. IF IT IS NECESSARY TO SCHEDULE A SECOND MAKEUP TEST, YOU WILL ONLY RECEIVE 80% OF THE TOTAL TEST SCORE, A THIRD TEST, 60% OR THE TOTAL TEST SCORE, AND SO ON. FOR MORE INFORMATION RELATED TO TESTING AND GRADING PROCEDURES, PLEASE REFER TO THAT SECTION IN THE SYLLABUS.

LABORATORY ATTENDANCE

LAB WORK CANNOT BE MADE UP; YOU CANNOT EARN PARTICIPATION POINTS IF YOU ARE NOT PRESENT.

ADA Statement

In compliance with the American with Disabilities Act, students are encouraged to register with the office of Counseling/Disability Services for possible assistance with accommodations. It is the student’s responsibility to voluntarily and confidentially provides appropriate documentation regarding the nature and extent of a disability. Students requesting special accommodation are strongly encouraged to contact the office of Counseling/Disability Services at the beginning of the semester.

Emergency Procedures

Emergency Exit information is posted at the entrance of each classroom. In case of emergency, students are instructed to follow the class instructor’s directions.

STUDENT CONDUCT AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

From the Columbia State Community College Catalog:

“ College students are citizens of the state, local and national governments, and of the academic community, and are expected to conduct themselves as law-abiding members of each community at all times. Admission to an institution of higher education carries with it special privileges and imposes special responsibilities apart from those rights and duties enjoyed by nonstudents.” Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Disruptive behavior includes, but is not limited to the following: abusive, obscene, lewd, indecent, violent, excessively noisy (talking while the professor is speaking, cell phones, pagers), or disorderly.

“A student may be guilty of academic dishonesty if:

(1) In connection with the taking of, or in contemplation of the taking of any examination, the student:

v Knowingly discovers or attempts to discover the contents of an examination before the contents are revealed by the instructor;

v Obtains, uses, attempts to obtain or use, supplies or attempts to supply to any person, any unauthorized material or device;

v Willfully gives or receives any aid not authorized by the instructor; or

(2) Academic work is misrepresented as the product of a student’s sole academic effort, for the purpose of affecting the student’s grade, credit, or status in the College; or

(3) Sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments are used.

For more details, please see the Columbia State Community College Student Handbook.

GENERAL COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Upon completion of this course you should:

1. Understand the defining characteristics of life and the characteristics that determine classification a taxonomic category such as Domain, Kingdom, and Phylum or Division.

2. Understand energy flow in the biosystem.

3. Understand the process of inheritance and significance of gene expression.

Recognize the presence of interdependence in the web of life.

COURSE CURRICULUM AND REQUIREMENTS:

1. Lectures - the student will be exposed to lecture, supportive materials and exams.

2. Labs - the student will participate in activities designed to reinforce lecture discussions. Two practical exams will be conducted.

3. Students will be assigned to a group in lab. This group will work together on lab activities, including a semester projects involving design, performance and submission of a detailed lab report based on the designed activity or experiment.

4. Each student will prepare a current events notebook containing 20 articles from non-technical publications (newspapers, magazines) demonstrating the impact of the study of biological science on our lives and a brief typed statement DESCRIBING the impact of the information in each article. That is, the student will state if the information has made a difference in their behavior or opinion and what that change is or if it hasn’t, why there has been no change in their behavior or opinion. The original article or a copy of each article must accompany each statement, noting the source and date of each article. Last day to submit the notebook is March 30, 2006 .

5. Periodic outside reading and assignments.

GRADING SYSTEM AND SCALE:

1. There will be 4 lecture exams worth 100 points each, for a total of 400 points. The lowest test score is dropped and the second lowest score is used twice.

2. There will be 3 laboratory projects worth 100 points each, for a total of 200 points. These are group projects. Individual students in each group will receive the same score with the following exception: STUDENTS WHO HAVE MISSED LABS WILL RECEIVE POINTS BASED ON THE PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL LAB HOURS ATTENDED. FOR EXAMPLE, YOUR GROUP RECEIVES 100, BUT YOU HAVE MISSED 50% OF THE LABS, YOUR GRADE IS 50. FAILURE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THESE ACTIVITIES BY ABSENCE OR REFUSAL TO WORK WILL RESULT IN A LOSS OF POINTS. Project submission dates will be determined after labs meet and groups are formed.

3. Weekly lab exercises will be worth 2 points for a total of 40 points. Points are earned for participation, results, and proper use and handling of materials and equipment. If you miss one day of lab, you can earn no more than 2 points for that week.

4. Impact notebooks will be worth 40 points, with points lost for duplication of articles and failure to summarize impact. Impact notebooks will be due March 30, 2006. After that day one point is deducted for every class day the notebook is late. You may turn the notebook in early.

5. Points for outside reading and assignments will total 70 points.

6. The final exam will consist of questions concerning the entire semester’s work with emphasis on the material covered during the last part of the semester, and will be worth 150 points.

7. To determine if the course objectives listed above have been met, the examinations (discussed above) will be given to test your knowledge of these objectives.

8. If the instructor makes an error in grading, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor to discuss the matter. This discussion will take place during the instructor’s office hours, not during scheduled class time.

9. Grades are not posted, given over the telephone or emailed. This is a confidentiality issue.

10. Total possible points for the semester: 1000. Your grade for this course will be determined according to the following scale:

A = 90-100% C = 70-79% F = < 60%

B = 80-89% D = 60-69%

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY:

1. Students are expected to attend each lecture and laboratory session and is responsible for reading textbook material prior to class, securing class notes and handouts for missed classes.

2. Appointments may be scheduled with the instructor if assistance is necessary.

LECTURE TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Test 1	Chapter Title - Topic	Chapters
	Biology: What Is the Study of life? Is it important to be an informed citizen? What characteristics are used to determine life?	1
	Evolution: Why Are There So Many Living Things? Who, What, How, Where?	2
	Mendelian Genetics: How Are Traits Inherited?	3
	Cells: What Are the Building Blocks of Life? How do cells differ in structure and function?	4
Test 2	Chromosomes: Where Are the Genes Found? What are genes? What is gene flow? What’s the difference between somatic and reproductive cells?	5
	Molecular Biology: What Is DNA and How Does It Work? Transcription, translation, what do they have to do with protein synthesis?	6
	Biotechnology: How Do We Use What We Know About Life? Stem cells and more?	7
	Population Genetics: How Do Genes Move Through Time and Space?	8
Test 3	Biodiversity: How Diverse Is Life? Of what use is classification of a form of life? What defines a domain? A kingdom? A species? How many species are found on Earth?	9
	Bioenergetics: How Do Organisms Acquire and Use Energy What is energy? Is it necessary for life? How does the cell acquire energy? Photosynthetic, nonphotosynthetic, what’s the difference?	10
Test 4	Animal Physiology: How Do Organisms Respond to Change?	11
	Human Physiology: How Does the Human Body Work?	12
	Plant Form and Function: How Do Plants Live in the World?	13
	Behavior: How Do Animals Interact With Other Animals?	14
	Population Ecology: How Do Organisms Interact to Form Populations? What is the interdependent web of life?	15
	Ecology: How Do Organisms Interact with Their Environments? What about humans? How do we fit in this picture? Does our technology present ethical dilemmas?	16
Final Exam	Comprehensive

TENTATIVE LABORATORY ACTIVITY SCHEDULE

Week 1 – Introduction to Lab, Equipment and Safety procedures, Scientific Investigations

Week 2 – Natural Selection
Week 3 - Light Microscopy, Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
Week 4 – Chromosomes
Week 5 - Cell Division, Mitosis and Meiosis

Week 6 – Gene Expression

Week 7 – Classification of Living Things, Use of a Taxonomic (dichotomous) Key

Week 8 – Diversity of Life (plants), Use of a Taxonomic (dichotomous) Key

Diversity of Life (animals), Use of a Taxonomic (dichotomous) Key

Week 9 – Lab Practical

Week 10 – Enzymes – Biological Catalysts

Week 11 - Cell Respiration

Week 12 – Photosynthesis

Week 13 – Ecology and Environmental Concerns

Week 12 – Lab Practical

FINAL EXAMS BEGIN May 2^nd AND END May 6^TH, 2005

BIO 1030A Tuesday, May 2^nd 2:00-3:50 PM

OTHER IMPORTANT DATES

January 16 - Holiday

January 17-18 - Last day to modify schedule

February 16 - Deadline to file Intent to Graduate

February 27- March 4 - Midterm week

March 6-11 – Fall Break
March 30 - Last Day to Drop/Withdraw/Change to audit

May 1 - Classes End

OBTAINING YOUR FINAL GRADE

Grades will be available on Web for Students

Grades are not mailed to students. You must access grades through Web for Students. Students needing official copies of grades must request it in writing from the Office of Admissions and Records. Call the transcript information line at 931/540-2550 for detailed instructions. Students may print a copy of their grades from Web for Students.