ORGANISMAL BIOLOGY BI 115 SPRING 2014 MWF 12:30-1:30AM SSC 138 BIRMINGHAMSOUTHERN COLLEGE Shown here are (left) Vervet monkey and (right) “Red Hot Poker” Aloe flower from South Africa. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES IN THIS COURSE, YOU WILL BE INTRODUCED TO THE BIOLOGY OF ORGANISMS. Topics include levels of biological organization, biological diversity, plant and animal structure and function, and comparative study of structure-function relationships in living organisms. BI 115 is one of the introductory courses required of biology majors and all pre-health students regardless of academic major. Laboratory exercises will emphasize the scientific process. Students will apply the scientific method to experiments in organismal biology. As a part of this process, students will conduct experiments to test hypotheses, collect and analyze data, and prepare a scientific paper or complete assignments on the experiments. Some experiments will require students to work in lab at times other than the designated laboratory period. Course Objectives 1) to introduce the basic concepts and principles applicable to the biological study of organisms. TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS The following materials are available in the BSC bookstore. Biology: The Dynamic Science (3rd Edition). Russell, Wolfe, Hertz, and Starr (Required) Dissection Guide and Atlas to the Fetal Pig. D.G. Smith and M.P. Schenk (Required) Dissecting Kit (Required) Organismal Biology Lab Manual (Required) Photographic Atlas for the Biology Laboratory. K.M. Van De Graaf (Strongly Recommended) 1 2) to introduce the nature and complexity of biological diversity. 3) to introduce the comparative study of structure-function relationships. 4) to develop an understanding of the scientific process FEB. 18 MAR. 4TH MAR. 15TH-23RD MAR. 26TH TH ADMINISTRATIVE DATES LAST DAY TO DROP (w/o tuition proration) LAST DAY TO DROP (w/o grade) SPRING BREAK LAST DAY TO DROP (w/grade of W) MAY 12TH writing assignments and oral presentations 7) to improve quantitative analysis skills through statistical analyses and preparation of graphs. through laboratory experiences involving experimental design, data acquisition and analysis. 5) to foster development of critical thinking skills. 6) to enhance communications skills through scientific FINAL EXAM FEB. 24 MAR. 12TH APR. 7TH APR. 25TH TH (9AM-12PM) EXAM DATES EXAM I 100 PTS EXAM II 100 PTS EXAM III 100 PTS EXAM IV 100 PTS 150 PTS Attendance Attendance is expected at all lecture and laboratory meetings. Attendance will be recorded at each lab meeting. THREE OR MORE ABSENCES IN LAB WILL RESULT IN AN "F" IN THE COURSE REGARDLESS OF EARNED GRADE in the course. You must attend the lab section for which you are registered. In the case of sickness, with a doctor’s excuse, or unavoidable absence, it may be possible to attend the other lab section; however this Instructor: Jason L. Heaton, Ph.D. must first be cleared with the instructor to ensure that E-mail: jheaton@bsc.edu space is available. Grading Lecture During the term, four 100 point Exams will be given in the lecture component of the course, followed by a 150 point Final Exam (see table above and lecture schedule, below). Office Location: SSC 244 Office Hours: M 1:30-3:00pm, R 2:003:30pm, F 9-10:30am, or by appointment Office Phone: 205-226-7816 Students may drop their lowest grade from the semester exams. There will be no make-up exams, however if a student misses an exam, for whatever reason, that grade will be the one dropped. The final exam cannot be missed, nor the grade dropped. Failure to take an exam at the assigned time results in a zero (0) on that exam. Test material will be derived from lecture material, hand-outs, and assigned readings. The format and content will be discussed prior to each exam date. Final Exam: The 150 point cumulative final exam is scheduled for MONDAY, MAY 12TH AT 9AM. Format and content will be discussed prior to that date. NO ONE is exempt from the final exam. Laboratory Assessment of lab LAB INSTRUCTORS performance will be based T. PM (LAB 1) LAB 12:30 – 3:20PM INSTRUCTOR: Jason Heaton W.PM (LAB 2) LAB 2:00-4:50PM INSTRUCTOR: CARL SLOAN on lab assignments, lab practicals, and two drafts of a scientific research paper. All research papers and drafts are to be submitted to MOODLE, where they will be automatically checked for plagiarism by www.turnitin.com 2 Late policy and other guidelines: • Homework assignments and papers are due at the beginning of the lab or lecture period and late papers will be assessed a penalty of 10% of the total points available per day or part of a day the report is late. Your paper and your grade will be much improved if you use the free services of the Writing Center in Humanities Center. • Writing Center – this center offers you tutoring in every stage of the writing process, from generating ideas and writing initial drafts to revising and editing your own work. In addition to providing individual attention in helping you improve your writing, the Writing Center promotes writing across the BSC campus through workshops, contests, visiting SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDY The course will progress at a fast pace with little room for alterations. You will be expected to learn material from the readings and lab manual that we do not have time to cover in lecture. The lectures are intended to expand upon and clarify the reading material and to emphasize selected points. The following recommendations should help you to study more effectively in this and all your courses. 1. Study to learn, not for the grade. If you know the material, the grade will come. For most of you, this is a prerequisite course -- you are learning material that will prepare you for the future. This approach may also bring you self-confidence, greater interest in the subject, and positive attention from the faculty. 2. Study to understand. A good performance requires more than memorizing facts. Facts are an important step toward the more important goal of understanding the bigger concepts, the ones that allow you to solve problems and extend your learning. Likewise being able to express yourself well on exams is essential. A poorly stated idea usually indicates a poorly understood idea, and I will grade it as such. 3. Read ahead. You will get more out of lecture if you are familiar with the ideas being discussed. Do the reading ahead of time whenever possible. While it is not easy to maintain this discipline, ultimately it makes for more efficient learning. 4. Listen in lecture. Do not put all your attention into taking dictation to read later. Try to understand and analyze what I say while I am saying it. Do ask me to explain something that is not clear. Do not ask me to repeat something just because you "didn't get it all down." If you have done the reading in advance, you will know what you do not have to write and you can focus on the bigger picture. 5. Pace your studying. Pedagogy, psychology, and neurophysiology all agree on this one: Learning takes time. Keep up with material. Cramming just before the test is the least effective way to learn, especially when combined with sleep deprivation. 6. Sort out important ideas from details. Refer to the summaries and key terms in your texts to guide you through the chapters. Consider the points that I emphasize in lecture and in handouts in sorting out the more important ones. 7. Study interactively, with pen in hand. Whether you are looking at your textbook or your lecture notes, do not merely read and underline. Take notes; outline the lecture/chapter; summarize. Write out unfamiliar terms. Pronounce them out loud. Draw pictures and diagrams when appropriate. Close your book and write or draw a description from memory of an important process or concept. Ask questions: What are the important points in that lecture? How does it fit in with the reading material? How does it relate to previous material in the course? 3 writers, and other activities. • • The lab practicals and assignments cannot be dropped; any work not submitted will be recorded as zero and those g rades will be included in the determination of the final grade. All students must turn in a completed research paper and earn at least 50/100 points on their final paper draft in order to pass the class. A final grade below 50% on the final research paper will result in an automatic failure of the course. 8. Do not wait for an exam to find out what you do not know. Quiz yourself frequently — in the shower, on your way to class, whenever you have an idle moment. Write your own essay questions and sketch out answers. You should be able to define important concepts and key terms, produce examples of general statements, and discuss intelligently the themes of my lectures. Essay questions are graded largely on your ability to give me an intelligible account of a concept. 9. Work with one study partner. Teach each other. Even if one of you already understands a concept, both can benefit by going over it. There is no better way to test yourself than to teach another person. Small study groups are generally better than large ones because larger ones tend to waste time socializing, encourage intimidation tactics, and give each individual less time to talk. 10. Use many different approaches. Put all of these suggestions together and you will have found many different ways to study the same material -- reading, listening, looking at pictures, writing, speaking, drawing, teaching. Together these are much more effective than spending twice as much time repeating the same method. 11. Remember that learning material is only the first step to a good grade. You must also perform well on the exam. When you tell me, "I knew this material but still got a low grade," the problem usually lies in one of the following: a. You misread a question on the exam. Slow down and read carefully. b. You answered the question you thought should be there instead of the one that was. Slow down and read carefully. In an essay, look for a one-sentence answer to the question; then expand. c. Your thinking and/or writing was fuzzy (usually both). You did not understand the concept as well as you thought. Do not look at it in your study notes and say "I know that." Practice writing, explaining or teaching it before the exam. d. You did not recognize the question when I asked it in a different way. (Do not expect straight-forward questions from me.) You have to do more than memorize a definition. You have to be able to use it, explain it, and apply it. Approach an unexpected question as a problem to be solved. What knowledge is needed to solve it? Students will have the opportunity to earn up to 12 extra-credit points by attending selected relevant oncampus presentations by visiting or local speakers. Announcement of these presentations will be made during class periods and posted on Moodle. Only presentations mentioned by the instructor are worthwhile for extra credit. To receive credit, you must attend the presentation, complete a one-page summary of the presentation and submit that paper at the next scheduled lecture period. Each presentation by an off-campus speaker is worth up to 2 points. These points will be added to the total point accumulation at the end of the term. Extra-credit will only be offered if the class average is below average (75%). 4 HONOR CODE 12. Learning effectively takes time. There is no alternative to that, so Students will work accept it. How much time you devote to a course should reflect your together in lab and commitment to learning the material. If you do not give the course a effective high priority, you must be prepared to accept the consequences in collaboration is your grade. essential to this course, however, It is not true that spending more time necessarily means more retention students will and better performance. The quality of the time spent is more important analyze data, make than the quantity. You must discover what approaches are effective for graphs and write you and you must have the discipline to stick with them. Ask other lab papers by students, lab assistants, and instructors (myself included) for ideas. themselves or be in If you find you are having difficulties in the course, come and talk to me. But violation of the remember, I can help you a lot more before an exam, when there is still time Honor Code. They to learn, than afterwards. should NOT help each other with these tasks. Students that are found in violation of the Honor Code by using graphs or statistical analyses created by others will receive a grade of 0 for the assignment and will be reported to the Honor Council, as will any students found cheating or plagiarizing. Blatant cheating and plagiarism are likely to result in suspension or expulsion. Details about plagiarism and how to avoid it are found in your lab manual and on the following web site: www.plagiarism.org FINAL GRADE COMPUTATION 150 PTS. 150 PTS. 20 PTS 30 PTS 20 PTS 30 PTS 300 PTS. 150 PTS. 850 PTS. TWO LAB PRACTICALS @ 75 PTS. EACH RESEARCH PAPER AND DRAFT LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT PHOTOTAXIS/DROSOPHILA HOMEWORK PLANT/FUNGI SCAVENGER HUNT PAPER WRITING WORKSHOP FOUR LECTURE EXAMS @ 100 PTS EACH- LOWEST SCORE DROPPED FINAL EXAM TOTAL Final grades will not be scaled. Borderline students will be considered individually. In those instances, consideration will be given to lecture and lab attendance, attitude, and class participation. Grading Scale A = 93—100% A- = 90–92.9 % B+ = 87–89.9 % B = 83–86.9 % B- = 80–82.9 % 5 C+ = 77–79.9 % C- = 70–72.9 % D+ = 67–69.9 % D = 60–66.9 % F < 60 % TENTATIVE LECTURE AND LABORATORY SYLLABUS Please note that this is a tentative schedule. Any changes will be announced in lecture, on Moodle, or through email. DAY DATE TOPIC AND EXAM SCHEDULE READINGS WEEK WEEK ONE W F Feb. Feb. 5 Introduction; Characteristics of Life 78 Systematic Biology: Phylogeny and Classification M Feb. W F Feb. Feb. 10 Systematic Biology: Phylogeny and Classification 12 An Overview of the Cell 14 Membranes and Transport M W F Feb. Feb. Feb. 17 Exchange with the Environment 19 Prokaryotic Structure and Function 21 Domain Bacteria M W F Feb. Feb. Feb. 24 LECTURE EXAM I 26 Plant Anatomy 28 Plant Anatomy II M W F Mar. Mar. Mar. 3 Plant Transport I 5 Plant Transport II 7 Plant Nutrition I M W F Mar. Mar. Mar. 10 Plant Nutrition II 12 LECTURE EXAM II 14 No Class – At Conference M W F Mar. Mar. Mar. 17 NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK 19 NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK 21 NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK M W F Mar. Mar. Mar. 24 Plant Reproduction I 26 Plant Reproduction II 28 Plant Development Ch. 36 (pp. 811-826) Ch. 36 (cont’d) Ch. 36 (pp. 826-834) M W F Mar. Apr. Apr. 31 Animal Nutrition I 2 Animal Nutrition II 4 Gas Exchange I Ch. 47 (pp. 1043-1065) Ch. 47 (cont’d) Ch. 46 (pp. 1024-1039) Ch. 1 (pp. 1-6) Ch. 1 (pp. 6-12), Ch. 24 (pp. 528-533) WEEK TWO Ch. 24 (pp. 533-543) Ch. 5 (pp. 90-110) Ch. 6 (pp. 119-137) WEEK THREE (cont’d) Ch. 26 (pp. 567-576) Ch. 26 (pp. 577-585) WEEK FOUR Ch. 33 (pp. 748-770) Ch. 33 (cont’d) WEEK FIVE Ch. 34 (pp. 774-789) Ch. 34 (cont’d) Ch. 35 (pp. 793-807) WEEK SIX Ch. 35 (cont’d) WEEK SEVEN WEEK EIGHT WEEK NINE WEEK TEN M Apr. 7 LECTURE EXAM III 6 DAY DATE W F Apr. Apr. TOPIC AND EXAM SCHEDULE READINGS 9 Gas Exchange II 11 The Circulatory System I WEEK Ch. 46 (cont’d) Ch. 44 (pp. 981-997) WEEK ELEVEN M W F Apr. Apr. Apr. 14 The Circulatory System II 16 Regulating the Internal Environment I 18 GOOD FRIDAY – NO CLASSES Ch. 44 (cont’d) Ch. 48 (pp. 1069-1092) WEEK TWELVE M W F Apr. Apr. Apr. 21 Regulating the Internal Environment II 23 Nervous Systems 25 LECTURE EXAM IV Ch. 48 (cont’d) Ch. 40 WEEK THIRTEEN M W F Apr. Apr. May 28 Sensory Systems 30 The Endocrine System I 2 The Endocrine System II Ch. 41 Ch. 42 (pp. 943-962) Ch. 42 (cont’d) WEEK FOURTEEN M W May May 5 7 Animal Reproduction I Animal Reproduction II Ch. 49 (pp. 1096-1114) Ch. 49 (cont’d) FINALS WEEK M May 12 FINAL EXAM, 9AM-12PM 7