"Temptation and Fall", Michelangelo.
From the Sistine Chapel Ceiling.
Thurs. 1:00-3:00 pm,
or by appointment
| Instructor: | Dr. Bruce P. Smith |
"Temptation and Fall", Michelangelo. From the Sistine Chapel Ceiling. |
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| Office: | 166 Center for Natural Sciences, Room | ||
| Lab: | 171 Center for Natural Sciences, Room | ||
| Phone: | 274-3971 | ||
| Email: | smithb@ithaca.edu | ||
| Office Hours: | Tues./Thurs. 9:30 – 10:30 am, Thurs. 1:00-3:00 pm, or by appointment |
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| Textbook: | To be announced. | ||
This course is an evolutionary analysis of reproductive behavior: a comparative approach among animals, including humans, to isolate underlying motivation and better understand our own sexuality and behavior in a biological context. Topics include asexual and sexual reproduction, sex determination, genetic and environmental determinants of sexual behavior, male and female tactics, mating systems (monogamy, polyandry, polygyny), conflict of interests between the genders, courtship displays, mate choice, assuring paternity, parental care. This course is intended to satisfy general education requirements in Science (2a) but does not yield credit towards the Biology major.
Learning Objectives:
Schedule Resources
Specific to the Course Topic:
- To understand what constitutes
sexual and asexual reproduction, and the relative significance of each
- To learn about the various
modes of sexual reproduction
- To undertand how sex is
deternmined, and how sexual differentiation progresses in human development
- To study the theories
of why sex evolved
- To learn about various
reproductive tactics and strategies
- To understand sexual selection:
what traits result from sexual selection, what behaviors drive sexual selection
- To learn about the diversity
of mating systems
- To study the evolutionary
significance of parental care
Assessment:
Lecture Test 1 20%
Lecture Test 2 20%
Lecture Test 3 20%
Final Exam 20%
Project 15%
Pop Quizzes 5%
Letter grades correspond to the following percentages:
A = 93.3 – 100% A- = 90 – 93.2%
B+ = 86.6 – 89.5% B = 83.3 – 86.5% B- = 80 – 83.2%
C+ = 76.6 – 79.5% C = 73.3 – 76.5% C- = 70 – 73.2%
D+ = 66.6 – 69.5% D = 63.3 – 66.5% D- = 60 – 63.2%
F = below 60%
Lectures are traditional in format, with a strong emphasis on audiovisual presentation. Tests will be based on lectures (including concepts and examples covered in video clips) and assigned readings, and are not cumulative. Questions will consist of two general types: a) one point questions, which may include multiple choice, one-word answers, simple definitions, fill in the blank, and/or matching questions b) short-answer questions worth 3 to 5 points each. These questions will be designed to test both factual knowledge and understanding. The final exam includes all material in the course, and will be in similar format. Please note: No extra credit will be offered. Also, grades are not fit to a bell curve.
Pop Quizzes are based upon required readings, and are not announced. I will drop the lowest quiz; this allows for one unexcused absence occurs on the day of a pop quiz, but subsequent missed quizzes without excuse will reduce your grade. Each pop quiz will be short in length, and designed to test factual knowledge.
Each person will research and complete a project on some aspect of sexual biology. You may use insight that you may have gained from your major, minor, or personal interests, but keep in mind that your paper must represent at least 50% Biology, and directly relate to the course material (i.e., sex, gender, medical sexual abnormalities, mate choice, reproductive behavior, pheromones, mating systems, etc.). The paper may overlap broadly with Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, etc., as long as there is the requisite biological content. Please be aware that a project written for one course cannot be submitted for grading in another course (past, present or future; see Student Handbook). Aim at a minimum of 6 pages (and no more than 10), and at least 5 sources of information. This is a ballpark estimate: with some topics you may be overwhelmed with information and it would be appropriate to use more sources, whereas with a very specialized topic you may have a hard time finding. If you are reviewing a book, then a smaller number of sources may be appropriate. One approach would be to conduct a web survey: choose a topic relevant to the course and search for appropriate websites, and write a summary of the information provided. Remember, this is worth 15% of your grade: you want your effort to reflect this value. This project is an assessment of your ability to research, summarize, and organize information into a cohesive synthesis.
Policy:
1. Attendance: Official college policy stated in
the “Undergraduate Announcements” is: Students are expected to attend classes
and that they are responsible for all material even when absent.
Acceptable reasons for absence include 1) student illness, requiring the
student to be bed-ridden; 2) death or serious illness in immediate family;
3) appearance in court; 4) religious holidays.
On a practical level, it is essential to attend lecture in order to do well in the course. Not all of the material presented in lecture is covered in the textbook, and I will make extensive use of video footage, that is not available outside of class. Also, coverage of some topics in the text is detailed and technical: part of the function of lecture is to provide background and guidance that is necessary for required readings. While I hope that I do not have to enforce attendance, my policy is that you may be penalized conspicuous unexplained absence: a letter-grade for missing more than 10% of your classes, or you may be withdrawn from the class if you continue to miss classes beyond the first penalty.2. Readings: You are expected to read the assigned readings BEFORE coming to class, as a background to that day's lecture. If you have any questions regarding material in the reading, please ask during class.An exam missed during an unexcused absence (i.e. oversleeping or not being prepared) will result in a zero grade for that exam. If you miss a exam, you MUST inform me before the test if at all possible, but if not physically capable, then notify me as soon as possible afterwards. You can send me e-mail, phone my number (above) or the Biology Department (607-274-3161) to leave a message. Such notification does not guarantee my accepting your reason for absence, but failing to notify me guarantees you will not be excused.
3. Questions: Please feel free to ask questions in class. Chances are that if there is something that you don't understand, then others in the class are also confused - don’t hesitate to ask your question. I may choose to save the question and answer for next class if I want to research the question or use audiovisuals in the explanation.
4. Personal Conduct: "A student's behavior must not interfere with the activities of the College or with other student's pursuit of educational objectives" (see General Information, Undergraduate Announcements). Talking during lecture (except for questions or participating in class discussions) is disruptive and is disrespectful to other students and the instructor. Cell phones, pagers, etc. are to be kept turned off during classes. Disruptions may result in the student being asked to leave the class and the student will be considered absent without excuse. If asked to leave class on more than one occasion, the student will be withdrawn from the course. When discussing sex, please do not use slang or phrases that others might find offensive. If someone continued to use inappropriate language after having been warned, it could result in that individual being withdrawn from the course. Similar procedures will be followed if the appropriateness of language or comments in written is questionable. If flagrant offenses occurred, the student could be judicially referred for disciplinary action.
5. Academic Honesty: All the work in this class must be your own, unless stated otherwise. Please note college policy that material submitted for grades in one course cannot be submitted for credit in another course - your presentation cannot be based on an article used in another class. Confirmed instances of academic misconduct will result in a zero for that test or assignment and referral to the school judiciary system. Please refer to the Student Handbook for a detailed description of the policies regarding student academic conduct.
6. Accommodations: In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodations will be provided to students with documented disabilities ona a case by case basis. Students must register with the Office of Academic Support Services and provide appropriate documention to the college before any academic adjustment will be provided.
7. Plagiarism: Please be aware of plagiarism: if you take a sentence from someone else's work and only change one or a couple of words, it is still plagiarism even if you cite the source. You must rewrite the information or ideas in your own words. Plagiarism is a serious offense of academic misconduct: check the student handbook and library website for details, but it can lead to judicial proceedings and even expulsion from the college. Each idea has to be referenced (and in the sentence where the idea appears), you cannot simply cite the reference once at the end of a paragraph containing many ideas from the same source. In such cases, you can avoid referencing each idea yet still indicate your source through careful writing,
e.g.:
"Roberts and Janovy (1985) were the first to study this phenomenon. They found that ..., further, when the ... . Roberts and Janovy go on to state that ... and their conclusion was... ."Or,
"Roberts and Janovy (1985) were the first to study this phenomenon. In the following paragraph, I will review their work. ....."