BIOL 11500
Essentials
of Biology
Fall 2008
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Instructor:
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Dr.
Robin Bingham
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Room:
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213 Center for Natural
Sciences
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Phone:
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274-1086
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Email:
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rbingham@western.edu
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Lectures:
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9:25-10:40 a.m. T R (CNS 112)
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Office Hours:
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Tuesday 11:00-12:00
Thursday 11:00-1:00
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Text: Campbell, Reece and Simon, Essential Biology, 3rd
edition
Syllabus
Blackboard
should be checked regularly for course material.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Welcome to Biology 11500 Essentials of Biology! The objectives of this class include the
following:
1.
To introduce you to the central unifying concepts of biology,
that of
the diversity and unity of life
2.
To introduce major biological
concepts including cell structure and function, metabolism, genetics,
development
and evolution,
3.
To understand the relevance of
these concepts to our lives, and
4. To develop your critical
thinking, problem solving, and analytic skills within the context of
biology
and society.
After taking this
course you should be able to:
- Distinguish between scientific ways of understanding the world
and other forms of knowledge.
- Explain the fundamental structure of matter
and relate this structure to biological systems
- Describe water’s life supporting properties.
- Describe the structure and function of the four major classes of
organic molecules in living systems: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins,
and nucleic acids
- Distinguish between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
- Describe and explain the functions of cellular components: cell
membrane, nucleus, chloroplasts, mitochondria, the
cytoskeleton.
- Explain the laws of thermodynamics and how they manifest in
living systems
- Describe the structure and function of enzymes
- Distinguish between energy flow and chemical cycling in the
biosphere
- Describe the metabolic pathway of cellular respiration and its
raw materials and products.
- Distinguish between aerobic and anaerobic respiration
- Describe the metabolic pathway of photosynthesis and its raw
materials and products.
- Explain the connection between greenhouse gases and global
warming and how photosynthesis affects the atmosphere
- Explain the cell cycle and mitosis and relate the disease of
cancer to these processes.
- Distinguish between mitosis and meiosis and explain the role of
meiosis in sexual reproduction and evolution
- Explain the relationship between abnormal chromosome numbers and
some genetic disorders
- Explain the fundamental rules of inheritance: the laws of
segregation and independent assortment
- Relate the rules of probability to inheritance
- Explain sex determination in humans and sex-linked patterns of
inheritance
- Describe the structure of DNA and the connection between its
structure and function
- Describe the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to
protein
- Describe different types of viruses and how they infect cells.
- Explain the fundamentals of gene regulation
- Understand the process of
cloning and describe its use in science and society
- Describe some applications of DNA technology and evaluate the
strength of DNA evidence as used in forensic applications
- Describe the evidence for evolution including: the fossil record
and geologic time, biogeography, comparative anatomy and embryology,
and molecular biology
- Explain the fundamental principles of the theory of evolution by
natural selection and discuss other mechanisms of micro-evolution
- Describe the applications of evolutionary biology within
environmental, medical and agricultural contexts
- Provide a brief outline of the history of life and major
evolutionary trends
Grading: Course
grades will be assigned according
to the following scale:
A = 90% and above, B = 80-89%, C = 70 – 79%, D =
60 – 69%, F
= below 60%
Your grade in the
class will be
based on the following:
Exams
50%
Attendance
and Participation
35%
Article reviews
15%
Exams
: There will be four exams.
The exams will cover material from class as well as reading
assignments.
Approximately two-thirds of the exam will be multiple-choice and the
remainder
will be short answer or short essay.
Attendance and
Participation: Throughout the semester you will be required to
complete a
variety of assignments. These will
include problem sets, review questions, summaries of reading
assignments or
videos, etc. These exercises will often be completed during the class
period. There
also may be unannounced quizzes. You must be present to receive
credit for
these in-class assignments.
Article reviews:
Throughout the semester we will read several
articles illustrating how the biology we are studying influences our
lives. You
are required to write critical reviews of these articles. More details
on this
assignment and on the format to be followed will be provided in class.
Attitude, Effort, and
Class Participation: While most of your grade will be based on
objective
test and assignment scores, there will also be a subjective component.
Your
attitude, effort and class participation will be taken into account in
assigning a final grade. In borderline
cases, I will take into account how you conduct yourself in class how
helpful and
courteous you are to others, the extra effort you put in to improve
your status
in the class, and participation in class activities and discussions. I
will not
tolerate inappropriate classroom behavior. Students who are disruptive
in class
or disrespectful of me or other students will be removed from class and
withdrawn or failed from the course.
Course Policies:
- "80%
of life is just showing up!"
--Woody Allen
- Attendance is critical! You
are responsible for all material covered in class and all work assigned. There will be no make-ups for missed in-class
assignments. It has been my experience that the students who choose not
to
attend class end up doing poorly. You
must attend regularly if you want to be successful!
- For
each day that an assignment is
late, the
grade on that assignment will be reduced by 10%.
- No
makeup or early exams will be
given
(exceptions may be made only in the case of documented medical
circumstances)
- All
written assignments must be
typed (except
those done in class) and will be graded for spelling and grammar.
- Academic
dishonesty will result in a
score of
zero for that assignment. If it occurs a
second time, you will receive an F for the class and disciplinary
action will
be taken.
Academic dishonesty
includes the
following:
1.
Cheating =
using unauthorized materials in any academic exercise.
2.
Fabrication = intentional invention of any information or citation in
an
academic exercise.
3.
Facilitating academic dishonesty = helping another student commit an
act of
academic dishonesty.
4.
Plagarism = representing someone else's
material as your
own.
Standards of Academic Conduct:
These are
outlined clearly in the student handbook: "Academic honesty is a
cornerstone of the mission of the College. Unless it is otherwise
stipulated,
students may submit for evaluation only that work which is their own
and that
is submitted originally for a specific course".
Please familiarize
yourself with the definition of
plagiarism. Academic dishonesty can lead to a zero grade on that
assignment, a
failing grade in the course, academic code probation, suspension or
expulsion
from the College depending on the gravity of the violation and the
decision of
the judicial board.
Students with Disabilities:
In compliance with
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act,
reasonable accommodation
will be provided to students with documented disabilities on a
case-by-case
basis. Students must register with the Office of Academic Support
Services
(607-274-1005, TDD 607-274-7319, acssd@ithaca.edu) and provide
appropriate
documentation to the college before any academic adjustment will be
provided.
Students should schedule an appointment with their instructors as soon
as
possible to discuss their individual needs.
Helpful Hints: Here
are a few suggestions as to how you
might approach studying for this class:
- Complete the reading assignments before
the corresponding lecture.
- Review
or rewrite your notes each
day after
class and clarify any areas of confusion by referring to the text or
coming to
see me during office hours.
- Exams
will emphasize material that
you encounter
both in lecture and in the reading, so pay particularly close attention
to
those topics!
- We will
be covering lots of material!! This course will require extensive study
time
outside of class. To get an average
grade you can expect to spend two hours studying/reviewing for every
hour of
lecture.
Ithaca College will
provide accommodations for any student
with documented disabilities. IC adheres to all regulations and
guidelines
intended to ensure that students receive equal educational opportunity. The instructors encourage special needs
students to use all accommodations granted them by the Citizen's with
Disabilities Act.
Visit the Biology
Department.
Visit the Ithaca College home
page.
This
page maintained by Nancy Pierce
Last
updated: 8/08