Principles of Biology II
(BIOL-12200)
Spring 2012

Lectures – Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:50 - 12:05, 225 Williams Hall
Labs :   Mondays through Thursdays in CNS 107 or 110, 1:00 - 3:50 p.m.
See section instructors' sections and TAs here.


Lecture  Instructors: Office Hours:

Peter Melcher (CNS 255)
pmelcher@ithaca.edu
274-3980		 Tues 1:30 – 2:30 and
Wed  11-12 or
by appt.


Susan Swensen (CNS 253)

sswensen@ithaca.edu

274-3511

Tues 12:15 -1:15 and
Fri 10 -11 or
by appt

                                                                                      

 

Lab instructors:
Section 02 Mon CNS 110 Susan Swensen, sswensen@ithaca.edu; Student Lab TA: Dominique Lessard
Section 03: Mon CNS 107   Peter Melcher, pmelcher@ithaca.edu; Student Lab TA: Kelsie Phelan
Section 04:   Thurs CNS 110  Anne Stork, astork@ithaca.edu; Student Lab TA: Rich Kintzing
Section 05: Tues CNS 107   Jayasri Srinivasan, jsrinivasan@ithaca.edu; Student Lab TA: Bonnie Marvin
Section 06: Wed CNS 110  Jayasri Srinivasan, jsrinivasan@ithaca.edu; Student Lab TA: Adrienne Antonsen
Section 07: Thurs CNS 110  Anne Stork, astork@ithaca.edu; Student Lab TA: Amir Abdulhay
    

Required Texts/Equipment:

1. Biology by N.A. Campbell, J.B. Reece (9th edition), if you are using the 8th edition, it is your responsibility to align your readings appropriately as page numbers and even chapter numbers may have changed. The figures used in lecture will come from the current edition.
2. Principles of Biology Lab Manual (available in lab the first week - $5.00).
4. A Guide to Biology Lab, Rust (3rd ed.), Southwest Educational Enterprises, 1983.
5. Interwrite RF clicker (available at the IC Bookstore).

 

Course Website: This course is on Saiki http://myhome.ithaca.edu. Choose Saiki and Biol 12200.  Log in with your IC user ID. Readings, homework, lecture and lab supplementary materials will all be posted on this site. Announcements about review sessions, changes to schedules or assignments, etc. will be posted on Saiki, so you will have to check the site regularly.

Course Description: This is the second semester of the introductory biology series for biology majors.  Emphasis is placed on evolution, biodiversity, and ecology.

  1. Systems thinking and how to use it to study interactions
  2. The history of life on Earth and how life evolved through geological time
  3. Methods to classify organisms
  4.  Evolution
  5. Diversity and Extinction
  6. Strategies used by organisms to enhance fitness: Reproductive strategies, form and function related to specific environments from aquatic to terrestrial to flight
  7. General Ecological principles and using system thinking to understand ecological sustainability. In addition to learning about these topics, this course is designed to introduce you to the methods of scientific inquiry. Biology is a huge and growing field. New information constantly leads to new ideas and the modification or abandonment of old ideas. It is important for you to understand this process so that you can evaluate new ideas and information.


Attendance:

 

Lectures: You are expected to come to lecture, however we do not take attendance. There is a significant correlation between exam performance and lecture attendance. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to make every effort to attend lectures.

 

Exams: You must take exams on scheduled exam dates. If you are participating in a college-sponsored event (athletics, performance, etc.) that conflicts with a scheduled exam, you must provide us with a written excuse from a faculty member (coach, director, etc.) at least one week prior to the exam. If you cannot make it to an exam (i.e. illness), you need to contact one of the instructors before the exam begins. Email alone is insufficient; you need to call and leave a message with a number to contact you if we are not available. Failure to do so will result in a zero for that exam.

 

Laboratory: Laboratory attendance is mandatory. If you miss your lab, you may arrange to attend another lab section during the week. You must notify both your regular lab instructor and the instructor of the make-up lab section. If you do not make up missed labs, it will count against your lab grade.

 

Reading assignments are found in the Lecture Schedule ON SAKAI. YOU MUST READ THE MATERIALS BEFORE LECTURE. Reading assignments are mandatory unless otherwise noted. Additional readings may be added to Sakai that are not listed on the syllabus.



Behavior: As this is a large class it is critically important that talk between students during class be kept to a minimum. Cell phones, iPods, and other music players may not be used during lecture, labs, or exams. Inappropriate behavior during class will result in your dismissal from lecture.


There will be no extra-credit assignments in this course.

 

Academic Conduct: Familiarize yourself with the college's policies on academic conduct (visit the Judicial Affairs Office  web site.

Plagiarism: As is stated in the Student Handbook “Academic honesty is a cornerstone of themission of the College. Unless it is otherwise stipulated, students may submit for evaluation only that work that is their own and that is submitted originally for a specific course.” Please make yourself familiar with plagiarism as it is defined in the Student Handbook. Academic dishonesty can result in a grade of zero on an assignment or test, academic code probation, suspension, orexpulsion from the college depending on the outcome of a judicial hearing.

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 Student Disability Services and provide appropriate documentation to Ithaca College before any academic adjustment will be provided. Students that need special accommodations should contact the Office of Academic Support Services for Students with Disabilities, 110 Towers Concourse (274-1257, acssd@ithaca.edu).

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Page maintained by Peter Melcher and Nancy Pierce 
Last updated January 2012