Biology for Daily Life – Bio 105 – Fall 2011
Dr. Brad Wetherbee
Phone: 874-2335 Office Hours: MWF 11-12 or by appointment
Office: Woodward 024
Email: wetherbee@uri.edu
Lecture: MW 10:00-11:00
CBLS 010
Laboratory: CBLS 335
Text: Essentials of Biology. Campbell Biology. Pearson Publishers.
Students are responsible for reading this syllabus and for the information contained
Course Description: This course offers an introduction to some of the major principles of biology from the cell and organismal level briefly through evolution and ecosystems. This course is designed for non-biology majors and will often focus on topics within the biological sciences that relate to everyday life of humans or topics that are controversial issues facing the populace. We will follow a hierarchical scheme from molecules to cells, tissues, organs, systems in whole organisms, to organisms within ecosystems. Lectures will focus on materials necessary for life, the processes that occur within normal functioning living things, and interactions among living things and their environment.
Instruction: The primary means of communicating information for this course is lectures. Figures from lectures, partial notes, study guides, practice exams, videos and other materials are available on the course website:
http://www.uri.edu/cels/bio/wetherbee/bio105.html
Exam scores and your point total for the course will be posted on Sakai.
This course will also rely on a very good introductory biology textbook and students should keep up with assigned readings to do well in this course. The textbook provides much more detailed information about topics covered in lecture. Because of the amount of material presented and the pace of lectures, students will benefit tremendously by regularly reviewing lecture notes. If you are having trouble understanding material, do not hesitate to ask for help from your fellow students, TA or your instructor. The longer you wait the more ground there is to make up.
Tutors and study groups may be arranged through the Academic Enhancement Program located in Roosevelt Hall. You can make an appointment or walk in anytime during office hours -- Monday through Thursday from 9 am-9 pm, Friday from 9 am to 1 pm, and Sunday from 4 pm. to 8 pm. For a complete schedule -- including when tutors are available specifically for this class -- go to www.uri.edu/aec, call (401) 874-2367, or stop by the fourth floor in Roosevelt Hall. They may tell you that no tutors are available for this course, but you can make an appointment with a biology tutor.
Exams: The material on the three midterm exams and the final exam for this course will primarily come from information presented in lecture and students are strongly urged to study the lecture notes well. All exam questions will be on subjects covered in lecture, but questions may be very specific and you should expect to know material in the lecture notes well to score high on exams. Exams will be multiple choice, 50 questions for midterm exams and 75 points for the final exam. The final exam will be approximately half comprehensive and half from material covered during the final quarter of the semester. Students with university approved excuses may schedule a makeup exam. Exams given on days other than the regularly scheduled dates will be essay format rather than multiple choice. Students with special requirements for exams through Disability Services should notify me early on so that they can be accommodated well ahead of time.
Note exam dates well in advance and make
semester travel plans accordingly. Please be prepared to take the final
exam on the day that it is scheduled for Wednesday
Dec 21 11:30 am.
Section 8.51.11-12 of the University Manual states:
8.51.11 Students who plan to be absent from classes or examinations for religious holy days that traditionally preclude secular activity (see 6.20.11 for how such information is made available) shall discuss this with the appropriate instructor(s) in advance of the holy day. The instructor(s) shall then make one of the following options available: a. the same quiz, test, or examination to be administered either before or after the normally scheduled time; b. a comparable alternative quiz, test, or examination to be administered either before or after the scheduled time;c. an alternative weighting of the remaining evaluative components of the course which is mutually acceptable to the student and instructor(s).
8.51.12 Students who expect to be absent from classes or examinations for University sanctioned events shall discuss this with the appropriate instructor(s) at least one week in advance of the sanctioned event(s). The instructor(s) concerned shall then offer the student an alternative listed in section 8.51.11. For these purposes University sanctioned events shall be those events approved for class excuses by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, a Vice President, a Dean, or the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. No event shall be regarded as University sanctioned until the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs has been notified. Disagreements over the validity of an event being categorized as University sanctioned shall be mediated by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. If agreement cannot be reached, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs shall decide the matter and that decision shall be final.
Laboratory: Laboratory attendance is mandatory and the score for the laboratory accounts for 25% of the point total for this course. Labs offer an opportunity for hands-on learning and interaction with your fellow students and teaching assistant. The schedule of labs, information on grading and makeup labs will be provided at your first lab meeting. Laboratories begin the second week of classes.
Grading: Grades will be based on the 3 regular exams, the final exam, and the laboratory. Cumulative point totals for the lecture portion of the course will be posted on Sakai following each exam and will enable you to keep track of how you are doing up to that point. Letter grades for the course will be determined based on the point totals that follow and letter grades do not necessarily correspond to any percentage that may be used in other courses. For example 241 points is 80% of the possible points, but is a C+ in this course, not a B as it might be in some other courses. Based on this point system the grade distribution for students in this class is anticipated to be very close to: 10% A, 20% B, 40% C, 20% D and F 10%.
|
Three lecture exams: 150 points (50%) |
|
A |
271-300 |
|
Final exam: 75 points (25%) |
|
A- |
267-270 |
|
Laboratory: 75 points (25%) |
|
B+ |
263-266 |
|
|
|
B |
246-262 |
|
Total Points 300 |
|
B- |
242-245 |
|
|
|
C+ |
238-241 |
|
|
|
C |
214-237 |
|
|
|
C- |
210-213 |
|
|
|
D+ |
206-209 |
|
|
|
D |
186-205 |
|
|
|
F |
<186 |
Academic Honesty: Students are expected to be honest in all academic work. A student’s name on any written work including assignments, lab reports, internship reports, papers, or examinations, shall be regarded as assurance that the work is the result of the student’s own thought and study. Work should be stated in the student’s own words and produced without assistance or properly attributed to its source. When students are authorized to work jointly, group effort must be indicated on the work submitted.
Plagiarism and cheating undermine academic honesty and will be handled according to institutional guidelines. Every student will be held accountable for knowing and adhering to university policies regarding academic dishonesty. For more information please review the URI Student Handbook: http://www.uri.edu/judicial/assets/URI_Student_Handbook_2008-2010.pdf
Getting or giving help during an exam, plagiarism and copying from your fellow students for work in this course are not allowed. Cheating will be dealt with according to the university regulations. If you are caught cheating you will receive an F for the course.
If you are caught using a cell phone or other electronic device during an exam, it will be presumed that you are cheating and you will receive a zero on that exam.
There are certain times when use of cell phones is not appropriate. During lecture is one of those times. Cell phones should not be used during lectures since this is inconsiderate to your instructor. Those using their phones during lecture can expect to be called on in front of the class.
|
Lecture |
Date |
Day |
|
Topic |
Campbell |
|
1 |
Sep 7 |
Wed |
|
Introduction - What is Life? |
1 |
|
2 |
Sep 12 |
Mon |
|
What is Science? |
1 |
|
3 |
Sep 14 |
Wed |
|
Biological Chemistry |
2, 3 |
|
4 |
Sep 19 |
Mon |
|
Food and Digestion |
21 |
|
5 |
Sep 21 |
Wed |
|
Cells |
4 |
|
6 |
Sep 26 |
Mon |
|
Cell Membranes and Transport |
5 |
|
|
Sep 28 |
Wed |
|
EXAM I (Chapters 1-5, 21) |
|
|
7 |
Oct 3 |
Mon |
|
Cellular Energetics I |
5, 6 |
|
8 |
Oct 5 |
Wed |
|
Cellular Energetics II |
5, 6 |
|
|
Oct 10 |
Tue |
No class |
Columbus Day |
|
|
9 |
Oct 12 |
Wed |
|
Gas Exchange |
22 |
|
10 |
Oct 17 |
Mon |
|
Circulation |
23 |
|
11 |
Oct 19 |
Wed |
|
Photosynthesis |
7 |
|
12 |
Oct 24 |
Mon |
|
Cell Division |
8 |
|
|
Oct 26 |
Wed |
|
EXAM II (Chapters 5-8, 22, 23) |
|
|
13 |
Oct 31 |
Mon |
|
Inheritance
|
9 |
|
14 |
Nov 2 |
Wed |
|
DNA
|
10 |
|
15 |
Nov 7 |
Mon |
|
RNA, Genes and Making Proteins
|
10 |
|
16 |
Nov 9 |
Wed |
|
Mutations & Genetic Disorders |
8.9,8.18,10.16, 11 |
|
17 |
Nov 14 |
Mon |
|
Genetic Engineering |
11, 12 |
|
18 |
Nov 16 |
Wed |
|
Darwin and Evolution |
13 |
|
|
Nov 21 |
Mon |
|
EXAM III (Chapters 8, 10-14) |
|
|
19 |
Nov 23 |
Wed |
|
Origin of Species |
14 |
|
20 |
Nov 28 |
Mon |
|
Origins and Diversity of Life |
15 |
|
21 |
Nov 30 |
Wed |
|
Animals |
20 |
|
22 |
Dec 5 |
Mon |
|
Biodiversity |
38 |
|
23 |
Dec 7 |
Wed |
|
Conservation Biology |
38 |
|
24 |
Dec 12 |
Mon |
|
Review |
|
|
|
Dec 21 |
Wed |
11:30-2:30 |
FINAL EXAM |
CBLS 010 |