Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy BIO304, 4 cr.

Spring 2011 Tentative Schedule

Lecture: TTh 9:30-10:45, CBLS 10. 

Professor: Dr. Cheryl Wilga, cwilga@uri.edu, CBLS 183, 874-9020.

Office Hours: Mon & Tues 4:30-5:30, Tues & Thurs 11-12, or by appointment.

Laboratory: CBLS 325, 01) Thursday 3-5:50 pm, 2) Friday 9-11:50 and 3) 12-2:50.

Teaching Assistants: Stacey Sakai, CBLS 190, sasakai@my.uri.edu; and Jordan Balaban, CBLS 190, jbalaban@my.uri.edu.

Open lab session/TA office hours in CBLS 325: Tuesdays 1-3pm.

Spring 2011 BIO304 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy Syllabus

Lecture Text (required):  Functional Anatomy of the Vertebrates: An Evolutionary Perspective, 2001, 3^rd Edition, Liem, Bemis Walker and Grande (eds), Harcourt College Publishers: Orlando. ISBN-13: 978-0030223693

Lab Text (required): Comparative Anatomy: A Laboratory Manual. DeIuliis G. and D. Pulera. 2006. Academic Press.  ISBN-10: 0120887762.

Lecture: This is an introductory course designed to familiarize students with the functional and evolutionary anatomy of vertebrates. The goal is to learn the essentials of vertebrate anatomy and their diversity. The function and evolution of vertebrate organ systems will be emphasized. The lectures and laboratory exercises are complementary; lectures focus on the function and evolution of anatomical structures while the laboratories focus on learning anatomical structures through dissection and observation.  Lecture examinations will be based on lecture material and the text and will focus on the evolution and function of chordate anatomy. Examinations are composed of multiple choice, short answer, short essay and figure questions.

Laboratory: Laboratory exercises supplement lecture material with hands-on experience on the structure and function of vertebrates through dissection and identification of selected specimens. Laboratory examinations will take the form of quizzes and practicals in which evolutionary, functional, and identification questions will be asked referring to models and specimens.

Journal Paper Presentation: Readings of current original research papers in the field of functional or evolutionary vertebrate anatomy will supplement the lecture material. Working in groups of 2 or 3, you will select a topic from those listed in the syllabus and give an oral presentation of a journal paper related to that topic to the class during the last 15 minutes of that lecture day. Your presentation should take ~12 minutes leaving 3 minutes for class questions. The paper must be selected from recent issues (1990 to present) of a peer-reviewed journal and must be on functional or evolutionary vertebrate anatomy (some good journals with good search engines are: Journal of Experimental Biology, Journal of Experimental Zoology, Journal of Morphology,  Integrative and Comparative Biology, Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society, Google Scholar). I must approve the paper and you must upload a pdf file of the paper on Sakai@URI at least one week prior to your presentation (or get 10% off). You will be graded on your oral presentation and a single spaced, typed critique (2 page limit, 1” margins, 12 pt font) of the paper to be turned in at the time of the oral presentation, both of which should address the goals of the research, the methods employed to carry out those goals and their appropriateness, what was learned from the study, where the conclusions supported by the data, what contribution did the study make to the field or other fields, what were the limitations if any, of the study, and how might the study be improved or expanded in the future. See tips for great power point presentations and how to write a critique on Sakai@URI. Oral presentations must be in PowerPoint and you must upload your powerpoint and critique document files on Sakai@URI by 9am on the day of your presentation. I will grade your critique and the TA’s and your classmates will grade your presentation according to scientific standards (see presentation evaluations). Late critiques, journal articles and presentations result in a 10% markdown for each item and each day late.  

How to upload files onto Sakai@URI. Go to https://sakai.uri.edu/portal Select “dropbox”, you will see your name, click on the arrow next to “add” and select “upload file”, find your file in your brower, check the box “send email to instructor”, select “upload file now”.

Grades: The standard grading system will be used, unless I see fit to scale, 820 points are possible:

            4 Lecture Exams @ 100 points each                                 400 points

            1 Journal paper presentation + critique (25 pts each)   50 points

3 Laboratory Practicals @ 60 points each                                   180 points

            7 Laboratory Quizzes @ 20 points each                          140 points

            Attendance, participation + dissection (lecture and lab)             50 points

Extra Credit. You may write up to 4 critiques (same format as presentations) on 4 different chapters in the book Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin. 2009. Vintage Books, Random House Inc. New York. ISBN 978-0-307-27745-9. This is a well written best selling book that describes the anatomical, functional, physiological, developmental and genetic changes that occur during the evolution of vertebrates from fishes to mammals. You can only turn in one critique every 3 weeks, each is worth 10 points. I will have several copies on reserve at the library. You must load your critique on Sakai@URI – don’t forget to select “email instructor”.

Make-up Policy: You must have an approved university excuse for missing an exam.  Make-up lecture exams are all essay and make-up practicals are oral.

Cheating: Have respect for yourself and your fellow students and do not cheat. Cheating will not be tolerated and will be dealt with according to university regulations.

Study Tips: Most students find anatomy to be a very challenging subject. In order to do well in this course, you must make a serious commitment to practice good study techniques. Here are some study suggestions that will help you to do well in this course.

1 – Read the chapter before class. This way you are familiar with the material and hearing the main points presented in lecture reinforces your understanding and facilitates note taking. Reading the chapter typically improves your score by one letter grade or more.

2 - Anatomy is a very visual subject; therefore, you should study the figures in the text, lab and web manual. Cover the labels on the figures and be sure that you can identify the structures. The plates on the web manual are particularly well laid out for this self-testing practice.  It is naïve to think that you can learn anatomy from class notes alone.

3 – Take good notes during class and lab. Students that do well find that rewriting their lecture notes after each class is not only a good review but increases their understanding of the material.

4 - After each chapter, go through your lecture notes and write a short paragraph explaining the function and evolution of the structures for practice essay questions. Check the WebCT study guide for study questions that can and will appear on the exams. DO NOT ask your TA to pregrade your essays. See Dr. Wilga if you have any questions on your essay.

5 – If you learn the Latin and Greek word roots, then you will be able deduce the meaning of most anatomical terminology as we encounter them repeatedly (i.e. osteo means bone).

6 – On average, you should devote 2-3 hours of study time per 1 hour of lecture.

Course Material. Slides of lecture and laboratory materials, study guide, old exams, sample presentations and critiques, and grades are on the website Sakai@URI https://sakai.uri.edu/portal.

SPRING 2011 COMPARATIVE VERTEBRATE ANATOMY

EVALUATION FORM FOR ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Presenters _____________________________________________

Topic _______________________________________________

Date__________________ Reviewer_______________________

Please rate each presenter on a scale from 0 – 10 as follows (whole numbers only):

Outstanding 10      Excellent 9     Very Good 8     Good 7    Fair 6     Poor 5    Did not address 0

PAPER CONTENT (60%)

Goals of research                                                                             ______          

Method and appropriateness                                                          ______          

Interpretation of results (what was learned)                             ______

Plausibility of conclusions and contribution to science              ______

Limitations, improvements, or expansion of research                ______

Answering questions                                                                         ______

PRESENTATION (40%)

Clarity of research statements and purpose                               ______

Quality of visual aids or graphic design                                       ______

(can you read the text and see the figures?)                            

Presentation style and ability to communicate                            ______

Organization and timing                                                                  ______

Class comments:                                                                   Total   ______

Dr. Wilga  and TA comments: