BIOL 1010-02 (4 Cr.)                General Biology I                              Fall 2007

10:00-10:50 MWF

Instructor: Dr. John Campbell

Office: SM 254 Phone: 6140                                      Text: Raven and Johnson. 2008. 8th Ed.

Email: john.campbell@northwestcollege.edu             Biology. McGraw-Hill. 1260 pp.

Office Hours: 9-9:50 MWF

Class Web Page: http://biology.northwestcollege.edu

General Course Objectives: This first semester of general biology is designed for students who will be specializing in biology or another science and for students who are specializing in a preprofessional curriculum. A successful student in the class should gain a solid understanding of the basic principles of ecology, genetics, evolution, and cell biology. For the science major, this course will provide a strong base of theory, information and skills for their later, more advanced courses. Additionally, this exposure to general principles of biology and the scientific method of approaching problems should provide a new perspective from which to understand science issues that will confront you in your personal and civic lives. No previous science experience is expected.

For all students, there are additional educational objectives for this class. Students should learn to evaluate large amounts of information, prioritize this information and then use it to synthesize and summarize general concepts. They should also learn to listen to spoken information and develop skills at summarizing it in concise and organized notes. Laboratory exercises give practical experience at experimental design and procedures, and skills in evaluation of data and synthesis of concepts from these data.

Specific Course Objectives: By the conclusion of the course, students should be able to:

·         Define biological terms correctly

·         Understand the general principles of biology

·         Communicate biological concepts clearly and accurately

·         Analyze biological phenomena using a scientific approach

·         Apply their knowledge in evaluating social issues and problems that have a biological dimension.

Exams and Grading:

Lecture = 75% of total course grade. Your lecture grade will be based on five lecture exams. The final exam will be comprehensive in part. One third of the final will be comprehensive, covering general concepts from the entire semester. The remaining two thirds of the final will be equivalent to a normal exam and will test the material covered since the previous exam. Thus, the final exam will be worth 1 1/2 times a normal hourly exam. Exam 1-4 = 18% of lecture grade each. Final Exam = 27%.

Lab = 25% of course grade. Your lab grade will be determined by your laboratory instructor.

 

 

Tentative exam dates:

Exam 1 Sept. 17

Exam 2 Oct. 8

 

Exam 3 Oct. 29

Exam 4 Nov. 19

Final - Dec. 18, Tues. 10-11:50AM

Do not plan on taking your final exam early!

The following grading scale will be followed --

90-100=A

80-89=B

70-79=C

60-69=D

59 or lower=F

The following describes what is required by most students to gain a specific grade. Some students may achieve a specific grade with less work than I describe, while others may require more work. You must adjust your studying to the grade you want and to your study characteristics. Additional guidelines for doing well in this class (learning objectives for each chapter, study hints, note taking suggestions, etc) are available on the class web page http:// biology.northwestcollege.edu

A: I use the letter A to represent an excellent performance. You need to know the basic concepts extremely well, and be able to use and express those concepts without hesitation. Additionally, you are expected to be able to explain many of the secondary details. You must understand the material and you must be able to use the material. Most students will need to read and study regularly, not just before the exam, to achieve this grade. This grade requires very consistent performance over the semester in both lecture and lab.

B: The grade of B represents very good performance over the semester. You need to know the basic concepts very well, but some allowance is made for missing an occasional point or a secondary detail. Generally, you must understand all the material, but may not be able to recall or use all details. Regular studying is usually required, but less consistency and less time is needed than that for an A.

C: This grade represents average performance over the semester. You will need to know most of the basic concepts fairly well, but you may forget or not understand some of them. Fewer secondary details from the text are needed. You still must understand most of the material, but you may not be able to use or explain all without prompting. About one to two hours of study outside of class for every hour inside of class is needed by most students to achieve a C. Note that this adds up to 3 to six hours per week.

D: This grade usually indicates you do not understand or remember many of the basic concepts and principles of the course. You might be able to answer many questions via recognition of words, but many concepts could not be recalled independently. Irregular attendance, poor note taking, or too little studying are usually responsible for this grade.

Absence policy: Consistent attendance is important in this science class. A liberalized college absence policy is to be used. Your grade may be reduced one letter grade for each unexcused absence beyond 4 absences from lecture. Absences for an illness or a college sponsored activity are the only excused absence allowed. People involved in excused school activities must provide a written excuse prior to their absence, in addition to the note provided by your sponsor.

Missed exams: Missing an exam is very serious. A makeup exam will be allowed only for excused absences and serious illness. All college sponsored activities must be excused in advance. If illness prevents you from taking an exam, a phone call must be made to me in my office, to the science secretary, or to the Student Services Office, before exam time and a written note from a physician or the college health service may be required. Absences not dealt with in the above manner will not be considered excused and a makeup exam will be worth 80% of its original value. Makeup and replacement exams may be different in form from the missed exam. All makeup exams will be given on the following dates:

Sept. 24 for exam 1, Oct. 15 for exam 2, Nov. 7 for exam 3 and Nov. 29 for exam 4

Policy on Academic Integrity: You are expected to strictly observe NWC rules regarding academic honesty. These rules are detailed in your Student Handbook. These rules require you to abstain from cheating on exams, properly reference published written and electronic material, and only submit work that is your own. If you have any questions regarding what behavior is proper, including what constitutes plagiarism, please do not hesitate to ask.

Cell Phones: The biology classroom is a no cell phone zone. Please turn off your cell phone or switch to silent when in the biology classroom. Please do not use text messaging during the class.

Students with Special Needs: Students who qualify for specific accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act should notify the instructor in the first week of class. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor of his/her needs and to provide the necessary documentation before any classroom accommodations can be made.

How to contact me: If you have any questions, need help or clarifications, or need to tell me something, you may contact me in several ways (not in order of priority):

1. See me before or after class

2. Visit me during office hours

3. Visit me during non-office hours. Stop by and see if I'm in my office or set up an appointment.

4. Call me in my office. My phone # is 754-6140. If I'm not there, leave a voice mail message.

5. Email me. My email address is john.campbell@northwestcollege.edu . Emailed questions are very useful. Email allows you to ask me a question at any time, it allows you to ask a question without embarrassment, and it allows you to keep the answer that I return.

Catalog Description:

Students study the following topics: ecology, evolution, genetics, the chemistry of life, cell structure and function, respiration and photosynthesis. This introductory biology course is designed for students specializing in the biological or physical sciences or health and physical education.

 

 

 

 

Course Outline: Chapter Date

 

Introduction to Biology                                      1                                              Aug. 27, 29

 

Population Ecology                                             55                                           Aug. 31, Sept. 5, 7

 

Communities Ecology                                        56                                           Sept. 10, 12, 14

 

Exam 1                                                                                                                   Sept 17

 

Ecosystem Ecology                                             57                                           Sept. 19, 21

 

Chemical basis of life                                         2                                              Sept. 24

 

Molecular structure of cells                               3                                              Sept. 26, 28

 

Cell structure and function                                4                                              Oct. 1, 3

 

Membranes                                                          5                                              Oct. 5

 

Exam 2                                                                                                                   Oct. 8

 

Cellular energy                                                     6                                              Oct. 10

 

Cellular Respiration                                            7                                              Oct. 12, 15

 

Photosynthesis                                                     8                                              Oct. 17, 22

 

Cell reproduction                                                 10, 11                                     Oct. 24, 26

(mitosis + meiosis)

 

Exam 3                                                                                                                   Oct. 29

 

Mendelian genetics and beyond Mendelian ideas 12                                  Oct. 31 Nov. 2, 5

 

Molecular biology of the gene (DNA)              14                                           Nov. 7, 9, 12

 

Action and regulation of genes                         15 + lecture                           Nov. 14

 

Changes in DNA (Gene and Chromosomal mutations) 13                         Nov. 16

 

Exam 4                                                                                                                   Nov. 19

 

Natural Selection and Adaptation                   1                                              Nov. 26, 30

 

Population genetics and Natural Selection     20                                           Dec. 5, 7

 

Evidences for evolution                                     21                                           Dec. 10, 11

 

Origin of species                                                   22                                           Dec. 14, 17

 

Final Exam                                                                                                           Tues. Dec. 18, 10-11:50