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LAMC:
Biology 3 - Introduction to Biology (Fall 2006)
I.
Instructor Contact Information:
Dilek
Sanver-Wang
Office Hours: Thurs., 6-7pm and Sat. 3:30-4:30pm in
INST 2016
E-mail:
sanverd@lamission.edu
Course
Website: http://www.biologyprofessor.com/lamc
II.
Lecture/Lab Meetings:
Section 3139
Lec:
Thursday, 7-9pm and Saturday, 11:05am-12:10pm in INST 2004
Lab:
Saturday, 7:45-10:55am in INST 2016
Section 3222
Lec:
Thursday, 7-9pm and Saturday, 11:05am-12:10pm in INST 2004
Lab:
Saturday, 12:20-3:30pm in INST 2016
III.
Course Description
Prerequisite:
none
Advisory: English 28 – College level reading, writing and study skills
Articulation: CSUN Biology 101; CSULA Biology 155
& 156; UCLA Life Science 15; UCR Biology 2
Biology
3 is a comprehensive course designed to allow students to identify and describe
the major concepts of modern and classical biological sciences including: the
fundamental physical and chemical principles underlying the life sciences; the
basics of cell structure and function; the underlying principles of heredity,
reproduction, immunology and development; and the intimate interplay between
organisms and their environment. The relationship between structure and
function, from atoms to ecosystems, provides a unifying theme for the course.
Concepts will be reinforced by active participation in laboratory exercises,
lectures, discussions, readings, and written assignments, constructed
specifically to allow students to learn about the scientific process and its
effect on our daily lives.
IV.
Course Texts and Materials:
Required
Lecture Textbook:
Campbell
, N.A.,
Reese, J.B.,
Taylor
, M.R. and Simon, E.J. Biology: Concepts
and Connections. Benjamin Cummings, 2006, 5th edition.
Required Laboratory Book and Materials:
Dickey,
J. Laboratory
Investigations for Biology. 2003, 2nd edition.
Lab
Pack with Laboratory Review Sheets (can be purchased at the bookstore or downloaded from the course website.)
Four
(4) blank scantron forms to be turned in to me prior to the first midterm. Form
No. 882-E.
V. Attendance & Assignment
Deadlines:
You are
expected to attend the lab and lecture section you are enrolled in every week.
Make-up labs are not
allowed in this course. If you miss
a lecture/lab exam or quiz, you will not be able to make up the work or the
points. If
you have a documented emergency that prevents you from attending a lecture or
lab meeting, you must contact me immediately and show me the appropriate
documentation to avoid receiving a zero on that day’s assignment.
VI.
Academic Honesty:
Any student
caught plagiarizing, cheating on exams, or failing to abide by the policies of
academic honesty will immediately receive a failing grade (F) for this course
and a report will be filed with the college.
While group work and collaboration is encouraged when working in the lab
and when studying outside of class, all assignments that will be submitted for a
grade should be completed individually unless I indicate otherwise.
I have outlined the two main types of academic dishonesty below for your
reference.
a)
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is intellectual theft.
It means use of the intellectual creations of another without proper
attribution. Plagiarism may take two
main forms, which are clearly related:
1.
To steal or pass off as
one’s own, the ideas or words of another.
2.
To use a creative
production without crediting the source.
Credit
must be given for every direct quotation, for paraphrasing or summarizing a work
(in whole, or in part, in one’s own words), and for information which is not
common knowledge.
b)
Cheating on exams:
Cheating
includes talking during an exam, passing notes during an exam, copying from
another student’s exam, using cheat sheets or other forms of unauthorized
written or verbal sources on an exam, receiving answer signals from another
student during an exam, etc.
VII.
Grading/Assignments:
A.
Point Distribution:
Lecture:
2 Midterms:
200 pts (100 pts each – you will be given 3 midterms and the lowest
midterm score will be dropped)
Final
Exam:
100 pts
Lab:
3
Quizzes:
75 pts (25 pts each)
Attendance
& Write-ups: 120 pts
Final Practical Exam:
105 pts
Total Points:
600 pts
B.
Grading Scale:
The
following scale will be used to determine your letter grade in this course:
90-100%
A
80-89%
B
70-79%
C
60-69%
D
Below 59% F
You can determine your current grade in the class at
any time by adding up all the points from exams, quizzes, assignments, etc. you
have earned, dividing that value by the total possible points you could have
obtained up to that point, multiplying by 100 to get your % score, and looking
up your grade on the grading scale.
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Important Dates:
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Add Deadline:
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Sept. 15
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Refund Deadline:
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Sept. 18
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Deadline to drop w/o W:
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Oct. 1
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Deadline to drop w/ W:
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Nov. 22
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C. Laboratory Assignments:
a) Lab Exercises / Review Sheets (120 points):
For the lab
questions and write-ups, you should attempt to answer every question completely.
If you do not know the answer to a question, you need to demonstrate that
you have thought about it critically. We
will often go over the questions in class and I expect you to make corrections
and/or additions to your answers as appropriate.
I will collect your review sheets for every lab and grade them for
accuracy and completeness.
Note:
Review sheets for the labs should be downloaded from the course website at http://www.biologyprofessor.com/lamc
b)
Quizzes (75 points):
There will be three quizzes, each worth 25 points. Quiz
questions will be based on laboratory material and will be administered during
the first 15 min. of lab. Each quiz
will focus on material not covered on the previous quiz unless I announce
otherwise. Do realize, however, that
some of the information you learn early on in this course will be reiterated in
subsequent labs, so the quizzes will be cumulative with regards to some of the
content.
c) Lab
Practical Exam (105 points)
There will be a Lab Final Practical on Saturday,
Dec. 16, during your regularly scheduled lab.
The exam is designed to be completed in small groups, and will test you
on the various laboratory skills you have learned throughout the semester. You
will be allowed to use your notes and books during this exam.
D. Lecture
Assignments:
a) Midterms (200 points):
There will be three midterms,
each worth 100 points. At the end of
the semester, your lowest midterm score will be dropped.
Midterms will include a variety of question styles: multiple-choice,
matching, short answer, matching, etc. You
are responsible for all the material covered in the lectures.
The lecture exams will cover both lecture and lab material, but the emphasis will be on material
covered in lecture.
b) Final Exam (100 points):
Thursday, Nov. 30, 7:00pm-9:00pm in INST 2004
The Final Exam will include a variety of question styles: multiple-choice,
matching, short answer, etc. The
exam will be a cumulative review of the material presented in the lectures, labs
and readings, with an emphasis on lecture material.
Attending class regularly, taking notes and reviewing your notes
regularly, reviewing the lecture slides in the computer lab, and forming study
groups with fellow students will help you to succeed in this course.
c) Extra Credit
(20 points):
You can earn up to 20 points in extra credit by completing any two of the
activities outlined on the life sciences website under the “Lecture Notes”
section. The
due date for all extra credit assignments is Thursday,
Nov. 16, although you can turn in your assignments any time before
the deadline. At the end of the
semester, if your grade is borderline (e.g. 89%, 69%), I will only consider a
grade adjustment if you have completed the maximum # of extra credit
assignments, and attended lecture and lab regularly.
STUDENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, the successful student should be able to:
1.
Critically interpret how the scientific method has been employed
in prominent scientific studies of interest to the general public.
2.
Confidently discuss and debate science findings as
they are presented in the popular media.
3.
Apply the scientific method by collaborating with peers to
formulate a hypothesis, design a simple controlled experiment, collect and
record data, and make a reasonable conclusion.
4.
Demonstrate basic laboratory skills, including: metric system of
measurement of mass, volume. length and temperature; use the compound light and
dissecting microscopes; conducting simple chemical tests.
5.
Enunciate the theory of evolution as the unifying theme in
biology, and supporting evidence from biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics,
organismal biology, and population biology.
6.
Describe the fundamental characteristics of living things.
7.
Compare the hierarchical levels of organization of organisms and
their size relationships: atoms, molecules, organelle, cell, tissue, organ,
organ system, organism. population, ecosystem.
8.
Identify the structure and function of major biological
macromolecules: carbohydrates, lipids. proteins, and nucleic acids.
9.
Identify the structure and function of cellular components:
nucleus, Golgi apparatus, SER, RER, cell membrane, cell wall, mitochondria,
chloroplast, ribosomes, cilia, cytoskeleton.
10.
Compare and contrast prokaryote/eukaryote cells and plant/animal
cells.
11.
Explain the role of the cell membrane in: diffusion, osmosis,
facilitated diffusion, active transport, phagocytosis, and pinocytosis.
12.
Describe how enzymes catalyze chemical reactions.
13.
Compare and contrast the processes of cellular respiration and
photosynthesis and their roles in energy transformations in organisms.
14.
Describe the cellular basis of asexual and sexual reproduction,
including the transmission of hereditary material to offspring.
15.
Solve classical Mendelian genetics problems using Punnet squares
and apply these methods to calculating probabilities of single-gene diseases.
16.
Define the contemporary understanding of a gene and describe the
processes of transcription and translation.
17.
Define the organization and function of some of the major human
organ systems, such as: digestive, circulatory, nervous, and reproductive.
18.
Describe difference between angiosperms and gymnosperms, and the
major parts of a typical plant.
19.
Explain the interdependency between different species, and between
animals and their environment.
20.
Apply biological principles to the evaluation of contemporary
societal problems (Examples: genetic screening, cloning, genetic engineering,
deforestation, global warming, population growth, infectious disease.)
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