Principles of
Biology (Honors) --- LS 1114
Patty
B. Smith, Assistant Professor
Office: 406C
Telephone: 878-5430
E-mail: pbsmith@sgc.edu
Office
Hours: by appointment only.
Course Description
This
honors course provides the student with the basic principles of biology. These include scientific methods, cellular
organization and function, genetics, reproduction and development, natural
selection, classification of living organisms, representative taxa, animal
systems, ecology, and environmental and conservation issues. Three hours lecture and one laboratory
session each week. Recommended for
natural science majors.
Text and Materials Required
The
required text is Life (4th
edition) by Lewis, Gaffin, Hoefnagels, and Parker. The required laboratory manual is Biological Investigations (6th
edition) by Dolphin. A folder will be
needed for illustrations and informational handouts.
Lecture and Laboratory
Policies
The
tentative schedules of lecture and laboratory topics are attached. Lecture presentations will be introductions
to the important aspects of each topic; laboratory work will demonstrate these
aspects. Lecture will meet in room
406B, while laboratory will meet in room 401.
Attendance
is required in both lecture and laboratory sessions. Only in extenuating
circumstances, such as family crisis, illness, birth, etc., will makeup
examinations or quizzes be provided and late assignments be accepted. Advise your instructor in advance of an
absence as a result of such matters. Missed examinations and assignments cannot
be made up unless justification for being absent is provided before the
assignment is due. If a student is permitted
to makeup an assignment, the assignment must be completed within one week of
the due date, or the student receives a zero on the assignment. In addition, any makeup examinations or
quizzes will be essay format only!
Under no circumstances will missed laboratory sessions be made up!
Class attendance and participation are essential! If a
student has missed three lectures and/or labs, a notice will be sent to the
Registrar’s Office. After five
absences, the student is automatically dropped from the course. Please do not make a habit of coming to
class late. Tardiness will not be
tolerated! In addition, all assignments must be completed! Failure to complete any assignment, such as
lecture exam, laboratory notebook, or final exam, will result in a F (failed)
not an I (incomplete) for the course.
Any form of academic dishonesty or misconduct (plagiarism, cheating, etc.) will result in a failing grade for the course. The required discipline in accordance with university guidelines will be made.
The instructor reserves the right to modify the requirements of the course, the schedule of the examinations, and the arrangement of topics to enhance the learning process. Course changes will be announced in lecture and/or laboratory.
Examinations, Assignments
and Grading
Lecture Examinations. Three exams valued at 100
points each will be given. Each exam is
comprehensive, that is, covering all material presented in lecture and
laboratory. Lecture exams are scheduled
for September 21, October 12, and November 16.
Laboratory Quizzes. There will be twelve lab
quizzes covering laboratory topics and classification and recognition of
taxa. Each quiz is valued at 10
points. Laboratory quizzes are
scheduled for the beginning of each laboratory session. The total value of quizzes is 120
points.
Laboratory Notebooks. Each student is required to hand in their laboratory manual with
the appropriate assignments completed.
The value for each laboratory assignment is 10 points; missed laboratory
assignments will not be accepted for grading.
The total value of the laboratory notebook is 120 points. Laboratory notebooks are due on November 29.
Reading Assignments. Seven
reading
assignments of current and hopefully interesting topics in biology will be
given. Each student is required to
read, understand, and discuss the manuscript.
Quizzes covering the reading assignments will be given during the
specified laboratory sessions. Each
quiz is valued at 20 points; the total value of the quizzes is 140 points.
Library
Research Proposal and Paper. Each
student will compile information from valid biological research. Research proposals are due on September 14
at lecture session. The research
proposal should be a brief paragraph of the research topic, contents of paper,
and valid scientific references. Total
value of the research proposal is 20 points.
Research
papers will only include valid scientific references. Valid scientific references include most
library materials, especially scientific journals, and some information from
the Internet. Dictionaries and
encyclopedias are not valid references.
Research
papers will be neatly typed with the following format. Composition including references should be 5
- 6 pages, double-spaced, line height of 10 or 12 point, and one-inch
margins. The research paper should
contain the sections of title page, abstract, introduction, main body of text,
conclusions/summary, and literature cited.
The papers should be free of spelling and grammatical errors; papers
with substantial spelling and grammatical errors will not be accepted. In addition, copies of all references
will be attached to the research paper.
Research papers will not be accepted without the appropriate reference
copies! Additional instructions will be
provided on September 7 during lecture session. Total value of the library research is 150 points. Research projects are due on November 2 at
lecture session.
Final Examination. One exam valued at 150
points will be given. The exam is
comprehensive, covering all material presented in the course. The final examination is Tuesday, December
11, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.
Summary
of Assignments.
Assignment
|
Date
|
Value |
Research Proposal |
September
14 |
20 |
Lecture Exam 1 |
September
21 |
100 |
|
Lecture
Exam 2 |
October
12 |
100 |
|
Lab
Quizzes |
each
laboratory session |
120 |
|
Reading
Quizzes |
as
scheduled |
140 |
|
Research
Papers |
November
2 |
150 |
|
Lecture
Exam 3 |
November
16 |
100 |
|
Lab
Notebooks |
November
29 |
120 |
|
Final
Exam |
December
11 at 9:00 a.m. |
150 |
|
|
|
|
Total Points
|
|
1000 |
Grading. Grades Assigned from Total
Points Earned:
A = 900 - 1000, B = 800 -
899, C = 700 - 799, D = 600 - 699, and F = 0 - 599
Writing Center
The
instructor may refer a student to the Writing Center. Once referred, the student must attend each session
regularly: failure to do so may result
in failing the course! Only the
Director of the Writing Center or the course instructor can release the student
from attending.
Disabilities
If
any member of this class has a disability and needs special accommodations,
please advise the instructor of the disability and desired accommodations
during the first scheduled class period.
Principles of
Biology (Honors) --- LS 1114
Lecture
Schedule
Dates |
Course Topics |
Chapter(s) |
|
August
22 and 24 |
Course
Requirements; Characteristics and Domains of Living Organisms; Scientific
Method |
1 |
|
Aug.
27, 29, and 31 |
Chemical
Basis of Life; Cellular Structure and Function |
2
– 4 |
|
September
3 |
LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
|
|
|
Sept.
5 and 7 |
Cellular
Structure and Function cont’d; Research Papers |
|
|
Sept.
10, 12, and 14 |
Photosynthesis;
Cellular Respiration |
6
– 7 |
|
September
14 |
Research Proposals Due
|
|
|
Sept.
17 and 19 |
Cellular
Respiration cont’d; Metabolism |
5 |
|
Sept.
21 |
Lecture Exam I |
|
|
Sept.
24, 26, and 28 |
Mitosis;
Meiosis and Sexual Reproduction |
8
– 9 |
|
October
1, 3, and 5 |
Genetics |
10
– 11 |
|
Oct.
8 and 10 |
DNA;
Gene Activity |
12
– 13 |
|
Oct.
12 |
Lecture Exam II
|
|
|
Oct.
15 and 17 |
Biotechnology
|
|
|
October
18 - 21 |
FALL BREAK
|
|
|
Oct.
22, 24, and 26 |
Charles
Darwin and Evolution; Origin of Life |
14
– 18 |
|
Oct.
29 and 31; November 2 |
Classification
of Living Organisms; Domain Archaea; Domain Bacteria |
19
– 20 |
|
Nov.
2 |
Research Papers Due
|
|
|
Nov.
5, 7, and 9 |
Domain
Eukarya; Kingdom Protista; Kingdom Plantae |
21
– 22 |
|
Nov.
12 and 14 |
Kingdom
Plantae cont’d |
|
|
Nov.
16 |
Lecture Exam III |
|
|
Nov.
19 |
Kingdom
Fungi |
23 |
|
Nov.
21-25 |
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
|
|
|
Nov.
26, 28, and 30 |
Kingdom Animalia
|
24
– 25 |
|
December
3, 5, and 7 |
Animal
Systems; Ecosystems and Human Impact
|
30;
43 – 45 |
|
Dec.
11 (9:00 a.m.) |
Final Examination |
|
Principles of
Biology (Honors) --- LS 1114
Laboratory
Schedule
Date |
Laboratory Session, Topic, and Assignments |
Lab Chapter(s) |
August 23 |
LS 1. Laboratory Conduct
and Safety; Introduction to Microscope
|
2 |
|
Aug.
30 |
LS
2. Quiz 1; Chemical
Composition of Cells; Reading Quiz 1 and Discussion on Science |
HO
and 1 |
|
September
6 |
LS
3. Quiz 2; Cell
Structure and Function; Reading Quiz 2 and Discussion on Technical Writing |
3
– 4 |
|
Sept.
13 |
LS
4. Quiz 3; Photosynthesis
and Respiration |
25
and 7 |
|
Sept.
20 |
LS
5. Quiz 4; Mitosis;
Reading Quiz 3 and Discussion on Greenhouse Effect |
8 |
|
Sept.
27 |
LS 6. Quiz 5; Meiosis; Reading Quiz 4
and Discussion on Cancer |
9 |
|
October
4 |
LS 7. Quiz 6; Genetics and Biotechnology
|
HO, 10 – 11 |
|
Oct.
11 |
LS 8. Quiz 7; Evolution (Quiz 8)
|
HO and 12
|
|
Oct.
18 |
FALL BREAK
|
|
|
Oct.
25 |
LS
9. Domain
Bacteria and Domain Eukarya: Kingdom
Protista; Reading Quiz 5 and Discussion on Biotechnology |
13
– 14 |
|
November
1 |
LS 10. Quiz 9; Kingdom Plantae |
15 – 16 |
|
Nov.
8 |
LS 11. Quiz 10; Kingdom Fungi; Reading Quiz 6 and Discussion on Prairie Conservation
|
17
|
|
Nov.
15 |
LS
12. Quiz 11; Kingdom Animalia; Reading Quiz 7 and Discussion on Biodiversity |
18
– 20 |
|
Nov.
22 |
THANKSGIVING |
|
|
Nov.
29 |
LS 13. Quiz 12; Kingdom Animalia; Animal Organization; Laboratory Notebooks Due
|
21 – 22; pages 329 – 330
|
|
Dec.
6 |
LS 14. Field Trip to Sam Noble
Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
|
|
Course Objectives
The
course objectives are as follows for each unit of the course.
Unit 1 (Lecture Exam 1 and Laboratory Sessions 1 – 4)