Marine Biology Spring 2010
Marine Biology
Dr. Allen F. Mensinger
COURSE PHILOSOPHY AND POLICES
OBJECTIVE: To introduce undergraduate students to marine biology. The course will examine a diverse array
of marine habitats with the emphasis on the ecophysiology of the inhabitants. The goal of the course is to
understand how animals have evolved and survive in the wide array of marine habitats. There will be a field trip
to the Shedd aquarium in Chicago, IL so students can experience the animals in natural displays.
OFFICE HOURS AND AVAILABILITY: I take my teaching mission very seriously and I welcome you to stop
by my office to discuss either the course or any other topic at anytime. If the office hours are not convenient, then
please schedule an appointment at another time. Additionally, I am often available before and after the Friday
afternoon biology department seminars.
LECTURE NOTES: A rough outline of my lectures will be posted on the class web site at the start of a new
module. These are to AID note taking, not REPLACE it. Often students spend so much time scribbling notes,
that they do not have any chance to comprehend the material. Therefore, so you do not have to write every word,
partial notes are available for your benefit. Please be aware that not all material will make it into the notes. If you
fail to attend lecture for what ever reason, you are expected to get copies from your classmates. Please do not ask
me.
TEXTBOOK: Most of the marine biology textbooks available are written for non-majors and would not be
suitable for this course. After reviewing a number of textbooks, I found Levington to be the most suitable. The
majority of the material and figures will come from this book and I recommend you buy it. However, I am not
certain I will reuse it in 2012 and I do not know the buyback policy for the bookstore for classes offered every
other year. Therefore, I suggest that you share the book with a friend if possible to lower the cost. I will not
assign any readings as I will be offering a multi disciplinary course that will integrate various portions of the book
at once. However, you are not responsible for anything I do not mention in lecture. Therefore, I suggest
examining your lecture notes and concentrating your reading on what was mentioned during lecture.
CDs: I will be showing almost the entire series Blue Planet Seas of Life during the course of the semester. The
footage is spectacular and very pertinent to the course. I highly recommend you purchase this set to go along with
the course. My CDs are not available for loan.
GRADING- Your grades will be determined based on written lecture exams and a field trip exercise in
correlation with the following scale.
90% = A ; 80 % =B; 70% =C; 60% = D; < 60% = F. Please note I reserve the right to grade on a curve if the
exam scores fall below the above parameters (this would be to your benefit). I also reserve the right to add +/- to
borderline (± 5 pts) grades.
Lecture exams
= 300 Pts
There will be three lecture exams each worth a maximum of 100 pts. The emphasis will be on the material
covered in each third of the course. However, as marine biology is based on many fundamental principles, some
of the more general principles may appear on each exam. These exams are designed to test your ability to think
critically and not just memorize facts.
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Marine Biology Spring 2010
Field trip exercise = 100 pts
You will be given of wide range of exercises that will be suitable for a report. For example, you may make a
website of the rocky shore based on photos from the aquarium. Alternatively, you may summarize the
educational displays in the aquarium and write a short critique on them. You could also design an experiment and
observe a tank for 30 to 60 minutes and note behavioral interactions. The end result should be a 3 to 5 page well
written paper that incorporates your aquarium experience into your report. Additional info and guidelines will be
made available as the course progresses. You also may team up with classmates however I would expect a
slightly longer document. I strongly suggest that you get approval for your ideas from me either prior to the field
trip or on the bus ride down.
If you are unable to make the field trip, you will need to submit a significantly longer assignment (~15 pages) on a
marine topic of my choosing.
ATTENDANCE- While this issue should not have to be addressed in an upper level course, I will present it
anyway. You are expected to attend all lectures. I will not respond to what material was covered or videos shown
for specific lectures. To alleviate the burden of deciding which excuses are legitimate, this course will operate
under a NO EXCUSE policy and there will be NO MAKE-UPS of exams. If you miss an exam or quiz, you will
be required to present written documentation on the appropriate letterhead detailing the medical, personal or
university reason for the absences. If you have a pre existing conflict with a scheduled lecture exam, including
the final, or the field trip I would strongly suggest you consider taking the course at another time. You will not
receive any credit for the exam that will be missed. In the case of a legitimate emergency (car not starting is not
an emergency), you will need to contact Dr. Mensinger immediately and we will try to resolve such an incident on
a case by case basis.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
I apologize for having to address this subject as over 98% of the students I have encountered at UMD are
excellent scholars and citizens and I thoroughly enjoy working with you. Therefore, we will not tolerate any
cases of academic misconduct including cheating or plagiarism. We now have the electronic means to check
assignments against other students and information on the web. If any instance of academic misconduct is
encountered, at a minimum, you will be given an F with no chance to withdraw from the class. I also reserve the
right to pursue future sanctions including dismissal from the university.
If for some reason, you do not feel adequately prepared to undertake this course, please discuss this immediately
and together we will try to remedy any deficiency. Attempts to address this issue during the final weeks of the
course or AFTER final grades are posted will not be successful.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN LECTURE
The University of Minnesota Duluth has given the instructors permission to ban all electronic devices in the
lecture hall. While this policy will be enforced during examinations, I am not quite ready to implement for
lectures. Electronics devices can be helpful during the course of a lecture. I have no objection to students using
MP3 players to tape my lectures or using laptops to take notes. However, I have received a number of complaints
from students about incessant text messaging (in and out) via cell phones and improper use of laptop devices/MP3
players. While these events rarely bother me, they do bother your neighbor and therefore, I request that all cells
phones not be accessed for any reason during lecture, MP3 players turned off and computers restricted to course
appropriate use.
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Marine Biology Spring 2010
The Field Trip – The Shedd aquarium is on the top aquariums in the world and I hope you will enjoy the
experience of seeing live marine animals. We will take a coach bus that will depart Friday morning and return
Sunday evening. We will be staying in the Hilton Chicago which is the closet hotel to the aquarium. Up to four
students will share a room and most rooms will have two bathrooms. Your course fees will cover
Roundtrip bus transportation
Two nights at the Hilton
Admission to the Shedd Aquarium including the Wild Reef and Marine Mammal Show
Admission to the Field Museum
Admission to the Crane Foundation (if open)
Dinner Saturday in Chicago
Snacks and drinks on bus
As of now, what is not covered
Friday dinner, Sat and Sun breakfast, Sat and Sun lunch.
The class fee was calculated as a worst case scenario involving the maximum rooms needed for the class and 45
student enrollment. As I have been told that the university cannot refund class fees, there maybe some additional
funding to offset the costs of additional meals. In any event, Chicago and the Hilton are not inexpensive.
However, there are some fast food or relatively inexpensive restaurants within a block or two of the hotel.
Saturday lunch is probably going to be purchased on one of the museum food courts and may cost ~$10 or higher.
If the weather is nice, there will be hot dog vendors that will offer a more daring but less expensive option. Please
note if you are unable to accompany us on the field trip for any reason, the class fee cannot be refunded due to
contracts and university regulations.
Tentative itinerary (Times may change)
Friday
12:00 Depart Duluth
16:00 Dinner on road
21:00 Check into Hilton
Saturday
0730
0830
0900
0930
1130
1300
1400
1700
1900
2100
Breakfast (on own)
Bus to Aquarium
Arrive at Aquarium
Enter Wild Reef Exhibit
Marine Mammal show
lunch (on own)
Arrive (walk) to Field Museum
Bus to Hilton
Bus to dinner (as group)
Bus to Hilton or free time in Chicago
Sunday
0830 Breakfast (on own)
1000 Depart Hilton
1200 Arrive International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, WI
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Marine Biology Spring 2010
1330 Depart Crane Foundation, lunch in Dells?
1900 Approximate arrival in Duluth
You are expected to obey all university, local, state and federal rules/laws on the trip. You are also expected to
obey all reasonable directives from Dr. Mensinger or any of the chaperones including curfews. No alcohol or
drugs may be transported on the bus or brought into the Hilton. While the areas we are visiting are relatively safe,
Chicago is a very large city and with it comes inherent risks. Therefore you must remain with a member of group
at all times outside the buildings. If you elect to explore Chicago on Saturday night, I strongly suggest you take a
taxi that will bring you back directly to the hotel. Although there is light rail, the walk from the rail station to the
Hilton is not advisable late at night.
Violation of any university, local, state and federal rules/laws will be presented to the appropriate authorities for
review and action. If you feel that you can not adhere to these rules, then I suggest you drop the class.
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