1. General Biology II, BIOL 1407 – Section 323, Summer II 2012
Lecture MTWRF 3:50-5:45 pm (S-216)
Lab MTWRF 5:55-7:50 pm (S-215)
2. Instructor: Karine Gil-Weir, Ph.D.
Office: S-117
Office Hours: 2:50-3:50pm WF or other time by appointment
Office Phone: (979) 209-7571/7572
Email: karine.gil-weir@blinn.edu or eCampus
3. COURSE DESCRIPTION:
An in-depth, introductory survey of contemporary biology for students majoring in the
biological sciences. Emphasis will be placed on evolution, biological diversity, ecology
and comparative structure and function of organisms. Three class hours and three
laboratory hours per week. Credit: Four semester hours.
4. COURSE PREREQUISITES:
Exemption from or passing score on the reading section of the state test or completion of
READ 0306 with a “C” or higher score.
5. CORE CURRICULUM COURSE:
This is a course in the 42-hour Core Curriculum of Blinn College. As such, students will
develop proficiency in appropriate intellectual competencies, exemplary educational
objectives and general perspectives. The URL of the Blinn College core curriculum web
site is: www.blinn.edu/corecurriculum.htm
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
6. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
Differentiate between science and other fields of knowledge and learning.
Compare and contrast evolutionary mechanisms and their role in the history of life on
Earth.
Describe the classification of living organisms and arrange them phylogenetically.
Relate organismal morphology to life processes.
Describe the interaction of organisms at all levels of an ecosystem.
Demonstrate the ability to use the compound light and dissecting microscopes.
7. REQUIRED MATERIALS:
Textbook: Biology, 2nd ed., Brooker, Widmaier, Graham, and Stiling. 2011. McGrawHill Co.
Laboratory Manual: Biology 1407 Laboratory Manual, Blinn College. 2011. Steve
Simcik and Linda Richardson. Bluedoor Publishing.
8. COURSE CONTENT AND CLASS SCHEDULE* (Summer I 2012):
Date
Chapter
Lecture
Lab
7/09
1
22
Syllabus and Introduction
The Origin and History of Life
Lab Safety and dichotomous key activity
Lab 1 - Microscope
23
24
24
25
An Introduction to Evolution
Population Genetics
Population Genetics (cont.)
Origin of species + Macroevolution
Lab 2 – Evolutionary Observations
Lab 3 – Mechanisms of evolution
Lab 3 – Mechanisms of evolution (cont.)
Chap. 54 – Ecology and Biomes
7/12
26
Taxonomy and Systematics
Lab 4 and handouts - Systematics
7/13
18
Exam 1 (Ch.1, 22-26)
Viruses and Bacteria
7/16
27
Bacteria and Archaea
Lab 5 – Principles of Animal Ecology
Lab 6 and 7 – Prokaryotes
Lab 6 and 7 cont.
Lab Exam I - Review
7/17
28
Protists
Lab Exam 1 (Labs 1- 7)
7/18
31
Fungi
Lab 8 - Protists
29
29
30
30
35
35
39
32
Exam 2 (Ch. 18, 27, 28, 31)
Plants and the Conquest of Land
Plants and the Conquest of Land (cont.)
Gymnosperms and Angiosperms
Gymnosperms and Angiosperms (cont.)
Flowering Plants: Form and Function
Flowering Plants: Form + Funct. (cont.)
Flowering Plants: Reproduction
Exam 3 (Ch. 29,30,35,39)
Intro to Animal Diversity
7/26
33
Invertebrates
7/27Q
34
Vertebrates
7/30
40
45
Animal Bodies and Homeostasis
Nutrition, Digestion, Absorption
7/31
47
Exam 4 (Ch. 32-34,40,45)
Circulatory System
Lab 16 – Mammalian Anatomy: The Pig
8/1
48
49
Respiratory System
Excretory System
Lab 17 – Cardiovascular System
8/2
41/42
Nervous System
Lab 18– The brain and eye
Lab Exam 3 - Review
8/3
-
Final Exam Review
Lab Exam 3 (Labs 12 – 18)
7/10
7/11
7/19
7/20
7/23
7/24
7/25
Lab 9 – Fungi
Lab 10 – Plant Diversity
Lab 11- Plant Form and Function
Leaf identification activity
Scavenger Hunt
Lab Exam 2 - Review
Lab Exam 2 (Labs 8 -11)
Lab 12 – Animal Diversity I
Lab 13 – Animal Diversity II
Lab 14 – Animal Diversity III
Lab 15- Animal Tissues and Organs
Final Exam
Room S-216. Time 3:50-5:45 pm
* In case of course schedule changes, updates will be announced in class.
8/6
-
Q
The last day to drop with a “Q” is Friday July 27, 2012.
9. CIVILITY STATEMENT:
Members of the Blinn College community, which includes faculty, staff and students, are
expected to act honestly and responsibly in all aspects of campus life. Blinn College
holds all members accountable for their actions and words. Therefore, all members
should commit themselves to behave in a manner that recognizes personal respect and
demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights, and freedoms of every member of
the College community, including respect for College property and the physical and
intellectual property of others. Civility applies to attire as well as language, behavior, and
cell phone usage. Please dress appropriately for the academic classroom and laboratory.
10. CIVILITY NOTIFICATION STATEMENT:
If a student is asked to leave the classroom or have access to the online classroom denied
because of uncivil behavior, the student may not return to that class until he or she
arranges a conference with the instructor. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange for
this conference.
11. COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
eCampus: Access to the Internet is REQUIRED. Internet access at home would
certainly will help you, however, all students at Blinn College and/or Texas A&M have
computing resources available to them. If you need access to computers at Blinn for other
reasons please visit the Open Computer Labs at Blinn College located in Room H-225,
the Learning Center (L-258 above the Library), and the Library. If you are not familiar
with these, see me or inquire at the Learning Center, for more details, as soon as possible.
The eCampus is an excellent online course tool. I will be posting course related
materials and information, assignment instructions, quizzes and assignment due dates,
test and exam dates, and important announcements. It will be your responsibility to
check this site daily: https://ecampus.blinn.edu/default.asp.
a. Daily Lecture Quizzes and/or Activities (eCampus): Daily quizzes, activities, or
take-home assignments will be given to help students to better understanding of material
that has been covered in previous lectures. These quizzes will be worth a total of 75 pts.
b, Lecture Exams: There will be four lecture exams each worth 100 points. Lecture
exams may consist of a combination of true/false, multiple choice, fill in the blank, and
short answer or essay questions. Make-up exams will only be offered to those with
excused absences and proper documentations, no exceptions. Excused absences
include those officially recognized by Blinn College, illness with doctor's note, or death
of a close family member with appropriate documentation. Students must contact me
before the following class period to schedule a make-up. If you know that you will need
to miss an exam prior to the test date, contact me ASAP so that I may plan accordingly.
c. Laboratory Practical Exams: There will be three lab exams worth 75 points each for
a total of 225 points. Lab exams will test student’s ability to carry out specific tasks or
techniques that relate to lab activities performed and/or the overall student learning
outcomes for the laboratory. Additional short answer, problem solving, or fill-in-theblank questions may also be administered. There will be NO MAKE-UP EXAMS for
the lab.
d. Final Exam: The Final is a common comprehensive final worth 200 points. It will
consist of at least 100 multiple choice, fill in the blank, and/or short answer questions. I
will reschedule your final exam date only when you have a clash in final exam time and
can provide a letter from your academic advisor to confirm the time conflict. Please come
and see me ASAP so that I may plan accordingly. The final exam is on Monday August
6th, 3:50 pm to 5:45 pm in room S-216.
e. Laboratory Exercises and Assignments: Lab exercises are worth a total of 100 points.
Each lab exercise is to be completed during the lab and turned in at the end of the period
or as instructed. For the most part, each laboratory exercise will be assigned a maximum
grade of 5 points. Additional deductions will be taken for incomplete work or failure to
demonstrate general competency of the assigned material. Failure to turn assignments in
on time automatically reduces the grade to 50% credit. Students must be present in lab to
turn in lab assignments; there are no make-ups for missed labs. There may also be lab
quizzes or other assignments in this category.
f. Bonus Points: Throughout the semester, take-home assignments, in class participation,
Chapter vocabulary, flash cards, e-Campus study-mate, extra activities, Pre-lab quizzes,
will be used as 40 bonus points that will be added to your point total at the end of the
semester. This is optional, however your extra-effort, would represent extra points if you
fail in a Lab, or Lecture Exam, or you miss some labs. points.
g. Preparation: Please read the assigned chapter in the textbook and specific lab in the
lab manual before coming to lecture and lab. Because of the quantity of material to be
covered, please do not fall behind in your readings. I will always try to be available
before and after class to answer any questions you may have.
12. EXAM SCHEDULE AND MAJOR ASSIGMENT CALENDER
Date
Exam
Material Tested
Lecture Exams
July 13
Lecture Exam 1
Chapters 1, 22-26
July 19
Lecture Exam 2
Chapters 18, 27, 28, 31
July 25
Lecture Exam 3
Chapters 29, 30, 35, 39
July 31
Lecture Exam 4
Chapters 32-34, 40, 45
Lab Exams
July 17
Lab Exam 1
Labs 1-7, biomes (Ch. 54)
July 26
Lab Exam 2
Labs 6, 8-11
August 3
Lab Exam 3
Labs 12-18
Final Exam
August 6th, 3:50 pm to 5:45 Final Exam
Ch. 18, 22-35, 39-42, 45,
pm
47-49
Room S-216
13. CRITERIA FOR GRADING:
Point Allocation:
Evaluation Methods
Lecture Exams (4 x 100 pts each)
Comprehensive Final Exam
Lab Exams (3 x 75 pts each)
Daily Lecture Quizzes
Lab Exercises and Assignments
Total Points
Approximate Grading Scale:
Percentage of Total Points
90 to 100 %
80 to 89 %
70 to 79 %
60 to 69 %
Below 59 %
Points
400
200
225
75
100
1000
Letter Grade
A
B
C
D
F
Your Course Average = (Your Total Points)/1000 x 100 = _____%
14. BLINN COLLEGE POLICIES:
Attendance: The College District believes that class attendance is essential for student
success; therefore, students are required to promptly and regularly attend all their classes.
Each class meeting builds the foundation for subsequent class meetings. Without full
participation and regular class attendance, students shall find themselves at a severe
disadvantage for achieving success in college. Class participation shall constitute at
least ten percent of the final course grade. It is the responsibility of each faculty
member, in consultation with the division chair, to determine how participation is
achieved in his or her class. Faculty will require students to regularly attend class and will
keep a record of attendance from the first day of class and/or the first day the student’s
name appears on the roster through final examinations. If a student has one week’s worth
of unexcused absences (2 classes) during the semester, he/she will be sent an e-mail by
the College requiring the student to contact his/her instructor and schedule a conference
immediately to discuss his/her attendance issues. Should the student accumulate two
weeks worth of unexcused absences (4 classes), he/she will be administratively
withdrawn from class. There are four forms of excused absence officially designated by
Blinn College: (1) observance of religious holy days: The student should notify his/her
instructor(s) not later than the 15th day of the semester concerning the specific date(s)
that the student will be absent for any religious holy day(s); and (2) representing Blinn
College at an official institutional function and (3) official involvement in a high school
activity for “dual credit” students; and (4) military service. Other excuses will be
considered and may be considered excusable at the instructor’s discretion, with
documentation. Missing lecture or lab or both will count as one absence.
Dropping: If a student chooses to drop the course, it is that student’s responsibility to
complete a drop order at the Office of Enrollment Services. Failure to do so could result
in a grade of F in the course. The last day to withdraw with a “Q” is Friday, July 27
2012. It is your responsibility to withdraw from the class.
Honor System: Blinn College does not tolerate cheating, plagiarism, or other acts of
dishonesty. Definitions of these acts and procedures for dealing with them are described
in "Scholastic Dishonesty" in the Blinn College Student Handbook, copies of which are
available at the information desk in the administration building. All tests will be closed
book and notes. All students will remove hats and sunglasses before tests. Plagiarized
work will be automatically given a zero and may be reported for disciplinary action.
Electronic Device Policy: All the functions of all personal electronic devices designed
for communication and/or entertainment (cell phones, pagers, beepers, iPods, and similar
devices) must be turned off and kept out of sight in all Blinn College classrooms and
associated laboratories. Any noncompliance with this policy will be addressed in
accordance with the Blinn College civility policy (Administrative Policy).
Health Concerns: Eating and drinking are not allowed in classrooms or laboratories.
ADA Statement: Reasonable accommodations for students with documented learning or
physical disabilities will be made upon presentation of a formal request by the student.
An official request form is supplied and completed by the Office of Disability Services
(ODS) located in the College Park Center Administration Building. The URL to the
Office of Disability Services webpage is http://www.blinn.edu/disability.htm.
Accommodation is not retroactive from the time of concluding agreement for
accommodation. If you need individual accommodations to meet course objectives
because of a documented disability, please make an appointment with me to discuss your
needs as soon as possible so that we can ensure your full participation in class and fair
assessment of your work.
Problem Resolution: If you have a complaint about your class, you should first request a
conference with your instructor to try and resolve the problems or issues. If the problems
or issues cannot be resolved at the instructor level, you should request a conference with
the Division Chair, Mr. Dwight Bohlmeyer, Science 241, dbohlmeyer@blinn.edu.
The above requirements and policies are discussed more fully in the Blinn College
Student Handbook which, by reference, is incorporated into this information. Blinn
College Student Handbook is available online at
http://www.blinn.edu/student%20handbook.pdf. Please obtain and read.