UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AIKEN
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY AND GEOLOGY
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES II
ABIO 122 (4 credit hours)
Spring 2013
Course Policies, Procedures, and Syllabus
Section 003: Tues and Thurs 10:50-12:05; Lab Thurs 1:40-4:20
Section 004: Tues and Thurs 10:50-12:05; Lab Thurs 3:05-5:45
Meeting Place:
Lecture: SBDG 327
Lab Section 3: SBDG 107
Lab Section 4: SBDG 103
Instructors: Dr. Virginia Shervette
Dr. Andy Dyer
Email, Phone, and Office Location:
Dr. Shervette – virginias@usca.edu, 803.641.3605, SBDG 219A
Dr. Dyer- andyd@usca.edu, 803.641.3443, SBDG 101E
Office Hours: by appointment
TEXTBOOK and LAB MATERIALS
Required Text: Biology (9th ed.), Raven, Johnson, Losos, Mason & Singer (or the 8th edition of Raven & Johnson)
Lab manual: Biology Laboratory Manual, Department of Biology & Geology (Required)
A Photographic Atlas for the Biology Laboratory, Van de Graff & Crawley (optional)
LAB SUPPLIES: A quad-ruled notebook is required. Surgical gloves are recommended for use with handling
preserved specimens. Each student must provide his/her own eye protection and gloves when working with
preserved specimens. (Caution: Exposure to formaldehyde has been linked to cancer in rats.)
COURSE OBJECTIVES and LEARNING OUTCOMES
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Biological principles and concepts from the tissue through ecosystem levels of
organization including evolutionary processes.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
 To acquaint students with biological principles associated with multicellularity, development, phylogeny,
ecology and evolution.
 To acquaint students with the anatomical organization of organisms to include tissue, organs, and systems and
their functions.
 To trace the development of organisms.
 To trace the phylogeny of organisms.
 To acquaint students with the behavior and ecology of organisms.
STUDENT COMPETENCY STATEMENTS: By the end of this course the student will have demonstrated the
ability to:
 Discuss biological principles and topics of historical and current interest and importance.
 Describe the biological processes that operate at the multicellular levels to include histological, organismal,
population, community and ecosystem levels of organization.
 Apply theoretical concepts in the laboratory by following a written procedure.
METHODS OF PRESENTATION: This course will consist of lectures by the instructors, lecture videos,
classroom discussion, and group and individual laboratory exercises. The instructors will utilize appropriate
modes of visual aids and laboratory equipment.
METHODS OF EVALUATION: Achievement of course objectives will be evaluated by lecture exams, laboratory
reports, notebooks, quizzes and exams, and a final comprehensive exam.
COURSE GRADING and EXAMS
The lecture will count for 50% and the lab for 50% of the final course grade. However, you must receive a
passing grade in lab to pass the class.
Grades in the course will be determined as follows:
10% - weekly laboratory quizzes
10% - lab notebooks
10% - 2 laboratory reports
20% - 2 laboratory exams
36% - 3 lecture quizzes
14% - final comprehensive exam
See the course schedule below for dates of lecture exams, lab exams and final exam.
ATTENDANCE and PARTICIPATION
1. This is a survey course and covers a great deal of material. The text is good and can help explain lecture
material you may not fully understand. I will not cover all of the text in class, but you will understand
lectures better if you read the assigned text sections before you come to class, and you will do better on tests
if you keep up with the reading. In addition, I will provide information in lecture that will supplement your
text. You will be expected to know this additional material for lecture quizzes, so it is imperative that you
attend lectures to do well in this class.
2. The lab is heavily scheduled and you will be expected to stay for the entire period.
3. You will be expected to have read all laboratory exercises and the accompanying text references before
attending labs. You must bring both your laboratory manual and your textbook to the laboratory.
4. No make-up exams will be given for missed lecture quizzes except under extreme situations (see your Student
Handbook). There will be no opportunity to make up missed lab quizzes or exams unless it can be
arranged during another lab period during the week the absence occurred.
5. Students are expected to attend lectures. Pop quizzes may be given periodically to encourage attendance. In
addition, 75% attendance in lab is required. You cannot get a passing grade in lab with more than three
absences and you cannot pass the course if you do not pass the lab.
6. You are strongly encouraged to make appointments with your instructor if you are having problems in the
course. You may make an appointment or drop in if I am not busy with another student.
7. Upon prior approval, you will be allowed to use an electronic device to record lectures if the recording device
is placed at the front lecture desk. However, the use of any other portable electronic devices, including cell
phones, pagers, MP3 players, iPods, etc., during class or lab is not permitted. If you have any of these
devices in your possession during class, they must be turned off and stowed away for the duration of the class
period.
8. If you have a physical, psychological, and/or learning disability which might affect your performance in this
class, please contact the Office of Disability Services, 134 B&E, (803) 643-6816, as soon as possible. The
Disabilities Services Office will determine appropriate accommodations based on documentation.
HONOR CODE AND CHEATING
HONOR CODE: In our hearts we know that cheating is wrong. It is the responsibility of every student at the
University of South Carolina Aiken to adhere steadfastly to truthfulness and to avoid dishonesty, fraud, or deceit of
any type in connection with any academic program. Any student who violates this Honor Code or who knowingly
assists another to violate this Honor Code shall be subject to discipline.
By signing your name to an assignment, quiz, or test you are acknowledging that you will adhere to The Honor Code
at USCA. This class is designed to benefit you, the student. Please do not allow yourself to succumb to any form
of cheating. Suspicion of cheating will be reported automatically to Academic Integrity. Cheating on an Exam will
result in an F in the course.
A short note about PLAGIARISM
Any and all work turned in for credit is assumed to be your work and the product of your brain and your brain alone.
Every word and every sentence is your work. Work can be considered plagiarism even if it is not exact copying. My
advice is “don’t make me look” because when I get suspicious enough to look, I usually find. For your information, it
is plagiarism….
*if you fail to cite a reference after giving a factual statement;
*if you fail to use quotation marks (and I do not allow quoting in science papers);
*if you turn in work with your name on it that someone else has produced;
*if you rephrase someone else’s work or merely change a few words;
*if you have the same order and form of sentences as the source material or someone else’s work;
*if you consistently mis-cite or mis-use cites in a way that suggests intentional avoidance of
detection;
*if you and a lab partner work together and turn in work that is substantially the same.
ALSO,
If a “draft” of a paper has any of the above problems, it is still plagiarism.
If I cannot tell who in a lab group produced a piece of work, no credit will be assigned to anyone in the lab group.
(This does not include “group” reports.)
If you give your work to someone else and they turn it in, I have the option of including you in the plagiarism charge
because you supported it.
If the references given are not accessible to the instructor, no credit will be given. Therefore, if you use obscure or
unusual references, it is your responsibility to turn in a copy with the assignment or make it available to me.
If you pay someone else to write or prepare an assignment for you, that’s another form of academic dishonesty.
Be aware that what was allowed in high school does not necessarily apply at USCA. If there is anything about the
above statements that are not clear, don’t wait until an assignment is due to find out more.
Many students believe that having no more than three consecutive words from an original source will fool the
electronic programs that detect plagiarism. I don’t use those programs; I read the papers that are given in the
reference list and compare them to the student’s work. If I find any of the problems listed above, there will be no first
warning. There is no latitude given because there is no excuse for plagiarism.
Therefore, if I find any work that is too similar to other work, either in the class or out of the class, please understand
that I have no options but to follow the rules as outlined in the USCA Faculty Manual. The student(s) involved will
be summoned to my office, the situation will be explained. There will be no options for “redoing” the work. A zero
will be given to the assignment, and a formal letters will be sent to the student, the student’s department chair, and to
the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs to document the situation. As with all academic issues, there is
an avenue for appeal (detailed in the USCA Student Handbook), but it is not through me.
Date
15 Jan Tues
Lecture Schedule
Topic
Introduction to Class; The Evidence for Evolution
Chapter
21
17 Jan Thurs
The Evidence for Evolution continued
21
22 Jan Tues
Origin of Species
22
24 Jan Thurs
Genes within Populations
20
29 Jan Tues
Systematics and Phylogenetic
23
31 Jan Thurs
Catch-up and Review
5 Feb Tues
Exam 1
7 Feb Thurs
The Tree of Life
26
12 Feb Tues
Prokaryotes
28
14 Feb Thurs
Protists
29
19 Feb Tues
Green Plants
30
21 Feb Thurs
Fungi
31
26 Feb Tues
Plants Form and Function
36 and 37
28 Feb Thurs
Exam 2
5 Mar Tues
Overview of Animal Diversity
32
7 Mar Thurs
Noncoelomate Invertebrates
33
12 Mar Tues
NO CLASS (Spring Break)
14 Mar Thurs
NO CLASS (Spring Break)
19 Mar Tues
Coelomate Invertebrates
34
21 Mar Thurs
Vertebrates
35
26 Mar Tues
Animal Body and Principles of Regulation
43
28 Mar Thurs
The Reproductive System
53
2 Apr Tues
Exam 3
4 Apr Thurs
Behavioral Biology
55
9 Apr Tues
Ecology of Individuals and Populations
56
11 Apr Thurs
Community Ecology
57
16 Apr Tues
Dynamics of Ecosystems
58
18 Apr Thurs
The Biosphere
59
23 Apr Tues
Conservation Biology
60
25 Apr Thurs
Catch-up Day
7 May Tues
Final Exam 11 am
LABORATORY SCHEDULE
Week
Topic
Lab Exercise
14 Jan
Scientific Method/ SimBio Part 1
I
21 Jan
Scientific Method/ SimBio Part 2
I
28 Jan
Microscopy: Prokaryote and Protist Diversity
*Start Group Project
II
4 Feb
Cell Cycle, Division and Ploidy
III
11 Feb
Plant Diversity
IV
18 Feb
Monocots and Dicots; Plant Tissue
V
25 Feb
Flowers, Fruits and Seeds
VI
4 Mar
Lab Exam 1
*Group 1 project wraps up
11 Mar
Spring Break
18 Mar
Fungi Diversity
VII
25 Mar
Animal Diversity 1
IX
1 Apr
Animal Diversity 2
X
8 Apr
Vertebrate Diversity
Vertebrate tissue
XI
15 Apr
Ecology: Trophic Pyramid
XII
22 Apr
Lab Exam 2
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF READING THE SYLLABUS
In your natural handwriting copy out the following statement in the space provided below:
I have read the ABIO 122 syllabus and understand the policies on lecture, lab, grading,
exams, attendance, quizzes, honor code, and cheating. I have also read and understand the
additional course information. While physically attending this class, I will act in a manner
that is respectful to me, other students, the professor, and guest speakers.
Write out statement below:
Signature: _________________________________
Name printed:_______________________________
Date: ______________________
*You will not receive credit for this course until you have completed and turned in this acknowledgement.