I. ASCRC General Education Form
Group
X1 Natural Sciences
Dept/Program
DBS
Course #
Course Title
Prerequisite
Credits
Biology 110
Principles of Biology
4
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
Instructor
Erick Greene
Date
16 Sept
2008
Phone / Email
2432179/erick.greene@mso.um
t.edu
Program Chair
Charles Janson
Dean
CAS
III. Description and purpose of the course: General Education courses must be introductory
and foundational. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course
content to students’ future lives: See Preamble:
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/gened/GEPreamble_final.htm
Biology 110 covers the major unifying principles of biological structure and function at
different levels of organization and complexity, ranging from molecules, biochemistry, cells,
organisms, ecological systems, and global ecosystems. Throughout the course we relate the
importance of biological processes at all levels of organization to human existence, societies,
politics and economics. Lab experiences illustrate the scientific method, biological principles
underlying growth, reproduction, development, genetics and physiology. Biology 110 prepares
students to take higher level biology courses, but also provides important information to nonmajors about the importance of biological processes in many aspects of our lives.
IV. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See:
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/ASCRCx/Adocuments/GE_Criteria5-1-08.htm
Biology is in many ways a “noisy” science,
Courses explore a discipline in the
and students are exposed to the ways in
natural sciences and demonstrate how
which the scientific method allows us to
the scientific method is used within the
draw conclusions about the causes of
discipline to draw scientific conclusions. biological patterns. In-class and out-of-class
assignments and the lab activities all allow
students to explore data themselves, compare
competing hypotheses that might explain the
patterns of interest, and come to conclusions
about causal mechanisms.
Courses address the concept of analytic
uncertainty and the rigorous process
required to take an idea to a hypothesis
and then to a validated scientific theory.
Lab courses engage students in inquirybased learning activities where they
formulate a hypothesis, design an
experiment to test the hypothesis, and
collect, interpret, and present the data to
support their conclusions.
How do we know what we know? Biology
110 stresses this theme in a wide variety of
ways. In examples during lectures, results
are not simply presented as “facts,” but the
experiments and often fascinating personal
stories of the scientists behind the studies are
presented.
Lab activities are structured around
proposing hypotheses, collecting and
analyzing data, and drawing conclusions
from the results. Thus the students get to
practice the scientific method in many ways
in the class.
V. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning
goals. See: http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/ASCRCx/Adocuments/GE_Criteria5-1-08.htm
This broad survey course focuses on the
Understand the general principles
associated with the discipline(s) studied; main principles underlying all of biology,
from molecules to ecosystems.
The class activities, assignments and labs
Understand the methodology and
activities scientists use to gather, validate are all designed to expose students to the
wide variety of methods used by biologists
and interpret data related to natural
to explore the biological world.
processes;
Detect patterns, draw conclusions,
develop conjectures and hypotheses, and
test them by appropriate means and
experiments;
Understand how scientific laws and
theories are verified by quantitative
measurement, scientific observation, and
logical/critical reasoning;
The class activities, assignments and labs
are all designed to engage the students in the
scientific method.
Laws and theories are actually never
“verified” in science. Hypotheses that have
withstood the test of time and many
repeated attempts to reject them can
eventually be elevated to the status of a
theory or law, but scientists generally do not
claim that things have been “verified.”
Students are exposed broadly to the
scientific method, and given some of the
tools to objectively and critically examine
data and relate those to predictions made by
hypotheses.
Understand the means by which analytic The class exposes students to the noisy
uncertainty is quantified and expressed in nature of much of biology, and they are
exposed to ways in which scientists deal
the natural sciences.
with this problem of signal to noise ratio.
For example, basic concepts such as the
importance of replicates and statistical
measures of variation are introduced to
show how we search for patterns in the face
of uncertainty and natural variability.
VII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form. ⇓ The syllabus
should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus
preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY (Biology 110)
Spring Semester 2008
Professor Erick Greene: HS 205; 243-2179; erick.greene@mso.umt.edu
Office hours: Monday and Fridays: 2-3, or by appointment
Teaching Assistants
Ting Wang
Nandhakumar Thayanidhi
Elliott Parsons
Lindy Mullen
Margie Kinnersly
Jenny Gremer
email
ting.wang@grizmail.umt.edu
nandhakumar.thayanidhi@grizmail.umt.edu
elliott_parsons@yahoo.com
lindy.mullen@umontana.edu
mkinners@yahoo.com
jennifer.gremer@mso.umt.edu
Text: Biology, by Neil Campbell and Jane Reece, 7th Edition, 2005.
Course Overview and Objectives
Biology is a diverse science that includes biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, medicine,
genetics, evolutionary biology, ecology, behavior, ecosystem biology, and more. Biological
knowledge is also increasingly important in other disciplines, such as economics, politics,
social policy, ethics, business, technology, engineering and design, and architecture, to name a
few. In fact, it is difficult to find any human activity for which an understanding of biology is
not increasingly relevant and important.
This is a broad survey course and so we will cover many topics this semester. Biology 110
feeds into many other courses, and is a foundation for Cell and Molecular Biology (Biology
221), Genetics and Evolution (Biology 223), Developmental Biology (Biology 301), Anatomy
and Physiology (Biology 312), Ecology (Biology 340/341) and many others.
The goals of this class are for you to:
1) understand science as a process;
2) be able to construct testable questions and interpret data and observations;
3) communicate your ideas orally and in writing;
4) understand how energy is captured, stored, used, and passed though biological systems;
5) understand how biological information is preserved, inherited and modified;
6) be able to describe the process of natural selection;
7) understand how the process of evolution works at molecular and population levels;
8) understand hierarchical levels of biological organization (sub-cellular, cellular, organismal,
populations, communities and ecosystems).
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Dates
W 23 Jan
F 25 Jan
M 28 Jan
W 30 Jan
F 1 Feb
M 4 Feb
W 6 Feb
F 8 Feb
M 11 Feb
W 13 Feb
F 15 Feb
M 18 Feb
W 20 Feb
F 22 Feb
M 25 Feb
W 27 Feb
F 29 Feb
M 3 Mar
W 5 Mar
F 7 Mar
M 10 Mar
W 12 Mar
F 14 Mar
M 17 Mar
W 19 Mar
F 21 Mar
M 24 Mar
Topic
Introduction/Overview
Mustards/Chickens/Dogs
Natural Selection, Galapagos
Ecology
Climate
Population Growth
Predators
Prey
Biomimicry – Cindy Gilbert
Required Reading
From Text
1
22, 23.4
52.1-52.3
53.1-53.2
Ray Callaway - Knapweed
NO SCHOOL
TEST 1
Chemistry of Life
What’s so special about water and
carbon?
Macromolecules
Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and
nucleic acids
Cells
Metabolism/Respiration
TEST 2
2
3
4
5
6
8, 9
W 26 Mar
SPRING BREAK
F 28 Mar
11
M 31 Mar
Photosynthesis
10
W 2 Apr
F 4 Apr
12
M 7 Apr
Cell Cycle
12
W 9 Apr
Mitosis
F 11 Apr
Meiosis
13
13
M 14 Apr
Mendel and Gene
14
W 16 Apr
F 18 Apr
Molecular Genetics
14
M 21 Apr
DNA Replication
16
W 23 Apr
F 25 Apr
15
M 28 Apr
Genes to Proteins
17
W 30 Apr
F 2 May
16
M 5 May
FINAL EXAM – 3:20 – 5:20 IN ULH 101
In addition to material covered in lectures, you will be responsible for about 20-30 pages of
reading per week from the textbook. Since the material builds upon previous topics it is very
important that you to keep up with the readings. If you fall behind, you will find it difficult to
catch up.
Grading
Grades in this course will be assigned in the +/- system. Your grade will be based on the
following:
Test 1
Test 2
Final
Mastering Biology
In-class activities
Lab
10
10
25 (cumulative final)
10
5
40
100
If you have problems with class material or time conflicts, I urge you to talk with me as
EARLY as possible. I will be better able to help you if you talk with me as problems arise; I
will be less sympathetic two minutes before a test. If you cannot meet at any of the designated
office hours, feel free to schedule an appointment at another time.
Course Material on Blackboard
You will be able to access resources for this class through Blackboard. I will post copies of all
the powerpoint lectures, labs, as well as other information. We will go over this in class.
Login at: http://umonline.umt.edu
To use Blackboard you need to use your Official University Email Address (i.e. not a yahoo,
gmail or other account). If you need help getting a UM Email, you can get detailed instructions
at: http://umt.edu/it/email/studentemail.htm
For general UM computer help you can contact the IT Central Help Desk (8am-5pm, 243-4357,
itcentral@umontana.edu).
If you have Blackboard technical problems, you can contact Marvin Paulson at 243-6394 or at
course-support@umontana.edu.
Mastering Biology
This is an online program that will give you questions to help master material we cover in class
and in the readings. I will go over how to access this program and use it later. You will not be
graded on how well you do on these practice questions, but rather on your participation. Many
of the questions on the tests and the final exam will be taken from these exercises.
Computing Resources
The Division of Biological Sciences manages a computer lab that is dedicated to use for
biology courses. You need to sign up for an account, and this will enable you to have access to
the computers, software, and printers. DBS provides you with $2 free printing in this lab, and
after you use that up you can set up an account for additional printing ($0.10 per page black and
white, and $0.20 per page for really good color copies). To set up an account, go to Health
Sciences 114 between 8 AM and 5 PM and a lab monitor will help you.
Plagiarism and Cheating
Although you will be encouraged to work collaboratively with others in this class and the lab,
the work you hand in must be your own. A good rule of thumb is that you can work together
up to the point of committing words to paper (or word processor). After that, the words you put
down should be your own. I remind you of the official University policy on plagiarism:
"Plagiarism is the representing of another's work as one's own. It is a particularly intolerable
offense in the academic community and is strictly forbidden. Students who plagiarize may fail
the course and may be remanded to Academic Court for possible suspension or expulsion (See
Student Conduct Code section of this catalog). Students must always be very careful to
acknowledge any kind of borrowing that is included in their work. This means not only
borrowed wording but also ideas. Acknowledgment of whatever is not one's own original work
is the proper and honest use of sources. Failure to acknowledge whatever is not one's own
original work is plagiarism." (From The University of Montana Catalog).
If you have any questions about the line between collaboration and plagiarism, see me before
you hand in material. Assignments from two or more students that have significant overlap
will be regarded as reflecting a violation of the expectation that students turn in independent
work. All the students involved will be given no points for that material, and the violation will
be dealt with according to the Student Conduct Code. For more information on the official UM
policies on plagiarism and the Student Conduct Code you can refer to:
http://www.lib.umt.edu/services/plagiarism/index.htm
http://ordway.umt.edu/sa/documents/fromWeb/StudentConductCode1.pdf
Penalties for plagiarism and cheating can be as severe as suspension or expulsion from The
University.
*Please note: As an instructor of a general education course, you will be expected to provide
sample assessment items and corresponding responses to the Assessment Advisory Committee.