Welcome Students
BIOL 1407: GENERAL BIOLOGY II
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: A contemporary biology course, with topics including evolution, classification
and ecological relationships of organisms, and organ systems of plants and animals.
Course Title
General Biology II
Course Number
BIOL 1407 – section 51466
Credit Hours
4
Prerequisites
English, General Biology 1
Semester and Year
Fall 2011
Instructor
Andrew C. Evans, MS
Class Days and Times
TUE/THU 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Class Room Locations
HCC Spring Branch rm. 515 (TUE lecture) and rm. 528 (THU lab)
Office
TBA
Office Hours
by appointment
E-mail
balistes1@hotmail.com, Andrew.Evans@hccs.edu
Phone
n/a
ADA Statement
Houston Community College is dedicated to providing the least restrictive learning environment
for all students. The college promotes equity in academic access through the implementation of
reasonable accommodations as required by the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title V,
Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which will enable students with
disabilities to participate in and benefit from all post-secondary educational activities.
If you require reasonable accommodations because of a physical, mental, or learning disability,
please notify the instructor of this course as soon as possible and preferably before the end of the
first two weeks of class to arrange for reasonable accommodations.
Course Learning Outcomes: BIOL 1407

Apply the scientific method in a laboratory setting.

Demonstrate an understanding of the components of Darwin's theory of evolution and contrast
microevolution with macroevolution.

Demonstrate an understanding of the classification and ecological relationships of organisms.

Demonstrate an understanding of the evolution of morphological adaptations from species to
species.

Demonstrate an understanding of the organ systems of plants and animals.
Required Materials:

Lecture: Biology, 9th Ed., Campbell and Reece.

Lab: Laboratory Exercises for College General Biology 2, 3rd Ed., Merritt and Keating.
Evaluation:

Lecture Grade: There will be 4 lecture exams in the course of the semester, as well as a
comprehensive final exam. Exams will be scantron format. An optional paper will also be
assigned, for extra credit. Make-up exams will not be given. No exceptions.

Lab Grade: There will be 1 hands-on lab practical in the course of the semester. You will also
be required to complete lab write-ups for each lab. Make-up practicals will not be given. No
exceptions.

Final Examination: The final is comprehensive and mandatory. There will be no make–up on
the final exam, period.
This is a credit course. Grades will be assigned using the following table. I do not curve grades,
period.
Grading Scale:
A
90-100
B
80-89
C
70-79
D
60-69
F
below 60
Homework:
There will be no graded homework. I will regularly hand out worksheets or review sheets to help you
prepare for exams and practicals. I will regularly assign readings from the textbook. The readings are
mandatory, and will be considered as fair game for test questions. You need to do the readings to
gain a full understanding of the material. Please, read the material, as it will really help you understand
the topics covered in lectures.
Class Participation and Attendance:
Class participation is a reflection of your daily preparation and daily attendance. Students should come to
class prepared, and able to participate in class discussions. Attendance to all classes is expected. Class
attendance records will be kept to satisfy veterans and work program needs. An excessive number of
absences will prohibit the successful completion of this course. If you should miss a class, it is the
student’s responsibility to obtain lecture notes and assignments from a classmate. Also, if you aren’t
going to be here, contact me. If you are falling behind, I need to keep abreast of the situation, so we
can work it out, and get you back on track.
Make-up policy, repeated:
Make-up exams will not be given for lecture or lab. No exceptions.
Withdrawal Policy:
Withdrawal from the course after the official day of record (see current catalog) will result in a final grade
of “W” on the student transcript and no credit will be awarded. It is the student’s responsibility to
initiate and complete a request for withdrawal from any course. I will counsel all students on their
grades prior to this deadline, but, I repeat, it is the student’s responsibility to drop. I keep a current
database of everyone’s grades, so you can come to me at any time, and I can give you your grades for
the semester.
Just as a note, a “W” has no bearing on your grade. If you are falling behind, or doing exceedingly poorly,
it is far better to withdraw, and retake the course, than it is to get a “D” or an “F.” No stigma is attached to
a withdrawal, but a failing grade is another matter.
Academic Integrity:
HCC is committed to a high standard of academic integrity in the academic community. In becoming a
part of the academic community, students are responsible for honesty and independent effort. Failure to
uphold these standards includes, but is not limited to, the following: plagiarizing written work or projects,
cheating on exams or assignments, collusion on an exam or project, and misrepresentation of credentials
or prerequisites when registering for a course. Cheating includes looking at, or copying from another
student's exam, orally communicating or receiving answers during an exam, having another person take
an exam or complete a project or assignment, using unauthorized notes, texts, or other materials for an
exam, and obtaining or distributing an unauthorized copy of an exam or any part of an exam.
Plagiarism means passing off as his/her own the ideas or writings of another (that is, without giving
proper credit by documenting sources). Plagiarism includes submitting a paper, report or project that
someone else has prepared, in whole or in part. Collusion is inappropriately collaborating on assignments
designed to be completed independently. These definitions are not exhaustive.
When there is clear evidence of cheating, plagiarism, collusion or misrepresentation, a faculty member
will take disciplinary action including but not limited to: requiring the student to retake or resubmit an
exam or assignment, assigning a grade of 0 for an exam or assignment; or assigning a grade of "F" for
the course. Additional sanctions, including being withdrawn from the course, program, or expelled
from university, may be imposed on a student who violates the standards of academic integrity. It
is much better to fail a test, than it is to be expelled from school for cheating.
Software Piracy:
Law strictly prohibits unauthorized copying of software purchased by HCC for use in laboratories. HCC
administration will take appropriate disciplinary action against anyone violating copyright laws.
Computer Virus Protection:
Computer viruses are, unfortunately, a fact of life. Using discs or flash drives creates the possibility of
transferring viral infections. The university has aggressive anti-virus procedures in place to protect its
PCs, but cannot guarantee that a virus might not temporarily infect one of its machines. It is your
responsibility to protect all PCs under your control, and to ensure that each disc or RAMdrive you use,
whenever or wherever you use it, has been scanned with anti-virus software. Since new viruses arise
continually, your anti-virus software must be kept current. And, since no anti-virus software will find every
virus, keeping copies of data (backups) is extremely important.
Equal Opportunity Statement:
It is the policy of the HCC to provide equal employment, admission and educational opportunities without
regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or disability. HCC strives to provide an excellent
learning environment free from harassment or intimidation directed at any person’s race, color, religion,
national origin, sex, age, or disability. Any form of harassment will not be tolerated.
You need to feel comfortable coming to class, in order to learn effectively. If anyone is harassing you, I
need to know immediately, and I will take care of the problem.
Biol 1407 Grade Sheet
Test
Test 1
Test 2
Test 3
Test 4
Lab Practical 1
Final Exam
Lab Write-ups
Optional Extra Credit Paper
% of Total
16.67%
16.67%
16.67%
16.67%
16.67%
16.67%
Extra Credit
up to 20 pts. added to a test
Grade
This sheet is for you to keep track of your grades. You may check with me at any time to verify grades.
Please keep an ACCURATE accounting of your grades to know your standing.
Course Calendar:
Week of
Aug 30
Sep 6
Sep 13
Class Topic
Course introduction
Ch. 26 – phlogeny and the tree of life
LAB – lab time used for lecture
Ch. 26 – phlogeny and the tree of life – continued….
Ch. 27 – Bacteria and Archaea
Reference
Chapters / Notes
26
26, 27
LAB 1 – Population Genetics
Ch. 27 – Bacteria and Archaea – continued….
27
LAB 2 - Bacteria
Sep 20
Sep 27
Lecture Test 1 (Ch. 26-27)
LAB 3 – Protozoa, Algae, and Slime Molds
Ch. 28 – Protists
28
Oct 4
LAB 4 – Animal and Plant Tissues
Ch. 28 – Protists
Oct 11
LAB 5 – Animal Development – Frog and Chicken Embryos
Lecture Test 2 (Ch. 28)
28
Oct 18
Oct 25
Ch. 29 and 30 – plant diversity 1 and 2, incl. plant colonization of
land and evolution of seed plants
Ch. 29 and 30 – plant diversity 1 and 2, incl. plant colonization of
land and evolution of seed plants
29, 30
LAB 6 – A Survey of the Plant Kingdom
Lecture Test 3 (Ch. 29, 30)
Ch. 31 – Fungi
Nov 1
29, 30
31
LAB 7 – A Survey of the Animal Kingdom
Ch. 31 – Fungi
31
LAB 8 – The Fetal Pig
Nov 8
Ch. 32 – Animal diversity introduction
32
Nov 15
LAB 9 – Human Systems: Structure and Function
LAB 11 – Evolution of the Human Skulls
Lecture Test 4 (Ch. 31, 32)
Ch. 33 – Invertebrates
33
Nov 22
LAB – REVIEW FOR LAB PRACTICAL
Ch. 33 – Invertebrates
Nov 29
NO CLASS THU – TURKEYDAY!!!
Ch. 34 – Vertebrates
33
34
Lab Practical
Dec 6
Ch. 34 – Vertebrates
34
Dec 13
REVIEW for FINAL EXAM
Final Exam 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Tue Dec 13
(over Ch. 33,34, and comprehensive)
All dates are subject to change with prior notice.
It is your responsibility to stay informed as to any changes announced in class. Absence from
class is not an excuse for failure to observe any announced changes. Good luck, and see you in
class. Call me with any questions.