HUMAN BIOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
COURSE SYLLABUS
BIOL 109.601, Spring 2007
TR 3:30-4:45 pm
Instructor: Dr. Hongqi Li (Pronounced as hong-chee lee).
Office: 306 Compton Science Center
Office Phone: 301-687-4168 (leave your name and tel. # clearly in case I am not in my office).
Office Hours: MW 1-2 pm, TR 12-1:30 pm, or by appointment.
E-mail: hli@frostburg.edu
URL: http://faculty.frostburg.edu/biol/hli/
You need to register in two sections, a Lecture Section (Biol 109.601) and a Lab Section among (Biol 109.602,
Biol 109.603, or Biol 109.604). This is a blended course with following features/requirements:
1) Basic requirements:
a. You must use your FSU email to communicate with FSU instructors, and you are responsible
for all emails sent to your FSU email account. You need to make sure it works.
b. You should be able to access Internet and be able to use http://blackboard.frostburg.edu/.
c. You are responsible for all announcements and assignments posted at the Blackboard.
d. You need to show up at the mandatory orientation between 3:30-4:45 pm, Tuesday, 1/30/07,
at CH 327. This orientation is extremely important for students to pass the course
successfully. Absence of the orientation will result in a 50-point deduction.
2) The lecture material (with lecture outlines, review questions, and presentation) are posted at the
blackboard, so you can study them by yourselves online and/or attend at optional lectures in CH 327
(An optional lecture will be canceled if no body show up at the first ten minutes). You have to complete
the lecture quiz online on or before the scheduled days. Also you DO need to come to take exams at
C330 on the scheduled time and dates (see the schedule below).
3) For the lab part, you do need to come to participate in the weekly lab activities and take lab quizzes. The
lab part takes 30% of the course grade. Missing labs would lead to fail the course. Read the lab syllabus.
Required Textbooks (both are available at FSU bookstore):
1. W. P. Cunningham and M. A. Cunningham, 2008. Principles of Environmental Science. 4th Edition.
McGraw Hill, New York
2. The Customized Textbook “Human Biology and the Environment” with chapters selected from two
textbooks, available ONLY from FSU bookstore.
Course Description: Study of the human species with emphasis on the interdependence of humans, other forms
of life, and the physical environment. Three hours lecture, two hours lab, 4 credits. Not for majors or minors.
Course Objectives: This course is designed to teach students about humans, the environment and the issues
created by their association. Objectives include:
1) Understanding scientific thinking and how to use scientific methods in problem-solving,
2) Understanding basic human biology and how human beings relate to the environment,
3) Understanding how nature works and how we function in nature,
4) Analyzing our impact on the environment and the environment's impact on us, and
5) Understanding resource problems and related social and political issues.
Grading Procedures: Lecture part = 70% and lab part = 30% of the final course grade.
3 lecture Midterm Exams (100 points each) – online in CH 330
Final exam (50% cumulative on Part I) – online in CH 330
25 online quizzes
Lab assignment and quizzes (see the lab syllabus)
Total
= 300 points
= 200 points
= 200 points
= 300 points
1,000 points

Grading: Your current grade: A >90%. B = 80-89.9%, C = 70-79.9%, D = 60-69.9%, F < 60%. Please
check your grade book in the Blackboard to find out your “currently earned total points” (CET) and the
currently available total points (CAT) to calculate your current performance = CET/CAT.
Your course grade: A >900 pts, B = 800-899 pts, C = 700-799 pts, D = 600-699 pts, F < 600 Points.

Note: CS (Continued Study Required) or NC (No Credit) grades will not be considered for this course.

Each lecture is followed with one online quiz that is designed to push you to review and have a better
understanding what you have learned in the lecture. Therefore, you are strongly suggested to review the
lecture contents before you take the quiz. Just simply matching the answers with lecture notes or textbook
will not help. Quiz questions will be modified into test questions, so UNDERSTANDING rather than
memorizing the answers will help you to improve your tests. You have to complete quizzes and
review them (you can click on a quick score to review the quiz) before each related test. Otherwise
they will not be available after each related test.

You can take each online quiz only one time! Once you submit it, it will be immediately graded and you
will know which answer is wrong, so you can correct your misunderstanding immediately and learn from
mistakes. In case you are locked out (because of your line off or other technical reasons), please let me
know by email as soon as possible. Otherwise I may not help you to unlock it since I don’t know if you
are taking it or you were locked out.
Make-up Exams: Makeup exams will be given only in rare circumstances and with prior notification and
approval from instructor. Athletics should let me know personally your game schedule at the beginning of
the semester. Education majors should not reserve your shadow day on our test days. No student should
make a non-emergency doctor appointment on our test days. In cases of emergency, the student should
contact me immediately (within 24 hours) to arrange the make-up. The student should bring me some official
written document before taking the makeup. Failure to do so will result in a zero. The policy for lab makeup
can be found in the lab manual.
Weather Policy: Weather related closing and delay information will now be available after 6 am at: 301-6874000, option 2. Online lectures will not be affected by weathers. A test may be rescheduled and a lab
may be alternated with an online version. So, please log into Blackboard for announcement (Remember
that you are responsible for all announcements posted in the Blackboard!).
Academic Dishonesty: The University policy of academic dishonesty as published in the student handbook, The
Pathfinder, states, "Academic dishonesty is defined to include any form of cheating and/or plagiarism.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, such acts as stealing or altering testing instruments; falsifying
the identity of persons for any academic purpose; offering, GIVING OR RECEIVING unauthorized
assistance on an examination, quiz or other written or oral material in a course; or falsifying
information on any type of academic record. Plagiarism is the presentation of written or oral material
in a manner which conceals the true source of documentary material; or the presentation of materials
which uses hypotheses, conclusions, evidence, data, or the like, in a way that the student appears to
have done work which he/she did not, in fact, do. In cases involving academic dishonesty, a failing
grade or a grade of zero (0) for either an assignment and/or a course may be administered. Students
who are expelled or suspended for reasons of academic dishonesty are not admissible to other
institutions within the University System of Maryland. Suspension or expulsion for academic
dishonesty is noted on a student's academic transcript." This statement will be enforced without exception,
and all students should become familiar with it. If cheating or plagiarism is encountered, the instructor may
administer a grade of zero, an F in the class or file a charge with the judicial board depending on the severity
of the offense. The tests are given in CH 330 where has two cameras recording all activities in the
room, 24 hours everyday. During the test, no talking, walking around, answering cell phone
will be allowed. Cell phone should be either turned off or set the ring style as vibrate.
Biol 109
A Tentative Class Schedule
2007 Spring
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Date
T 1/30
Lectures
Orientation (Obligatory! 50 points cut, if absent)
R 2/1
1 Scientific Method
T 2/6
2 Basics of Biology and Chemistry
R 2/8
3 Cells and Function
T 2/13
4 Nucleic Acids and Cell Division
R 2/15
5 Human reproduction, development, & Tissue Types
T 2/20
6 Organ Systems - I
R 2/22
7 Organ Systems - II
T 2/27
EXAM 1 (Lecture 1-7) 3:30-4:45 pm at C 330
R 3/1
8 Introduction to Environmental Science
T 3/6
9 Energy, photosynthesis, and respiration
R 3/8
10 Ecosystem and Biogeochemical Cycles
T 3/13
11 Ecology of Community
R 3/15
12 Population Dynamics
3/18-26
No Lab.
1. The Scientific Method I
2. The Scientific Method II
3. Human Physiology
4. Photosynthesis and the
Carbon cycle
Lab Quiz #1 (labs 1-4)
5. Stella
6. Human population biology:
Survivorship
Spring Break
T 3/27
13 Human Populations
R 3/29
14 Biodiversity
T 4/3
Labs
EXAM 2 (Lectures 8-13) 3:30-4:45 pm at C 330
7. Nutrition
8. Biological Diversity I
R 4/5
15 Biomes
T 4/10
16 Preserving Parks and Wilderness
R 4/12
17 Soil and Land Use
Lab Quiz #2 (labs 5-8)
9. Biological Diversity II
T 4/17
18 Atmosphere and Climate
10. Air pollution
R 4/19
19 Air Pollution
T 4/24
EXAM 3 (Lectures 14-19) 3:30-4:45 pm at C 330
R 4/26
20 Water Use and Management
T 5/1
21 Water Pollution
R 5/3
22 Environmental Geology
T 5/7
23 Conventional Energy
R 5/10
24 Sustainable Energy
T 5/15
F 5/23
25 Environmental Health & Toxicology
11. Water Resources
12. Field Trip to STP
13. Energy resources
Course evaluation
Lab Quiz #3 (labs 9-12)
Final Exam 8:00AM-10:30AM
(Part 1 covers lectures 1-19, Part 2 covers lectures 20-25)
* Some lectures and labs may be rearranged.