Biological Sciences 120
Instructor: Dr. Stephanie Burns
Email: sburns@napavalley.edu (I do not check my email after 5 PM)
Office phone: 253-3104
Office room: Biology Building, room 2047
Office Hours: Monday and Wed: 10:00-10:50; Wed 12:30-1:20
Class Meetings: Lecture: M & W 11:00-12:15 Room 835
Lab: W: 1:30 – 4:20 Room 2040
Textbook: Campbell Biology. Reece et. al. 9th Edition. The textbook is required. The Mastering Biology
website is highly recommended
Course Description: This is a Biology course for majors with an emphasis on the cellular and molecular
aspects of biology. There is a required laboratory portion of the course.
Lecture Exams: There are four midterm exams and one final exam. The final is comprehensive. The
lectures and reading will be covered on the exams. Lecture attendance is critical for success in
this course; most of the material that you are required to master is given in lecture. If you need to
take the exam early please contact me as early as possible. In order to take an early midterm you
must receive my approval in advance of the midterm. Early midterms will only be allowed in rare
cases. In order to take an early final you must receive written approval from the Office of
Instruction and myself. If you have a documented medical excuse, you may take an exam late and
you must contact me before the scheduled exam. Make up exams will be given during the last
week of class. There will be no make up exams for the final, you will receive zero points if you
miss the final or if you miss a regular exam without contacting me prior to the exam. I will keep
possession of all exams, exams cannot be copied or reproduced in form.
.
Quizzes and Homework: Homework will be assigned, there is no credit for late work. There may be
unannounced quizzes, given at the beginning of class or lab, there is no make-up for missed
quizzes. Quizzes can cover material from the reading assigned for that day or from prior lectures.
Lab quizzes can cover material from the lab handout assigned for that lab, therefore you should
have read and studied the lab handouts prior to each lab.
Course Points:
Midterm Exams = 150 points each
Final Exam = 250 points
Quizzes = 5-10 points each
Lab Exams = 70 points each
Lab attendance = 30 points
Homework = 5 – 20 points each
Mastering Biology = 50 points if you complete all assignments.
Laboratory: The laboratory portion of this course will meet once per week. Laboratories can not be
made-up if they are missed. There will be two practical exams in the laboratory. There will be no
make-up for missed lab practicals. It is important that you come to lab on time since instructions
for the lab are giving at the beginning of the lab period.
Important Dates:
Last Day to Add: Aug 30th
Last Day to Drop without a “W”: Sept 6th
Last Day to Drop with a W: Nov 15th
Students in need of accommodations in the college learning environment:
Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a learning disability should
contact Learning Services in the Library and Learning Resource Center (LLRC), room 1766, phone (707)
256-7442. A Learning Disability Specialist will review your needs and determine appropriate
accommodations.
If you need accommodations for physical or other types of disabilities, schedule an appointment with DSPS
Counselor, Sheryl Fernandez, in the Counseling Department located in the 1300 building, phone (707) 2567220 for appointment.
All information and documentation is confidential.
Please feel encouraged to make an appointment with me privately to discuss your specific learning needs in
my class.
Academic Honesty and Student Code of Conduct and college policies: Refer to the Catalog for a full
explanation, the following is an excerpt from the catalog
It is expected that a student’s academic work be of his/her own making, failure to abide by this standard of
conduct is considered to be academic dishonesty. Types of Academic Dishonesty include: Copying from
others on a quiz, examination, or assignment (“cheating”), allowing another student to copy one’s work on
a quiz, exam, or assignment, having others take any exam instead of taking the exam oneself, giving other
students information that allows the student an undeserved advantage on an exam, such as telling a peer
what to expect on a make-up exam or prepping a student for a test in another section of the same class
If a student cheats (for example: copies the answers from another student or has notes during the exam, has
a cell phone during the exam, changes answers on a scantron after they have been graded, retaining or
copying exam questions) they will receive a zero for the exam and your name will be forwarded to the Vice
President of Student Services. A second act of academic dishonesty will result in a zero for the course. I
consider lying to be an act of academic dishonesty.
Cell phones must be turned off and left in the front of the classroom during the exam. No notes will be
brought to your desk while taking the exam. All phones, bags, packs, notes, jackets, and hats will be left at
the front of the room. If you have any notes, books or cell phones with you while taking the exam you will
receive a zero for the exam. You may not leave and re-enter the exam in progress.
Plagarism is a form of cheating, if you copy information from the internet, books, friends, etc and use it as
your own work in a report, you will receive zero points.
Appropriate behavior in class: For the consideration of your fellow classmates, please turn off your cell
phones during class and exams. Please refrain from talking during class, if you have a question during
class, please raise your hand and ask the instructor. Come to class on time.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Demonstrate skills in analysis of experimental data and exhibit proficient writing skills by producing a
laboratory report.
2. Demonstrate a proficiency of knowledge in molecular biology and genetics
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Identify and give examples of the characteristics common to all living organisms; evaluate and analyze
which characteristics viruses and prions share with living organisms.
2. Discuss levels of organization in living and non-living systems.
3. Describe the basic cell structures and their functions in eukaryotic plant and animal cells; compare and
contrast these with prokaryotic cells.
4. Understand and describe principles of chemical bonds and reactions as they relate to the major classes of
biological molecules.
5. Review metabolic processes including cellular respiration, fermentation and photosynthesis.
6. Describe mechanisms of cell membrane permeability and transport, and critically evaluate by theory and
experimental analysis which molecules can freely pass through the membrane.
7. Demonstrate skill in use of compound microscopes with prepared and wet mount slides of cells and
organisms.
8. Analyze the results of data collected from laboratory experiments performed by the class and relate these
results to appropriate scientific theories and hypotheses developed at the start of the experiment.
Be able to clearly write hypotheses, results, and conclusions of the experiments.
9. Recognize under the microscope and describe the stages of mitosis in plant and animal cells. Compare
and contrast mitosis with meiosis.
10. Understand the unifying principles of classical and modern genetics and apply these principles in
predicting the outcome of genetic crosses.
12. Describe the process of protein synthesis including genetic regulation.
Dr. Stephanie Burns
Schedule: Fall 2013
Monday
9:00
9:30
10:00
10:30
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:30
1:00
1:30
2:00
2:30
3:00
3:30
4:00
4:30
Office
Hours
Bio 120
Rm 1638
Tuesday
Wednesday
Office Hours
Bio 120
Rm 1638
Office Hours
Bio 120 Lab
Rm 2040
Thursday
Biological Sciences 120
Date
Aug 19
Aug 21
Aug 26
Aug 28
Sept 2
Sept 4
Sept 9
Sept 11
Sept 16
Sept 18
Sept 23
Sept 25
Sept 30
Oct 2
Oct 7
Oct 9
Oct 14
Oct 16
Oct 21
Oct 23
Oct 28
Oct 30
Nov 4
Nov 6
Nov 11
Nov 13
Nov 18
Nov 20
Nov 25
Nov 27
Dec 2
Dec 4
Dec 9
Dec 11
Dec 16
Lecture Topic
Introduction to course
Study of Life
Chemistry
Water
Labor Day
Carbon and Biological Molecules
Biological Molecules
Cell
Lecture Exam I
Cell
Membranes
Membrane
Intro to Metabolism
Cellular metabolism handout 2 and 3
Cellular metabolism
Photosynthesis
Lecture Exam II
Photosynthesis
Cell Communication
Cell Communication
DNA structure
DNA replication
Protein Synthesis
Protein Synthesis
Veterans Day
Lecture Exam III
Gene regulation
Gene regulation
Viruses
Immune system
Natural Selection
Evolution
Review
Lecture Exam IV
Final 10:30-12:30
Reading
Ch 1
Ch 1
Ch 2-3
Ch 2-3
Laboratory
Ch 4-5
Ch 5
Ch 6
Biol molecules
Ch 6
Ch 7
Ch 7
Ch 8
Ch 9
Ch 9
Ch 10
Membrane/tissues handout 2
Ch 10
Ch 11
Ch 11
Ch 16
Ch 16
Ch 17
Ch 17
Mitosis Ch 12
Microscope
Measurements
Cells and Handout 2 and 3
Quan. analysis
Protists Ch 28 handout 2 and 3
Lab Exam I
Meiosis Ch 13
Genetics Ch 14
Genetics Ch 15
Bacteria Ch 28 handout
Ch 18
Ch 18
Ch 19
Ch 43
Ch 22
Ch 22
Biotechnology Ch 20
Biotechnology and Review
Lab Exam II
Evolution