BIOL 1110 – Biology I
Course Syllabus
Course Information
Course Description: This course offers an introduction to the biological sciences for students who plan to major
or minor in biology for pre-professional studies or to fulfill the laboratory science
requirement of other majors. This course utilizes an integrated approach with emphasis on
chemical, molecular, and cellular biology, genetics, evolution and ecology. It will include a
survey of the Kingdoms Archaea, Bacteria, Protista, and Fungi with emphasis on
morphological and reproductive aspects of these organisms.
Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Test a scientific hypothesis; conduct an experiment, collect and analyze data,
and interpret results, in a laboratory setting.
2. Use basic scientific terminology to describe processes common to all life,
including organization, metabolism, reproduction, genetics, and adaptation.
3. Identify unifying principles and repeatable patterns in biology, including
evolution, ecological relationships and biological diversity
4. List and describe the 4 steps of the “scientific method.”
5. Recognize and describe aspects of basic chemistry including atoms, subatomic
particles, atomic numbers, weights and mass of common elements used to build
complex organic compounds and the types of bonds found within.
6. Recognize and describe compounds of organic chemistry including
hydrocarbons, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
7. Understand basic biochemical processes as they apply to the cell structure and
function.
8. Identify various cell organelles and their functions, the difference between
eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, and plant and animal cells.
9. Diagram cellular respiration, photosynthesis and the metabolic pathways
involved.
10. Identify the 5 stages of mitosis and meiosis I & II.
11. Describe the genetic basis of DNA, inheritance of traits, and protein synthesis.
12. List the characteristics of the Kingdoms Archaea. Bacteria, Protista and Fungi
and be able to identify species belonging to each.
13. Describe the evidence for evolution, the theory of natural selection and the
processes that drive it.
14. Define the terms: species, genus, family, order, class, phylum kingdom and
domain and be able to describe their taxonomic hierarchy.
15. Define the terms: ecology, including population, community, ecosystem and
biosphere and the relationships found within (e.g. autotroph, heterotroph,
carrying capacity, predator-prey, etc.)
Prerequisites: MATH 1005, ENGL 0810, READ 0810, or equivalent documented skill levels
1.
Describe the levels of organization important to biological processes, from
Course Topics:
atoms to ecosystems.
2.
Identify the position of various groupings within the taxonomic hierarchy
3.
Categorize organic molecules according to their structure and function
4.
Describe the structure and functions of Eukaryotic cells and their
organelles
5.
Characterize processes important to cells, such as Mitosis, Meiosis, DNA
replication, RNA transcription and Protein Synthesis.
6.
Relate details of the metabolic pathways of photosynthesis and cellular
respiration to the needs of organisms and the transfer of energy within
ecosystems
7.
Describe the process of natural selection and its relationship to biological
evolution
8.
Identify the place of viruses relative to living things
9.
Describe characteristics of organisms in the Domains Bacteria and
10.
Archaea, and the Eukaryotes within the Kingdoms Protista and Fungi
Identify 10 of the earth’s major aquatic and terrestrial biomes and their
relative productivity
Specific Course
Requirements: Access to MS Office suite of programs, including Word and PowerPoint.
Internet access, either in the Learning Resource Center or some other location.
Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
Required Textbooks: Biology, 11th edition by Sylvia Mader, McGraw Hill publisher, 2013
ISBN 978-0-07-352550-1
Supplementary Biology Laboratory Manual, 11th edition by Sylvia Mader, McGraw Hill publisher, 2013
Materials: ISBN 978-0-07-747971-8
Software None
Requirements:
Instructor Information
Instructor Name:
Instructor Contact
Information:
Office Hours:
Ken Jones
731-286-3367
kjones@dscc.edu
www.jonesken.com
Instructor Response
24 hours
Time:
Assessment and Grading
Testing Procedures: Four lecture Exams, one or two laboratory practicals
Grading Procedures:
Biology Department Policy is that: Lecture = 75% and Lab = 25% of grade
Grading Scale: A
B
C
D
F
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
<60
Assignments and Participation
Important Dates
Attendance: See Student Handbook for the current DSCC student Attendance Policy
Class Participation:
Course Ground Rules
Academic Honesty Students are expected to do their own work; academic dishonesty will be handled according
to DSCC policy (see DSCC student handbook). Academic dishonesty of any kind will
NOT be tolerated, and includes active or passive cheating, plagiarism, taking pictures of
exams, trading papers, etc.
Please refer to DSCC’s Code of Ethics.
Classroom Specific class rules to be determined by the individual instructor.
Expectations
See DSCC catalogue for specific rules regarding non-discrimination, harassment, safety and
security, and weapons policies.
E-mail: kjones@dscc.edu
Web Resources: www.jonesken.com
Other Important Information
Reporting Fraud, State law requires all public institutions of higher education to provide a means by which
Waste, or Abuse students, employees, or others may report suspected or known improper or dishonest acts.
In addition, DSCC is committed to the responsible stewardship of our resources.
If you would like to know more about reporting Fraud, Waste, or Abuse, please visit
www.dscc.edu/fraud.
Technical Assistance: For technical assistance with the online materials for this class, contact the LRC Help
Desk. The Help Desk telephone number for the Covington campus is 901-475-3177,
Dyersburg Campus is 731-286-7780. You may also contact the Help Desk by e-mail. The
address is helpdesk@dscc.edu.
Library Resources: To ask a question about books, interlibrary loans or other LRC information,
call the LRC at 731-286-3361.
Tutoring:
Tutorial is available on all campuses or online through Grade Results.
Students With Dyersburg State Community College is committed to providing a discrimination free
Disabilities: environment for all students. Students with disabilities are encouraged to inform the
College of any assistance they may need. Please notify your instructor and the ADA
Coordinator, Sherry Baker, at (731) 286-3242.
Syllabus Changes: From time to time during the semester it may be necessary to make changes to the material
in the course syllabus. Any necessary changes to the course syllabus will be sent to you by
e-mail and announced both in class and within the online course material.
Server Outage The server on which DSCC’s courses are hosted will be occasionally unavailable due to
Disclaimer: upgrades or maintenance. Regularly scheduled outages will occur during the early morning
hours of the second Sunday and third Tuesday of each month. There may also be
unplanned downtime due to failures of one kind or another. Because the server is not
located at DSCC, the college cannot directly correct these situations. You will need to
contact your instructor(s) directly to make accommodations should an unplanned outage
prevent you from taking a quiz or submitting an assignment.