BIOLOGY 120: Foundations of Biology
Lecture Instructor:
Dr. Kristen Curran
Email: currank@uww.edu
Office: Upham 307
Phone: 472-5144
Office hours: T 2:15-4:10pm; W 11-11:50am; F 2:15-4:10pm; or by appointment
Class meeting times:
Lecture 4C MWF 9:55-10:45am
Lab:
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
T
T
W
R
8-10am
UH302/web
12:30-2:30pm
2:15-4:15pm
12:30-2:30pm
Curran
Linton
Pritchard
Linton
Our Course Objectives:
During successful participation in and completion of this course, the student should:
1. Develop critical thinking and problem solving abilities at increasing levels of
complexity.
2. Expand personal and interpersonal work skills through active involvement in learning,
including group activities involving analysis, investigation and reporting of results.
3. Identify various levels of biological complexity.
4. Describe basic cell structure and their associated functions.
5. Identify human body systems and their components; explain their roles in health and
reproduction.
6. Explain and predict patterns of heredity.
7. Appreciate the unity, diversity and complexity of other organisms.
8. Recognize major features of selected taxa.
9. Understand basic principles of ecology at population, community, and ecosystem
levels.
10. Understand how basic principles of biology impact on your life.
11. Understand how the theory of evolution is the framework from which all biology can
be understood.
12. Continue developing the skills and ideals forming the philosophy of General
Education.
Text:
Essential Biology with Physiology. Campbell, Reece, and Simon. Pearson/Benjamin
Cummings. 2004.
BIOL 120 Lab manual: Experience is the Foundation
Each student needs to have ready access to the textbook. I would encourage you to
read the assignments before coming to lecture (see warm-ups). The textbook will
provide you with the basic information but lectures will cover material in more depth and
will introduce additional facts and concepts. The tests and Final exam material will draw
heavily from the content of the lectures and readings.
World Wide Web:
This course can be accessed through the UWW homepage by clicking on D2L in the left
topic box. All students must register with D2L in order to have access to course and lab
materials. The BIOL 120 lecture sites will contain course announcements, syllabus,
warm-ups, and any web resource or supplementary material that may become available.
Email: All class and lab email will be sent to your UWW account.
Class/Lab Attendance:
Regular attendance of lectures and labs is expected. The lecture and lab will start
promptly, so be punctual and respect the start of class with your full attention. Please do
not pack up books, leave early, or be otherwise noisy, as this is distracting to the rest of
the class and annoys me!
Attendance of lectures will be periodically noted. Lab attendance will be noted every
week. A strong correlation has been found between class attendance and the amount of
material learned, test scores, and appreciation of the course. Also, attendance will be
considered when assigning D/F grades as well as requests for withdrawal or incompletes,
and assignment of final grades.
It is the responsibility of the student to find out what announcements were made, to
obtain lecture note annotations, handouts, etc., if a class is missed.
SPECIAL HINT: Offer to make photocopies for a student who wants to borrow your
notes. Or accompany them to the photocopier. This assures that you will get them back
promptly and in good shape.
You will be allowed to miss one lab without penalty. Otherwise you will need to see me
to arrange for a time during the same week to make up you laboratory.
Administrative Statements:
Special Needs Statement: Students with special needs should contact the instructor to make appropriate arrangements.
Religious Beliefs Accommodation: Board of Regents policy states that students’ sincerely held religious beliefs shall
be reasonably accommodated with respect to scheduling of all examinations and other academic requirements.
Students must notify the instructor, within the first three weeks of the beginning of classes (within the first week of
summer session and short courses) of the specific days or dates on which they will request accommodation from an
examination or academic requirement. For additional information, please refer to the section of the University Bulletin
and the Timetable titled “Accommodation of Religious Beliefs”.
Academic Misconduct Statement: The University believes that academic honesty and integrity are fundamental to
the mission of higher education and of the University of Wisconsin System. The University has a responsibility to
promote academic honesty and integrity and to develop procedures to deal effectively with instances of academic
dishonesty. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, for the appropriate
citation of sources, and for the respect of others’ academic endeavors. Students who violate these standards are subject
to disciplinary action. UWS Chapter 14 identifies the procedure s to be followed when a student is accused of
academic misconduct. For additional information, refer to the Student Handbook section “Student Academic
Disciplinary Procedures”.
Absence For University Sponsored Events: University policy adopted by Faculty Senate and the Whitewater Student
Government states that students will not be academically penalized for missing class in order to participate in
university-sanctioned events. They will be provided an opportunity to make up any work that is missed; and if class
attendance is a requirement, missing a class in order to participate in a university-sanctioned event will not be counted
as an absence. A university-sanctioned event is defined to be any intercollegiate athletic contest or other such event as
determined by the Provost. Activity sponsors are responsible for obtaining the Provost’s prior approval of an event as
being university sanctioned and for providing an official list of participants. Students are responsible for notifying their
instructors in advance of their participation in such events.
Evaluation and Grading:
Exam questions will be based on the assigned readings and lecture material. The exam
format will be multiple choice. The final exam will be comprehensive. Beware…just
because the exams are multiple choice does not mean they are easy. Many of the
questions on exams will ask you to use your knowledge of the lecture material to answer.
We will practice this approach in lecture! Note, in biology the material from the first
exam may be required to understand subsequent concepts. Therefore, in essence, all
exams are cumulative.
Exam Schedule:
Output:
Points
:
Warm ups
25
Class participation
through clickers
25
Lab exercises
120
Exam I:
100
Exam II:
100
Test III:
100
Final Exam:
150
_______________________________
Total:
620
Scale: A=90+% (558+pts; superior) B=80+% (496-557pts; above average) C=70+%
(434-556pts; average) D=60+% (372-433 pts; poor) F=59% (0-432 pts; failure)
(These conventional grade definitions are listed on p.12 of the 2004-06 UW-Whitewater Undergraduate Catalog.)
Other Notes:
* You are expected to do the assigned reading listed for each day prior to coming to class. You should
be spending at least 7-9 hours outside of class per week on this course. You are expected to participate
in class discussions and answer questions based on the reading. Some of the reading is from sources
other than your textbook. This reading may be accessed directly through the web site. In addition to
material discussed in class, all assigned reading (for lecture and lab) may be used as the basis for exam
questions.
* Warm-ups will be available to you through the course website. The questions in the warm-ups
will cover material from the course readings for the week. Warm-ups will be available for you
each week from Thursday by 5pm to Monday at 9:30am. The warm-ups will consist of 5
questions based on your readings and will be multiple choice or True/False. Warmups will not
occur the weekend before an exam. I will drop your lowest warm-up grade!
* Only one makeup exam will be allowed per student. Makeup exams will be exclusively
composed of essay questions. To be eligible ,a student must submit a formal, written request to
the instructor by the Friday following the missed exam.
* If extra credit opportunities arise, an announcement will be made to the class. No individual
deals will be considered.
* Exams must be taken in your assigned section of BIOL 120. No exceptions will be made.
Student Response Systems:
In this course we will often be using a student response or “clicker” system. A “clicker” is an
individual handheld device – like a channel changer – that allows each student to respond to
questions that the instructor asks during class. A receiver at the front of the room collects
everyone’s clicker responses, which the instructor can then instantly display as graphs to guide
the day’s lecture. Students’ clicker responses are also saved by the receiver to ensure that
students get credit for responses they make in class.
Clickers are a valuable way to teach and learn, because your instructor can find out right away
whether you understand the day’s lesson and pay special attention to things that the class doesn’t
understand. Clickers can also be used to start class discussions, and can even be used for group
work in class. Of course, clickers also ensure that you are attending class and that you are paying
attention, but that isn’t their main purpose! I hope you will find, as others have, that the clickers
increase your interest in the subject matter as well as your enjoyment of the class.
This section of BIO 120 is one of six classes chosen to participate in a trial of clicker systems on
the UW-Whitewater campus. It is part of a larger UW System Curricular Redesign Grant
involving UW-Milwaukee, UW-Eau Claire and UW-Osh Kosh. Since we are piloting the
system, I am especially interested in any feedback you have on whether clickers enhance your
learning experience in this course. Any new technology is also bound to have some technical
problems. As problems arise, I will also count on you to bear with me as we address any issues
and to let me know of any individual problems you have with your clicker.
You will get the clickers from Textbook Rental, but they may not be available during the first
week of the semester. I will inform you when they are available. Once you have the clicker, you
will need to register it at a website (details to come) so that the information you enter is
associated with your name. If your clicker does not work, please notify me immediately. If you
lose your clicker, you will have to pay to replace it yourself.
Your clicker responses will be recorded as a component of the class participation grade.
Therefore, since you are expected to participate in every class, you should bring your clicker
every time the class meets. If you forget your clicker on a given day, you will not be able to get
points if clickers are used that day, just as if you forgot to finish answering all the questions on a
test. There are no make-ups for clicker use. However, you will be allowed to drop a certain
number of your clicker responses during the course, so if you miss a couple of days it won’t
count against you.
Finally, since your clicker is registered to you individually, you may not loan it to someone else
or let someone else use it to pretend they are you: the instructor will treat that the same as if you
were caught cheating on an assignment or test!
Once the clickers are available at Textbook Rental, we will begin using them in class. We will spend a
few class periods getting used to them, and then start using them in earnest. I hope that you will find
that they are a positive addition to this course.
Fall Deadlines: 2005
9/19/05: last day to drop this course without a “W”
10/14/05: last day to withdrawal from this course.
Tips for success in this course:
1. Attend class regularly and take good notes.
2. Rewrite your notes after every lecture to reorganize concepts and make them legible.
3. Read the assigned reading before coming to lecture and do the warmup questions for
the week.
4. Start studying the week before the exam! You need to start studying as soon as
possible to get the material in your head! Repetition leads to both understanding and
recollection! I suggest going through your class notes at least 3 times (hard)!
5. Eat well and get your rest! You will definitely perform better and your attention span
will not wane as much if you are well rested and healthy!
6. Learn the terms from the text. Without the basic vocabulary you will be lost!
7. Study the diagrams. They help to clarify points and go over specific
experiments/concepts that you need to understand!
8. Study with a friend. I recommend no more than three people in a study group. Larger
groups waste time. Use these groups to go over material that is confusing. Take turns
explaining a concept or memorizing a pathway. Teaching someone else is the best way
to make sure you truly understand a concept.
9. See Dr. Curran if you have problems or questions (or send an email). It is best to act
early before you are in serious trouble.
10. Ask questions! In lecture or go to scheduled SI sessions and get help there!
11. Use the textbook website for practice questions and examples.
12. Refer to this website for more in depth study suggestions
http://www.clemson.edu/collegeskills/INDEX.HTM
13. Enjoy the course! We will be learning and discussing some very interesting concepts
about biology. I hope that you find this course intellectually challenging, informative,
and fun!
Schedule of events-Lecture:
Dates:
Topics:
Readings:
9/7
Intro to course and basic biology
Chapter 1
9/8
Warm-up for Chap 1-2 available by 5pm
9/9
Defining Life: Biology
Chapter 1-2
9/12-9/16
Defining life: biology and chemistry
Chapter 2-3
9/15
Warm-up for Chap 3-5 available by 5pm
9/19-9/23
Cells, cell structure, and metabolism
9/22
No warmup…study for exam I
9/26
Brief introduction to ecology and review
9/28
Exam 1
9/29
Warmup for Chap 7-9 by 5pm
9/30
Photosynthesis
Chapter 7
10/3-10/7
Genetics: cell cycle; mitosis/cancer; meiosis/gametes
Chapter 8-9
10/6
Warm-up for Chap 9-10 available by 5pm
10/10-10/14
Genetics and Molecular genetics
10/13
Warm-up for Chap 11-12 available by 5pm
10/17-10/21
Gene Regulation and DNA Technology
10/20
No warmup: study for exam!
10/24
Finish DNA technology and review
10/26
Exam 2
10/27
Warm-up for chap 13-15 available by 5pm
10/28
How populations evolve
Chapter 13
10/31-11/4
How Diversity Evolves and microbial evolution
Chapter 14-15
11/3
Warm-up for Chap 16-17 available by 5pm
11/7-11/11
Evolution of higher plants, fungi and animals
Chapter 4-6
Chapter 9-10
Chapter 11-12
Chapter 16-17
11/10
Warm-up for Chap 18-19 available by 5pm
11/14-11/18
Ecology: organisms, populations, communities, and
Ecosystems
Chapter 18-19
11/17
Warm-up for chap. 22-23 available by 5pm
11/21-11/23
Nutrition and Digestion; Circulation and Respiration
11/24-11/27
NO CLASS: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!
NO WARMUPS
11/28
Finish Circulation and Respiration and review
11/30
Exam 3
12/1
12/2
Warmup for chap. 24-25
Body’s Defenses
Chapter 24
12/5-12/9
Hormones and Reproduction
Chapter 25-26
12/8
Warmup for chap 26-27
12/12-12/14
Development; Nervous system, sensory, and motor systems
Chapter 22-23
Chapter 26-27
12/19
Final exam
10am-noon
LAB TOPIC for LECTURE SECTIONS 4C, 8C, 15C
Where:
DATE
9/6-9/16
ONLINE
Orientation ELAB: The Scientific Method
9/12-9/16
Investigations in Cell Biology
UPHAM 302
9/19-9/23
Ecology/Population Biology
ONLINE
9/26-9/30
Ecology (Outside)
UPHAM 302
10/3-10/7
Genetics
ONLINE
10/10-10/14
Molecular Genetics
UPHAM 302
10/17-10/21
Microevolution
ONLINE
1024-10/28
Macroevolution
UPHAM 302
10/31-11/4
Nutrition
ONLINE
11/7-11/11
Vertebrate Circulatory and Respiratory Systems
UPHAM 302
11/14-11/18
Vertebrate Structure and Function: Muscles, Bones
and Brain
ONLINE
11/21-11/25
NO LAB- Thanksgiving Break
HOME
11/28-12/2
The Sensory System
UPHAM 302
12/5-12/9
No Lab