BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE: BIOL 1003-001
SPRING 2003
INSTRUCTOR:
OFFICE:
TEXT:
LECTURE:
OFFICE HOURS:
Dr. Alan D. Christian
LSE 413; Phone: 972-3082
Asking about Life, 2nd edition, by Allan J. Tobin & Jennie Dusheck
08:00-08:50 MWF, LSE 219
M: 4:00-5:00
T: 8:00-9:00;
W: 9:00-11:00
R: 9:00-10:00
Or by appointment
FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE: 5 May 2003 @ 8:00 a.m.
LAST DAY TO DROP AN INDIVIDUAL CLASS: 25 March 2003
LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW FROM THE UNIVERSITY: 28 April 2003
COURSE PHILOSOPHY: Biology 1003 provides an introduction to biological terminology, processes and
characteristics unique to living organisms. Although you are not biology majors, this course should establish a basic
understanding of the biological world and the way humans function as living organisms and components of the
biological world. My goal is that each of you will complete this course with an enhanced understanding of the role
of humans as part of the living world, and as an intelligent consumer of biological resources.
INSTITUTIONAL/CLASSROOM POLICIES
DISABILITY SERVICES: Students who require academic adjustments in the classroom due to a disability must
first register with ASU Disability Services. Following registration and within the first two weeks of class, please
contact me to discuss appropriate academic accommodations. Appropriate arrangements can be made to ensure
equal access to this course.
INCLIMATE WEATHER POLICY: The university remains open for academic classes and all other services
during inclement weather except in extreme circumstances determined solely by the president of the university.
Regional and local news media will publicize the closing. Commuter students are encouraged to use good
judgment in deciding whether to drive to campus under this policy, it is the responsibility of the student to
immediately contact each of his/her professors upon return to explain the circumstances and to determine the
need to complete any missed assignments. The student is responsible for all missed assignments during inclement
weather within a time frame to be determined by the professor. See notes about makeup policies and inclement
weather below.
ATTENDANCE POLICY: Students should attend every lecture session. Students who miss a class session should
expect to makeup missed work or receive a failing mark on missed work (see quiz policy). Students who participate
in university-sponsored activities will be given reasonable opportunities to make up missed assignments. Students
in this course who miss more than six class sessions per semester MAY be assigned an ‘F’ in the course depending
on the circumstances discussed in the student handbook (2002-2004 edition, pages 41-42)
IDENTIFICATION POLICY: When you take an exam, you must bring a #2 pencil and a photo ID to class. You
must show your ID when you turn in your exam. If you forget to bring an ID, your exam will be set aside until you
return with your ID. A driver’s license or student ID is acceptable. IF you do not produce identification within 48
hours, then your exam will not be graded.
AUDIOTAPING POLICY: You may use a tape recorder to tape the lectures if you feel this is helpful
EXAMS, QUIZES AND ASSIGNMENT POLICY: Tentative exam dates are given in the syllabus but are subject
to changes. Any changes will be announced at least 1 week before the scheduled exam date. Exam questions will
be taken from lecture notes, textbook, other assignments, audiovisuals, and discussion. Exams may include all or
any combination of the following types of questions: multiple choice, true/false, short-answer, matching, fill-in-the-
blank, draw and label, and essay. To do well on exams, students should not rely solely on memorization, but also
understand and be able to use information covered in lecture, discussion and in the text.
Quizzes will most likely be given on Blackboard and will be need to be taken within the time frame
announced in class and listed on Blackboard. No make up quizzes will be offered. Blackboard, a web based
learning tool, information will be discussed or handed out separately
MAKE-UP POLICY: Exams must be taken on the date scheduled. Excused absences must be document and
consist of illness or other extenuating circumstances. For example, illness must be documented by a written health
care providers excuse with contact information, or death in the family must be documented by an obituary. You
must contact and present documentation to the instructor no later than the first day of return to class. If you miss an
exam due to an excused absence, a make-up exam will be offered; otherwise you shall be given a 0 for that exam. A
make-up exam will consist of 10 10-point essay questions and are scheduled during the last week of classes.
EXAMS SCHEDULED DURING PERIODS OF INCLEMENT WEATHER WILL BE GIVEN AS
SCHEDULED, WITH A MAKE-UP OPPORTUNITY OFFERED WHEN NORMAL TRAVEL RESUMES.
If the university cancels classes, the exam will be given the next regularly scheduled class period. Do not travel
when road conditions are hazardous.
COURSE EVALUATION AND GRADING POLICY:
HOURLY EXAMS:
QUIZES
COMPREHENSIVE FINAL
04 @100 points each
10 @ 5 points each
01 @ 100 points
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE
GRADING SCALE:
=400points
=050 points
=100 points
=550 POINTS
A= 100-90% (550-492 points)
B= 89-80% (491-437 points)
C= 79-70% (436-382 points)
D= 69-60% (381-327 points)
F= 59-0% (326-0 points)
EXTRA CREDIT POLICY: You will have the opportunity to accumulate up to 20 points extra credit in the
course. The first set 10 extra credit points may be earned by clipping or copying and turning in articles with a brief
summary from popular newspapers or magazines that relate to biology. Magazines include publications such as
Southern Living, Newsweek, and Time etc. and cannot include professional journals such as Science, Nature, or
Ecology. Each article, summarized in your own words is worth 5 points and each student may submit up to 2
article summaries. Each summary should consist of 2-3 sentences giving summary of the article. Articles must be
recent (published during the semester 9 January – 18 April 2003), turned in at the end of the lecture period, and
consist of your name, the section number of your class (i.e. 001) the publication source (e.g. Time), publication date
(e.g. 15 January 2003), your personal summary, and a copy of the original article. One article is due by midterm,
3 March 2003 and the other is due by Friday 18 April 2003. Both may be handed in by the midterm date if
desired.
The second set of 10 points may be earned by logging into blackboard to answer the One Minute Surveys
(OMS) that is posted after each class period. If you answer the survey after every class period, you can earn 10
points. You will earn the percentage of times you answer the OMS. For example, if you answer 80% of the OMS
throughout the semester, you will get 8 out of 10 points, while if you answer 10% of the OMS during the semester,
you will earn 1 out of 10 extra credit points.
TENTATIVE LECTURE AND EXAM SCHEDULE
Unit
Introduction
I. Chemistry and Cell Biology
HOURLY EXAM I
Chapter
1
2
3
4
Topic
The Unity and Diversity of Life
The chemical foundations of life
Biological molecules great and small
Why are all organisms made of cells?
29 January 2003
Unit
Chapter
5
6
7
Hourly EXAM II
II. Genetics: the continuity of life
26 February 2003
8
9
10
11
HOURLY EXAM III
III. Evolution
V. Ecology
General Topics
HOURLY EXAM IV & COMPREHENSIVE
FINAL
Topic
Directions and rates of biochemical processes
How do organisms supply themselves with
energy?
Photosynthesis: how do organisms get energy from
the sun?
Cell reproduction
From meiosis to Mendel
The structure, replication, and repair of DNA
How are genes expressed?
2 April 2003
15
16
17
25
26
27
28
What is the evidence for evolution?
Microevolution: how does a population evolve?
Macroevolution: how do species evolve?
Ecosystems
Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
Communities
Populations
Cloning
Bio terrorism
Sewage Treatment
Monday, 5 May 2003 @ 8:00 – 10:00 am