Biology 41
Contemporary Biology
Spring 2008
Dr. Elizabeth Nash
Email: enash@lbcc.edu,
Required Text: Krogh, D. 2007. A Brief Guide to Biology.
The text is available through the bookstore or online. There are earlier editions
of Krogh, although not in the brief form. You may use these, but of course the
page citations and chapters will not be the same. Good sources for used texts
are half.com, Amazon or ebay. Aida’s University Texts on Bellflower may carry
it also.
You also have the option of buying an online text. Krogh is available is the long
form or the short form with physiology from the Coursesmart.com textbook site.
A 150 day access to the books cost around $55.00 to $60.00.
Materials: 4-Scantron #886 mini-bluebooks, writing implements, your brain, note
taking paraphernalia
Course Content and Objectives: This course is a discussion of the general
concepts of modern life science, the same basic concepts that govern our lives.
Although we seem to exist in a concrete-covered world, driven by the demands
of modern existence, our lives and surroundings are really a wonder to behold.
Many of the phenomena we experience daily have their roots in the topics
discussed in this class. Sure, it’s a science class, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be
bored to tears, or have to memorize countless factoids. You will have to take a
scientist’s view of our surroundings. What you get from this class will be
determined by what you put into it.
Grading:
4 tests at 100 points each:
In class activities
Reading notebook
1 field trip and report:
Total points possible:
Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
A=90%=585
B=80%=520
C=68%=440
D=60%=390
F=below 60%=389 and below
400
100
100
50
650
Tests
The tests will take various forms. The tests will be a combination of multiple
choice and short answer essay questions. Sample tests will be put in D214 one
week before the test. See below for test schedule. If you miss a test, and want
the option of taking a make up test, you must e-mail me before the start of the
test. Make-ups will be taken on the same day as Test 4, unless otherwise
arranged with Dr. Nash. See me for the time. All tests will count; lowest score
will not be thrown out. All tests must be taken or a grade of F will be
assigned.
In-class Activities
These activities will include video worksheets, an organism study and
unannounced pop quizzes.
Reading Notebooks
In my experience, most people have no idea that life science articles and related
materials are published everyday. That’s going to change. All students will
compile a reading notebook. Ten articles from newspapers or popular literature
(non-technical magazines) will be read and a brief 100 word summary provided.
The following must be included in the article summaries:
 Summary of the major points of the article
 Identification of bias—did the author have an identifiable bias, was the
article one-sided, was the author totally nuts
 Your personal reaction—why did you choose this article, did you learn
anything, would you recommend this article.
See the attached form at the end of the syllabus for the Reading Notebook
guidelines. Reading notebooks will be submitted in two installments. See
schedule for due dates.
Field Trip
The field trip is a fun and educational assignment. This is where we experience
living things; we take our class out of the book and the classroom and experience
things in the wild. You can go anywhere that things are alive. It’s fun to go with
others in the class. Examples include, but are not restricted to:
 Whale Watching: early spring ($$$)
 El Dorado Nature Center in Long Beach
 Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro
 Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
 Aquarium of the Pacific
 Monterey Bay Aquarium
 Scripps La Jolla Aquarium
 San Diego, Santa Ana, Orange County or Los Angeles Zoos
 Huntington Library and Botanic Garden in San Marino


South Coast Botanic Garden in Torrance
National or state parks (surfing at Bolsa Chica doesn’t count)
Field trip submittals must include the following:
 Your name
 Identification of the site you visited
 One paragraph discussion (definition) of biodiversity
 Brief description of the facility
 Identification of the five exhibits you found most interesting and why
 Photo of you inside the facility and your ticket or parking stub.
The field trip report is not a group assignment. Although you may go as a group,
each student must submit their own original paper. Don’t plagiarize, don’t cheat.
I don’t expect to read identical papers. All submittals must be word-processed,
spell checked, 12-point font, 1 inch margins and stapled. Please, no report
covers. Check below for due date.
Assignment Due Dates:
Field trip: April 24, 2008
Reading Notebook: March 20 and May 8, 2008
All assignments may be turned in before the due date. No late projects are
accepted.
My view
I love the material presented in this class and I love teaching it. Although I don’t
expect every student to enjoy the material as much as I do, I hope that all
students maintain an open mind and at the least be respectful of the many views
that will undoubtedly be presented throughout the class. If you have a question,
ask it. Feel free to contribute to the conversation. College instructors have a
different role than do high school teachers. We guide your learning through
lectures and encourage independent fact gathering with the use of textbooks and
assignments. The student is responsible for learning. You chose to come to
college, make the most of it.
Attendance Policy:
I follow the College’s attendance policy; refer to the catalog or the website for
details. It is common sense: you’ll do better if you attend. Life does interfere and
the accepted College policy takes this into consideration. If you are going to be
absent for a test or an assignment, I must be notified ahead of time by e-mail...
Arrangements for make-ups and late submittals will be arranged, only if there are
valid reasons for which you can provide documentation. If you run into trouble of
some sort during the semester, let me now. It is easier to deal with problems
earlier than later. I do not drop students; dropping is the student’s
responsibility.
Extra Credit:
Extra credit will take the form of extra articles in the reading notebook. The extra
articles must be identified as such and appear at the end of the table of contents
listing. A total of five extra articles may be submitted at 10 points each, 50 points
maximum.
Important Deadlines and Withdrawal Policies:
There are several deadlines regarding adding and withdrawals. Withdrawal
procedures are posted on the website. Pay attention to these posted dates.
They can be found online and in the printed class schedule. I will not drop you.
Withdrawal from the course is your responsibility.
Lecture Schedule, Test Dates and Assignment Dates
The topics covered and the lecture and reading schedule are tentative. Changes
to the schedules may result if current events dictate. If something interesting
happens, we will discuss it. Test dates rarely change. If the test schedule is a
problem, let me know before the date of the test. You must send an email
request to avoid any misunderstandings.
LECTURE SCHEDULE
Contemporary Biology
DATE
TOPIC
TEXT
Jan 1517
Introduction: Scientific Method, Life Science
Basics
Ch. 1
Jan 2224
Jan 2931
Feb 5-7
Feb 12
Feb 1419
Feb 2128
Mar 4
Mar 6
Mar 11
Mar 1320
Mar 20
April 1-3
April 8
April 1017
April 22
April 2430
April 24
April 29
May 1
May 6-8
May 8
May 1315
May 22
May 27
Two Essential Theories, Evolution Basics
notes
Cell Organization
Ch. 4, 5
Chemistry (really basic), Biomolecules
Test 1
Thermodynamics and Energy Capture Energy
Release
Cell Division: Mitosis and Cytokinesis, Meiosis
Simple Inheritance
Genetics: Health Implications
Flex day
Test 2
DNA Structure, Replication; Protein Synthesis
Biotechnology
Reading Notebook #1 Due (5 articles)
Evolution in Detail: Microevolution
Flex Day: No Class
Macroevolution: History of Life
Ch 2, 3,
Test 3
Diversity: Archaea, Bacteria, Fungi
Field Trip Due
Diversity: Plants
Diversity: Animals
Ecosystem Structure and Function
Reading Notebook #2 Due (5 articles)
Populations; Topics in Environmental Science
Video: An Inconvenient Truth
Test 4: TTh 8 am, 8-10:30
Test 4: TTh 9:30 am , 8-10:30
Ch.6, 7, 8
Ch. 9, 10
Ch. 11-12
Study for Test 2
Ch. 13-15
Ch. 16-17
Sleep in
Ch. 18-19
Ch. 20
Ch. 21
Ch. 22
Ch. 24
Ch. 23