Foundations of Biology: Syllabus
Biology 111 – Fall 2010
Professor: Dr. Travis Perry, PH 171C. Phone: 294-3009. Travis.Perry@furman.edu
Office Hours: My office hours will be 11:30 to 12:30 Tuesday and Thursday. If these
hours are not convenient I will be happy to make an appointment. You can always
contact me via e-mail. I will check my account frequently for student messages.
Course Objectives: This course seeks to give the students an understanding of the
foundational principles common to all life forms, including: cell structure and function,
metabolism, genetics, evolution, and the diversity of life.
Required Materials: We will use the wiki site http://furmancougar.pbworks.com. The
text book for this course is Biology, eighth edition, by Neil A. Campbell and Jane B.
Reece © 2007. ISBN 0-321-54325-4. You will be expected to read the material in the
text as an aid to understanding material presented in lecture. There will also be specific
reading assignments given from the text. Anything in the specific assigned readings will
be considered testable material.
Grading: Your grade in the course will be assessed based on the following items:
Item
Percentage
Lab
15%
Exam 1
15%
Exam 2
20%
Exam 3
25%
Final
25%
Letter grades will be assigned on a 10-percentage-point scale:
97-100=A+ 87-89=B+
77-79=C+
67-69=D+
0-59=F
93-96=A
83-86=B
73-76=C
63-66=D
90-92=A80-82=B70-72=C60-62=DLectures: You are expected to attend every lecture. If you do miss a class it is your
responsibility to recover the information you missed. Three successive absences will be
reported to the Associate Academic Dean. Any material covered in lecture will be
testable material, whether or not it appears on a powerpoint slide or is specifically
emphasized for test purposes (e.g. a study question).
Laboratories: Do NOT miss lab! It will often not be possible to make up or recover
the material covered in lab. Lab grades constitute 15% of your final grade. Grades for the
lab portion of the course will be based on lab quizzes, assignments, and possibly lab
questions on exams, participation, and attendance. Do NOT arrive LATE for lab.
Tardiness to lab increases the likelihood that you will miss important (particularly safety)
or that you will seriously disrupt the lab for the rest of the class. We will have lab every
Tuesday or Thursday (depending on your section) from 2:30 to 5:20.
Quizzes and Examinations: Assume that we will have a lab quiz each week on the
previous lab material, lecture, and/or excercises. Quizzes and exams will consist of
short answer, multiple choice, and essay questions. Quiz and exam dates will not change.
Assume that we will have a quiz each week in lab. The BEST way to study this
material is to: (1) attentively, rewrite your notes from the notes you took in class;
(2) check these notes against the powerpoint notes; (3) write out the corrections; (4)
rewrite your notes from memory; (5) self-test with actual written questions and
written answers; (6) write out corrections; (7) repeat for each lecture; (8) review
each week. You will have NO MORE than one class period to answer questions on
the exams, unless you have certification from disabilities services indicating that you
qualify for additional time.
Other Policies: E-Mail - Each student is required to maintain a university e-mail
account and check it often, in case of important announcements regarding the class.
Safety - Laboratory safety rules must be followed – food and drink are NEVER to be
brought into the lab. Why? Numerous carcinogenic and otherwise harmful substances
are to be found in the lab. These obviously do not go well with any snack or beverage.
Academic Dishonesty (Don’t even think about it!) - General university policies
regarding academic dishonesty will be strictly observed. If you are caught cheating on
an exam you WILL receive a grade of F for the COURSE. Disabilities – Students
with disabilities who need academic accommodations should contact the Coordinator of
Disability Services, phone 294-2322). After a meeting with them, contact me during
regular office hours. DON’T procrastinate: do this EARLY in the term.
Week Date
(Mon.)
1
8/23
2
8/30
3
9/6
4
9/13
5
9/20
6
9/27
7
10/4
8
10/11
9
10/18
10
10/25
Lecture Topics
11
12
13
14
15
16
Bacteria, Archaea
Protists/Plants
Plant Diversity
Fungi/Animal Diversity
Animal Diversity
Animal Diversity
FINAL EXAM
11/1
11/8
11/15
11/22
11/29
12/6
Introduction to Bio; Chemistry
Chemistry/The Cell
The Cell/Metabolism
Metabolism
Gene to Protein/Molecular DNA
Chromosomal DNA, Mendel
Darwin’s Observations
Modern Synthesis
Population genetics, Speciation
History of Life
Exams (03)
9/21 Exam1
11/2 Exam2
12/2 Exam3
12/9, 8:30-11:00 (03)
12/13, 8:30-11:00 (04)
Weekly Lab
Topics
No Lab
Hypoth. Testing
Nat. Hist. Plants
Quant. Tech.
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Proteins Xsomes
Fall Break
Comp. Morph.
Patterns Heredity
Protists
Parasites/Pathog.
Pop. Gen.
No Lab T-Day
Animal Diversity