Biology 100 Organismal Biology
Spring 2015 Syllabus
Tu & Th 11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. A254 Science Center
Contact Information:
Mary Teleha
Department of Biology
Science Center K108
(440) 775-6279
mteleha@oberlin.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 1-2 p.m.
Wednesday 4-5 p.m.
Or email me to set up an appointment.
Course Description:
BIOL 100 Organismal Biology
Full course; Credits: 4 hours; Attributes: 4NS, QFR
This course provides prospective biology majors and others with an integrated
introduction to the biology of organisms, from the subcellular level, through the cellular, tissue,
organ, and whole organismal level. Students must register for both lecture and laboratory (Lab
will be held in K103 at your assigned day/time).
Learning Objectives:
1. Apply physical and chemical principles to explain physiological processes
2. Appreciate the ways in which the structure of molecules, cells, and organs defines their
function
3. Understand the basic ways that organisms obtain, store, and use energy and materials
4. Understand the major problems that organisms face and some of the primary solutions that
have evolved to address those problems
5. Use quantitative and formal reasoning to understand biological phenomena
6. Develop an understanding of the nature of science and of the process of scientific inquiry
Required Texts:
1. Brooker, R.J., Widmaier, E.P., Graham, L.E., and Stiling, P.D. 2014. Biology. 3rd Edition.
McGraw-Hill, New York. The readings listed on the course calendar are for the 3rd edition of
this text. They may not correspond to earlier editions, and earlier editions may not cover exactly
the same material.
2. Lab Manual. Manuals will be available for purchase. I will announce the details of how to
purchase a lab manual. You do not need to purchase a lab coat or goggles for this lab.
Course Format:
Lecture: Lecture will be held in Room A254 in the Science center from 11:00 a.m. to
12:15 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday. During lecture periods, material will be presented
introducing each of the major topics of the course. I will provide as many examples of the major
topics and concepts as possible during class but it is expected that students pre-read lecture
material to familiarize themselves with the major concepts and review lecture material after each
class as well. It is my suggestion that you attend every lecture session, take good notes, and rewrite your notes within a reasonable amount of time after lecture, using your textbook to look up
confusing concepts. My style of teaching is to use discussion and example whenever possible.
Please ask questions about anything that is confusing. I cannot claim to be the foremost
authority on all the subject matter we will cover, so I will do my best to provide clear answers to
those questions I am familiar with and look up answers to those I am not. I will make every
effort to be available to assist with questions or concerns. If you would like to meet with me,
stop by during office hours or contact me to set up an appointment.
Laboratory: Organismal Biology Lab meets once per week in Kettering 103 (K103).
You must attend the lab section for which you are registered. Because of seating limitations and
other factors, you cannot attend a lab in which you are not registered unless you first get
permission from the instructors for your lab section and the one you want to attend. Because of
the complexities of preparing the materials for laboratory exercises, you can only make up a lab
within the same week as the lab you miss, and this can only be done with prior approval by your
lab instructor. Lab assignments will be turned into your lab instructor, and will count for 25% of
your overall grade for the course.
Grading:
Grades will be based on in-class exams (including a comprehensive final), in class or
homework assignments, and several laboratory assignments. You are encouraged to work
together to study, solve problems and develop in-class questions. However, all submitted work is
expected to be original and anything less will be considered academic dishonesty. This will not
be tolerated and such cases will be dealt with appropriately, according to the Oberlin College
Honor code. As members of the Oberlin College Community, each of us is expected to adhere to
the Honor Code. Please familiarize yourself with this code. To view it online log in to
Blackboard, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Honor System”. The following text
was taken from The Honor Code and The Honor System Charter:
At the end of each academic exercise students shall write in full and sign the Honor Pledge:
"I affirm that I have adhered to the Honor Code in this assignment."
If a student does not follow the appropriate procedure, faculty members have the option
of withholding the grade until the student writes the Honor Pledge correctly, although they may
not penalize students for an oversight.
You will need to pledge the honor code on every assignment that you turn in.
For any online submissions, typing the honor code and your full name at the bottom of your
assignment is acceptable. I will do my best to be clear regarding what is permitted or not
permitted when completing assignments or exams. If you have any questions as to whether or not
something would be a violation of the honor code, please ask me.
Assessment and Grade Breakdown:
Make-up exams may be available only if I am notified of the reason for your inability to
take the test and I determine the reason to be acceptable. You have 24 hours from the exam start
time to contact me. Requests to take make-up exams will not necessarily be granted. Grade
breakdown can be seen below.
I will assess your performance in the course and your mastery of the material via three
exams, a variety of in-class and take-home assignments, and a final exam. A portion of the final
exam will cover material from the last several lectures, and a portion of the final exam will be
comprehensive. Your final grade will be a consideration of my assessment of your performance
in lecture and your lab total, as determined by your lab instructor.
Component of Grade
Exams (3 @ 15% each)
In class/homework assignments
Final Exam
Laboratory
TOTAL
% of Total Grade
45%
10%
20%
25%
100%
Course Resources:
Materials on Blackboard: I will post PowerPoint slides from my lectures after each class period,
usually before the end of the day. Because my slides do not contain all of the material I will
discuss in lecture, relying solely on PowerPoint slides for class information is not something I
would recommend: you will miss important material that you may be tested over if you do not
also attend the lecture. I will post a brief list of learning goals for each lecture topic. Use these to
assess your comprehension of the material on a regular basis. I also will post the syllabus, most
of the assignments, and other course materials on Blackboard.
Office Hours: My office hours are listed at the top of the first page of this syllabus. You are
welcome to meet with me during office hours without an appointment. If you are unable to make
any of my office hours, email me to set up a meeting at another time that works for us both. I
will always do my best to be available to meet within a reasonable amount of time after your
request, so please contact me as soon as any problems arise, particularly if you are having trouble
with course material. Please do not wait until you feel too far behind or too lost. It is easy to get
behind and much more difficult to catch up!
OWL sessions (Oberlin Workshop and Learning Sessions) will be held twice weekly. Sessions
are scheduled Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 8:00-9:30 p.m. in A155. OWLS leaders are
NOT tutors. Rather, they are your peers, specially trained to foster peer-based group learning and
student centered learning. Their approach as OWLS for this class will be to help you learn to
integrate course content and study skills. While OWLS attendance is voluntary and unreported,
data indicates that attending OWLS weekly can and often does have a great impact on your
performance in BIOL 100. Your OWLS leaders for this semester are Michelle Ehrenberger
(mehrenbe@oberlin.edu) and Abigail Bisesi (abisesi@oberlin.edu).
CLEAR Center for drop-in tutoring for help with quantitative aspects of the course: The Center
for Learning, Education and Research in the Sciences (CLEAR) is an interdepartmental resource
dedicated to helping students with quantitative material in their courses. The Quantitative Skills
Drop-In Tutoring Center offers evening drop-in evening hours where peer tutors can help you
with quantitative aspects of the course. These are in the Science Library, room N175. The hours
are Sundays 2–4:00 pm and 7–11:00 pm, Monday through Wednesday 7–11:00 pm, and
Thursday 8–10:00 pm. You are welcome to seek help from them as you work through material
for this course. They will not give you answers, but they will help you figure out how to come up
with the answers on your own. They can help you with graphs, spreadsheets, equations, and
other components of the course that have a quantitative aspect. You can find them in Science
Center N376; phone: 440–775–6137; http://oberlin.edu/clear.
Tutors: The College can provide you with a tutor for this course. Please talk to me if you feel
you need additional assistance and I will help you arrange for a tutor through the Student
Academic Services office (Peters 118, 440–775-8464).
Class Deans are also a great resource for guidance, especially when unavoidable problems arise,
so find out who your dean is (if you don’t know already) and use that resource if you find
yourself in need.
Attendance:
Your attendance in this course does not directly factor into your grade. However, your
grade will be indirectly affected if you do not attend lectures. As mentioned previously,
PowerPoint slides may not completely cover all of the material we will discuss in class.
Therefore, I expect you to attend all lectures unless an emergency arises. In the event that you
must miss a class, it is a good idea to have a friend or two willing to share notes with you.
Missed assignments due to absence will only be considered for credit in extreme circumstances
and with proper documentation of the reason for your absence. Please let me know ahead of
time if you know you must miss a class.
Special Needs:
Please contact me as soon as possible if you have special needs so we can make any necessary
accommodations. If you have not already, you should be in touch with Jane Boomer,
Coordinator for Students with Disabilities, Room G27, Peters Hall (440–775–5588;
jane.boomer@oberlin.edu). All discussions between you and Ms. Boomer remain confidential,
and I will only receive information that describes the type of accommodation recommended. I
can only make accommodations for you if I have the documentation from this office.
Lecture Schedule: The following is an outline for the lecture topics we will be covering this
semester. This is a guideline, and we may not follow the schedule exactly all the time. Changes
to the schedule will be announced in class as well as on Blackboard.
Date
Lecture Topic
Assigned Reading
Lab Topic
Tu. Feb.3
Lecture
No.
1
Introduction, Biomolecules
Assessment
Th. Feb. 5
2
3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6,
3.5
3.5, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 7
Tu. Feb. 10
3
Th. Feb. 12
Tu. Feb. 17
Th. Feb. 19
Tu. Feb. 24
Th. Feb. 26
Tu. March 3
Th. March 5
4
5
6
7
8
Tu. March 10
10
Th. March 12
11
Tu. March 17
Th. March 19
3/21-3/29
Tu. March 31
12
13
Enzymes, Energy, Cellular
Respiration
Cells, Membrane Structure and 4.2-4.5, 5.1, 5.2,
Function
5.4, 5.5, 5.6
Digestion and Nutrition
45
Plant Tissues and Organs
35.1, 35.2
Plant Hormones and Behavior
36
Photosynthesis
8
Plant Nutrition
37, p 631-632
Exam 1 (Lectures 1-6)
Transport in Plants and Water
38
Potential
Homeostasis, Osmoregulation, 40.3, 49.1, 49.2
Excretion
Excretory Systems, Mammal
49.2, 49.3
Kidney
Circulatory System
47
Respiratory System
48
Spring Break
Catch up/Review
9
14
Th. April 2
Tu. April 7
15
Th. April 9
Tu. April 14
16
17
Th. April 16
18
Tu. April 21
19
Plant Life Cycles
Th. April 23
Tu. April 28
20
21
Angiosperm Reproduction
Plant Defense Mechanisms
Th. April 30
Tu. May 5
22
Th. May 7
23
Wed. May 13, 2-4 pm
Exam 2 (Lectures 7-13)
Mitosis and Meiosis,
Consequences of Being Diploid
Animal Reproduction
Gene Expression and
Regulation
Animal Hormones and Cell
Communication
15.1-15.3
51
11.2, 12.1-12.4,
12.6, 16
9.1-9.4, 50.1
(selected sections
TBA)
39.1, Fig. 29.7, Fig.
29.12, Fig. 30.14
39.2-39.5
751-754, 11971198
Exam 3 (Lectures 14-19)
Neurons
41.1-41.4
Muscles
44.1-44.3
Final Exam (Lectures 20-23 Plus Cumulative Portion)
Chemical
Digestion I
Chemical
Digestion II
Mutant Hunt I
Mutant Hunt II
Group Work on
Mutant Hunt
Mutant Hunt III
Water Potential
Animal Anatomy I
Animal Anatomy II
No Lab: Honors
Talks and Senior
Symposium
Animal Anatomy
Practical Test
Assessment