Great Basin College, Pahrump Valley Campus, 551 East Calvada Blvd, Pahrump,
Nevada – 89048- Phone:(775) 727-2000 -Fax:(775) 727-2014
Course Syllabus for BIOL 100 – General Biology - Fall 2014
Instructor: Dr. Rita Bagwe
Office: 101B
Email: rita.bagwe@gbcnv.edu
Phone: 775-727-2005
Office Hours: Monday thru Thursday - 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m & 3.30 - 5.30 p.m; and by
appointment as needed; Friday – by prior appointment only.
Teaching Assistants:
Ms Sarah Czipowski - Teaching assistant will meet strictly by scheduled appointment only.
Sign-up sheet for scheduling appointment is kept in the Academic success center.
Course title: General Biology (non majors)
Course number/ section numbers:BIOL100 /1005 lecture
Number of credits: 3 Credits
Meeting dates / time/ place: Tuesday & Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. / Room number 116
Dates when classes will not be held: Classes will not be held on holidays listed in the school
academic calendar.
Prerequisite: Must have completed MATH 96 or higher or attained satisfactory score for
placement into MATH 120 in ACT, SAT or placement tests.
Corequisite: No lab section is required for this course.
Course description: Study of the organization of the body. Major molecules of life; composition
and physiology of cellular organelles; cell metabolism, reproduction and development of the
body and gene function of animal cells.
Texts: Biology of Humans :Concepts, Applications and Issues, Judith Goodenough &
Betty McGuire, Fifth Edition.
Publisher: Pearson, 2014
ISBN: 9780321821713
Method of instruction: lecture
Goals of this course: Students taking this course will have a general understanding of anatomy,
physiology and functioning of the body systems.
The GBC General Education Objectives are addressed at the end of this syllabus.
Objectives
Expected Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course the
student will be able to:
1. Communication Skills Students will have several opportunities
to exercise written and oral
communication skills throughout this
course. They will complete written
assignments accessing scientific
information as well as written exams.
Oral communication skills will also be
utilized during discussions.
2. Critical Thinking
Outcome Measurements
The expected outcomes will be measured by:
Lecture Exams: Students will be able to read
and answer exam questions in written form.
Class Discussions: Students will be able to
communicate
scientific
ideas
orally.
(Ungraded)
Quantitative Ability- Students will Lecture Exams
learn how to quantitatively measure Homework Assignment
human
organ
function
and
characteristics.
Reasoning and Independent ThoughtStudents will use reasoning and
independent thought to complete
Homework assignment and answer exam
questions.
Scientific Understanding- Students will
comprehend workings of molecularbiological and cellular systems and the
process by which the scientific
knowledge is discovered. They will
develop the ability to understand
molecular-biological and cellular
information and how it relates to them.
3. Personal and Cultural Sense of the Individual in Society- Lecture Exams: Students will be able to
Students will gain an understanding of answer exam questions on the importance and
Awareness
human biology and how this affects them place of human anatomy, on the history of
and society.
anatomical research, and how their actions
Sense of the Past- Students will gain an affect them and their environment.
understanding of how biological
Class Discussions: Students will be able to
knowledge was discovered and how this
knowledge has changed society and their discuss the importance and place of human
anatomy in society and how their actions affect
lives.
them and their environment- ungraded.
Sense of Accountability- Students will
comprehend the consequences of human
discoveries in human biology and their
implications.
Appreciation of Fine Arts- Students
will develop an understanding of the
value of biological working of organ
systems and individual curiosity and
creative thought
4. Personal Wellness
5. Technological
Understanding
Students will develop skills in
determining the consequences of their
actions in relation to the environment and
their personal health. They will gain
knowledge needed to make important
decisions involving personal health.
Lecture Exams: Students will be able to
answer exam questions on the human anatomy.
Class Discussions: Students will discuss the
molecular basis of human health, ungraded.
Students will gain knowledge of how Lecture Exams: Students will be able to
advancing technology in the field of answer exam questions on technology in cell
biology will affect their lives and their and molecular biology, and human health.
personal health.
Use of computers in this course: WebCampus: This course will make use of WebCampus. To
log in, go to webcampus.gbcnv.edu. Your WebCampus ID is your Great Basin College email
address ID. If you don't have a GBC email address or don't remember your address go to
swami.scsr.nevada.edu or the Technology Help Desk helpdesk@gwmail.gbcnv.edu, or 7532167. Passwords will be sent by mail to students who register for their course(s) 5 days before
the semester begins. If you register after this time or did not receive a letter by mail, contact the
Help Desk as soon as possible.
Grading system: The maximum number of points you can receive in the lecture portion of this
course is 550. For the lecture part there will be 4 exams of 100 points each during the semester,
ten weekly quizzes worth 10 points each and 10 homework assignments worth 5 points each.
Homework will be due on the date listed on the assignment and has to be handwritten and
submitted without any reminders on the due day. Late homework assignments will not be
accepted at all. The grading scale is as follows:
Score Letter grade
97 – 100
94- 96.99
90-93.99
87-89.99
84-86.99
80-83.99
A
A
AB+
B
B-
77-79.99
74-76.99
70-73.99
67-69.99
64-67.99
60-63.99
00-59.99
C+
C
CD+
D
DF
Your “up to the minute” grade for the lecture portion of the course will be posted on
WebCampus in an anonymous spreadsheet. Log on to the WebCampus course and follow the
instructions (filed permanently in the announcement area) to view your grade.
Instructions for dropping the course: If you do not complete the course and do not formally
withdraw by the drop deadline, your instructor will automatically assign you a grade of "F".And,
of course, it would be lovely for you to include the drop deadline for each of your courses.For
full semester courses in the fall, the drop deadline is Monday, October 27, 2014.One-day courses
must be dropped no later than the day before the course occurs. For all other non-regular courses,
a student must drop before 60% of the course has elapsed. Support staff and Admissions &
Records staff can give you the specific drop date for any of your courses; just ask.
Congruent with this policy, "Incompletes" assigned for Fall 2013 courses and beyond, will
no longer automatically become W's when the March 15 deadline hits. Instead, if you have not
submitted an alternate grade before March 15 (or Oct 15 for spring courses), the "I" will become
and "F".
Attendance policy:Attendance in lecture is mandatory. Attendance will be taken in lecture and
Labs. Students remaining absent for more than three lecture or lab classes will be given a letter
grade down. Regular attendance is the single most important thing you can do to get and
maintain a good grade. Do not forget to sign attendance sheet for every class and lab separately.
Six unexcused absence will automatically result in being expelled from the class.
Student support information:The Student Support and Retention office provides individualized
coaching to students who are struggling in college, either academically or personally. The office
houses both professional staff and peer mentors to help students navigate obstacles in their
college experience and reach their academic goals. For more information visit
http://www.gbcnv.edu/retention/ or call the Retention Coordinator at 775-753-2255.
Lecture exam makeup policy:In order to be fair to students taking the exams on the assigned
days I am extremely restrictive with makeups. You will only be allowed to take a makeup if you
present a written approved excuse before the next time the class meets. You must take the
makeup exam before the exam is passed back to the rest of the class, which is usually the next
class meeting. There are also other ways of doing makeup exams that are sometimes allowed
such as assigning more points to later exams or the final. These options are only available for
approved written excuses at my discretion. If you have missed an exam or know that you are
going to miss one see me ASAP.
Other policies:Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and may result in a failing grade
and/or reporting to GBC Administration. The students conduct policy in the current GBC catalog
will be enforced. This syllabus is not a contract and is subject to change, without warning or
notification, at any time.
Schedule:This is a preliminary schedule. I reserve the right to change any part of it. Exam
dates will likely not change. But if they do, I will attempt to announce the change one week
ahead of time in class.
Chapter
1
2
3
4
5
9/25
6
7
8
9
10/21
10
11
12
13
11/11
14
15
16
17
18
12/9
Topics
Humans in the World of Biology
Chemistry comes to life
The cell
Body organization and Homeostasis
The Skeletal System
Exam – 1 (100 points)
The Muscular System
Neurons: The matter of the mind
The Nervous system
Sensory system
Exam – 2 (100 points)
The Endocrine system
Blood
The Cardiovascular system and Lymphatic system
Body Defense Mechanisms
Exam – 3 (100 points)
The Respiratory System
The Digestive system
The Urinary System
The Reproductive system
Development Through Life
Exam – 4 (100 points)
Summary of the Assessment of Objectives: Learning and general education objectives will be
assessed with three distinct tools. Lecture exams will consist of multiple choice questions that
will test three types of knowledge: recall of factual information; definitions of terminology; and
conceptual and integrative thinking.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Statement:Great Basin College is committed to
providing equal educational opportunities to qualified students with disabilities in accordance
with state and federal laws and regulations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of
1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. A qualified student must furnish current
verification of disability. The Director of Services for Students with Disabilities (Julie G.
Byrnes) will assist qualified students with disabilities in securing the appropriate and reasonable
accommodations, auxiliary aids and services. For more information or further assistance, please
call 775.753.2271.
The college catalog states, “Messages, attitudes, or any other form of communication
deemed to be outside the bounds of common decency/civility as judged by common
standards of classroom behavior (determined, as they would be in a regular classroom, by
the instructor) will not be tolerated”.
Cell Phone Policies:Cell phones must be switched OFF during lecture and lab classes and left
off for the duration of the class. Neither phoning nor texting is permitted at any time. Anyone
found using it will lead to confiscation of their mobile. No electronic gadgets are allowed in the
class during exams.
This syllabus does not in any way represent a contract. It is a reflection of the intent of the
instructor, but do recognize that it is an organic construct that may change as the semester
progresses. Any changes will be announced in class.