BSC 120 Section 001: Honors Gen Biology II
Spring, 2010
4 Credit Hours
Primary Instructor: Arthur Benke
Additional Instructors: David Francko
Core Designation: University Honors, Natural Science
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Instructors: |
Office: |
Phone: |
Office Hours: |
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Dr. Arthur Benke, Coordinator |
A113 Bevill |
348-1799 |
MWF 10-11 or by appointment |
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Dr. David Francko |
102 Rose Adm. |
348-8280 |
TTh 8-9, F 2-3 or by appointment |
BSC 120, Honors General Biology II, is a continuation of BSC 118, Honors General Biology I. Along with BSC 118 (or BSC 114:115), it provides a foundation for future coursework in biological sciences. It is a study of the structure, function, physiology, phylogeny, and ecology of organisms, including fungi, lower and higher plants, and invertebrate and vertebrate animals. It includes three 1-hr lectures, a 1-hr discussion period, and a 3-hr laboratory each week. BSC 120 will satisfy core curriculum requirements for a natural science course and will substitute for BSC 116:117 for those majoring in biology, microbiology, or marine science.
Educational Objectives: The educational objectives of BSC 120 are to provide students with fundamental information about the diversity of life, and the structure, function, physiology, and ecology of organisms; and to expose students to the fundamental mechanisms of scientific inquiry.
Student Learning Outcomes: At the completion of this course students will (1) know the major phyla and classes of life and the diversity within them, (2) Recognize and identify key concepts concerning evolutionary relationships among major phyla, (3) understand relationships between organism structure and physiological function, (4) understand how organisms solve physiological and ecological problems in different ways, (5) understand basic ecological principles of population growth and regulation, interspecific interactions, community organization, and ecosystem processes, (6) have an appreciation for how biology affects our lives, (7) understand scientific methods and critically evaluate scientific
Part I. Prokaryotes, Protists, Fungi, and Plants (Dr. David Francko)
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DATE |
TOPIC |
TEXT ASSIGNMENT |
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Jan 11 |
Phylogeny and the Tree of Life |
CH 26 |
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Jan 13 |
Bacteria and Archaea
Discussion (3:00): Protists - lecture |
CH 27
CH 28 |
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Jan 15 |
Kingdom Fungi |
CH 31 |
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Jan 18 |
Martin Luther King Holiday (no class) |
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Jan 20 |
Kingdom Plantae: diversity I
Discussion (3:00): Fungi: friend and foe (M. Powell) |
CH 29 |
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Jan 22 |
Plant Diversity II |
CH 30 |
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Jan 25 |
Plant structure, growth, development |
CH 35 |
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Jan 27 |
Transport in vascular plants
Discussion (3:00): Biology and International Experiences (A. Channell) |
CH 36 |
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Jan 29 |
Plant nutrition |
CH 37 |
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Feb 1 |
Angiosperm reproduction and biotechnology |
CH 38 |
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Feb 3 |
Plant responses to signals
Discussion (3:00): Stressed-out Plants?(D.Francko) |
CH 39 |
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Feb 5 |
EXAM I |
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Part II. Animals (Dr. Arthur Benke)
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DATE |
TOPIC |
TEXT ASSIGNMENT |
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Feb 8 |
Kingdom Animalia: Phylogeny and Diversity |
CH 26 (review), 32 |
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Feb 10 |
Porifera, Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes, Nemertea
Discussion (3:00): Infamous nematodes of the Southeast and the world (A.Benke) |
CH 33 |
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Feb 12 |
Rotifera, Mollusca, Annelida |
CH 33 |
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Feb 15 |
Arthropoda |
CH 33 |
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Feb 17 |
Echinodermata, Chordata
Discussion (3:00): Chordata – fishes - lecture |
CH 33
CH 34 |
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Feb 19 |
Chordata - amphibians, reptiles |
CH 34 |
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Feb 22 |
Chordata - mammals |
CH 34 |
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Feb 24 |
Chordata - mammals
Discussion (3:00): Did we evolve from monkeys? (A. Benke) |
CH 34 |
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Feb. 26 |
EXAM II |
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BSC 120 Spring 2010
Part III. Animal Physiology (Dr. Arthur Benke)
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DATE |
TOPIC |
TEXT ASSIGNMENT |
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Mar 1 |
Basic principles of animal form and function |
CH 40 |
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Mar 3 |
Animal nutrition
Discussion (3:00): Snakes on a plane (S. Secor) |
CH 41 |
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Mar 5 |
Animal nutrition (continued) |
CH 41 |
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Mar 8 |
Circulation and gas exchange |
CH 42 |
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Mar 10 |
Circulation and gas exchange (continued)
Discussion (3:00): Cardiac performance (S. Secor) |
CH 42 |
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Mar 12 |
Osmoregulation and excretion |
CH 44 |
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Mar 15-19 |
Spring Break |
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Mar 22 |
Osmoregulation and excretion |
CH 44 |
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Mar 24 |
Hormones and the endocrine system
Discussion (3:00) Hormones and behavior: something fishy (R. Earley) |
CH 45 |
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Mar 26 |
Animal reproduction |
CH 46 |
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Mar 29 |
Animal reproduction (continued) |
CH 46 |
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Mar 31 |
Nervous system
Discussion (3:00): Sex and monsters (J. Rasco) |
CH 48, 49 |
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Apr 2 |
Nervous system (continued) |
CH 49 |
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Apr 5 |
Sensory and motor mechanisms |
CH 50 |
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Apr 7 |
Review (9:00)
EXAM III (3:00) |
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Part IV. Ecology (Dr. Arthur Benke)
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DATE |
TOPIC |
TEXT ASSIGNMENT |
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Apr 9 |
HONORS DAY – NO CLASS |
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Apr 12 |
Introduction to Ecology |
CH 52 |
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Apr 14 |
Population Ecology
Discussion (3:00): Is man a pest species? (A. Benke) |
CH 53 |
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Apr 16 |
Population Ecology (continued) |
CH 53 |
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Apr 19 |
Interspecific Interactions |
CH 54 |
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Apr 21 |
Community Ecology
Discussion (3:00): Population modeling (A. Benke) |
CH 54 |
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Apr 23 |
Community Ecology (continued) |
CH 54 |
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Apr 26* |
Food Webs and Energy Flow |
CH 55 |
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Apr 28* |
Energy flow
Discussion (3:00): Conservation and restoration ecology (A. Benke) |
CH 55
CH 56 |
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Apr 30* |
Biogeochemical cycling |
CH 55 |
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May 7 (Friday) |
EXAM IV (8:00) |
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*Compliance with Study Week: No exams or quizzes will be given during the last week of classes (dead week)
DATE TOPIC WORK DUE
Jan 12-15 Introduction to Course End Quiz 1
Scientific writing
Jan 26-29 Protists, Tetrahymena Lab Quiz, Lab worksheet 2
Lab Report Assigned
Feb 2-5 Plant Anatomy: Vascular Systems Quiz, Lab Worksheet 3
Feb 9-12 Transpiration lab Quiz, Worksheet 4
Feb 16-19 Angiosperms Quiz, Worksheet 5
Feb 23-26 Exam I
Marc 16-19 Spring Break
March 23-26 Life History in Daphnia magna Quiz,
Mch 30-Ap 2 Snail Trails Quiz, Lab Worksheet 7
April 6-9 Honors week, No lab
April 13-16 Comparative Chordate Dissections Quiz, End Quiz 3
April 20-23 Comparative Chordate dissections Quiz, End Quiz 4 Daphnia worksheet due
April 27-30 Exam II
BSC 120
Laboratory Policies
Course Description
In this portion of the class students will be introduced to (a) the diversity of life forms and (b) elements of form, structure and function in selected animals and plants. This course is designed to give majors in BIOLOGY and Pre-PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS a “hands on” opportunity to design scientific investigations, and to interpret microscopic and macroscopic structure through slides and dissection.
Objectives
Course objectives
The objective of this course is to:
1. Introduce the utility of phylogenetic analysis in the study of living things
2. Promote familiarity with the scientific method and experimental design
3. Introduce the utility of statistical comparisons in biological sciences
4. Explore biological diversity in an inquiry based approach
5. Examine the characteristics of organisms in light of their evolutionary histories
Student Learning Objectives
At the completion of this course, students will:
1. Be able to interpret microscopic and macroscopic structures through slides and dissections
2. Have a general knowledge of the diversity of life forms
3. Have an understanding of the basic form and internal structures of some organisms
4. Be proficient at designing experiments to explore basic hypotheses in organismal biology
5. Be able to conduct statistical comparisons of experimentally derived data
Laboratory Policies
1. The laboratory will meet once a week in room 2428 of the Science and Engineering Complex.
2. Proper laboratory attire is required for all students entering a laboratory, regardless of the activity occurring in the lab at that time. Legs must be covered to below the knee (no shorts), shirts must have sleeves, and closed toe shoes must be worn. Students arriving in inappropriate attire will be sent away until such time as they are appropriately dressed
3. Required laboratory manual: University of Alabama BSC 120 Laboratory Manual compiled by Nancy Shefferly, Laboratory Coordinator.
4. Supplementary lab materials will be made available to the students on e-learning. You will be required to download and print these materials before the scheduled laboratory.
5. Each week you will be required to read the exercise before coming to lab. This is absolutely necessary for the efficient completion of the lab. Inadequate preparation before the laboratory will add a minimum of thirty minutes to your time in lab and will significantly decrease your success in accomplishing the laboratory objectives.
6. Laboratory attendance is required. Students are expected to be in lab on time. There will be no make-ups for quizzes missed due to late arrival. Students are not allowed to attend sections other than the one for which they are registered.
7. If you miss your lab, you will not be able to make-up the lab exercise, missed quizzes or assignments.
8. NO CELL PHONES
1. A quiz will be given at the beginning of each laboratory section. Students must arrive before the quiz is distributed in order to take it. Students arriving late to class will not be allowed to make up the quiz.
2. Students must attend the laboratory session for the lab report and for assignments given during a particular lab to be accepted. Late reports and assignments will not be accepted!! This means that if you miss the laboratory experiment upon which the 100 point lab report is based, you will not be able to submit a report. Exceptions will be made for students with legitimate, verifiable emergencies which prevented them from attending lab (see below).
3. The laboratory grade will be determined by the following and will equal 25% of your final grade:
Best 11 of 12 end quizzes/worksheets (20 pts each) 220 points
Best 10 of 11 quizzes (5 points each) 50 points
Writing assignments (1) 100 points
Tests 100 pts each 200 points
TOTAL POINTS 570 points
Each week, you will have to complete a worksheet or end quiz related to the lab. Although you work in groups, your assignment should reflect your own individual efforts. You should not copy from your lab partners, but should phrase your assignment in your own words. Failure to do this could result in a charge of academic misconduct.
4. Missing an assigned time for the Daphnia lab will result in a deduction of 20 points from a student’s overall score in the laboratory portion of the class.
5. Grades will not be posted. Please see your teaching assistant during his/her office hours to ask about grades or to review tests.
6. Make-up exams are difficult to administer in a manner that is fair for all parties in the class. Taking a make up exam should be a course of last resort. Students who take make up exams, offered late in the term, typically perform below the class mean because so much time has elapsed since the material was covered in class. All effort should be made to attend exams at the regularly scheduled time. In general, the reasons you miss an exam should be the same reasons that you would miss your own wedding.
7. In the event you are absent from either of the 100 point Exams or the Tetrahymena Lab, a bona fide and verifiable written excuse from an authorized individual (physician, dentist, minister, judge, etc.) is required before a lab make-up exam will be given. This excuse must clearly articulate that you were UNABLE to come to the class in question, including a restriction from work or school. It is your PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY to contact Nancy Shefferly (Room 2422) as soon as you know that you will miss or have missed an exam. Those who fail to notify Nancy Shefferly in a timely manner will not be granted a make up exam. Failure to take a make-up exam at the scheduled time will result in a ZERO for that exam.
Academic Misconduct
All acts of dishonesty in any work constitute academic misconduct. This includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, fabrication of information, misrepresentations, and abetting any of the above. This includes submitting papers that reflect the work of a group rather than the work of an individual. The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event that academic misconduct occurs. Students should refer to the Student Affairs Handbook, which can be obtained in the Office of Student Life and Services in the Fergusen Center.
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Building |
Room # |
Phone # |
Availability |
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Morgan |
203/238 |
8-8493 |
All U of A students |
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Gordon Palmer |
152 |
8-8598 |
All U of A students |
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Ten Hoor |
346 |
8-9264 |
All U of A students |
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Nott Hall |
171 |
8-9885 |
MA 005 & 100 students |
Grading Policy (Exams, Quizzes, Laboratory): There will be 4 lecture examinations during the semester, one for each part of the course (I, II, III, IV). Exams will cover only the material presented during each part of the course - they will not be comprehensive. There will also be at least 11 10-min pop quizzes that may be given anytime during the semester, covering material since the last quiz. Each exam will count 15% of the final grade. The 3 lowest quiz grades will be dropped and the remainder will be averaged for an additional 15% of your grade. The laboratory portion will count 25%. Details regarding the laboratory are provided in a separate laboratory syllabus. Class roll will be taken in discussion section (Wednesday, 3:00) and 1 point subtracted from final average for each missed class beyond 3. Course grades will be assigned using the following scale:
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98-100 A+ |
88-89 B+ |
78-79 C+ |
68-69 D+ |
below 60 F |
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92-97 A |
82-87 B |
72-77 C |
62-67 D |
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90-91 A- |
80-81 B- |
70-71 C- |
60-61 D- |
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Make-up exams will be given in cases where illness or compelling circumstances are verified. Time of administration of make-up exams will be determined by the individual instructor. No make-up quizzes will be given because any 3 may be dropped. You are strongly advised to take all quizzes in case one or more is missed due to illness.
Attendance is expected and strongly encouraged. Students skipping class will not only miss lectures, but pop quizzes. Students are unlikely to do well if they rely on the textbook alone or other students’ notes.
All students in attendance at the University of Alabama are expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. The University expects from its students a higher standard of conduct than the minimum required to avoid discipline. Academic misconduct includes all acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any knowing or intentional help or attempt to help, or conspiracy to help, another student.
The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.
In the case of a tornado warning (tornado has been sighted or detected by radar; sirens activated), all university activities are automatically suspended, including all classes and laboratories. If you are in a building, please move immediately to the lowest level and toward the center of the building away from windows (interior classrooms, offices, or corridors) and remain there until the tornado warning has expired. Classes in session when the tornado warning is issued can resume immediately after the warning has expired at the discretion of the instructor. Classes that have not yet begun will resume 30 minutes after the tornado warning has expired provided at least half of the class period remains.
UA is a residential campus with many students living on or near campus. In general classes will remain in session until the National Weather Service issues safety warnings for the city of Tuscaloosa. Clearly, some students and faculty commute from adjacent counties. These counties may experience weather related problems not encountered in Tuscaloosa. Individuals should follow the advice of the National Weather Service for that area taking the necessary precautions to ensure personal safety. Whenever the National Weather Service and the Emergency Management Agency issue a warning, people in the path of the storm (tornado or severe thunderstorm) should take immediate life saving actions.
When West Alabama is under a severe weather advisory, conditions can change rapidly. It is imperative to get to where you can receive information from the National Weather Service and to follow the instructions provided. Personal safety should dictate the actions that faculty, staff and students take. The Office of Public Relations will disseminate the latest information regarding conditions on campus in the following ways: