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Salem State
College
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DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY
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Course Outline: Biological Science 1 (BIO
122-03)
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Spring
2004
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Instructor:
Dr. Amy Luttinger
Office: 538B Meier Hall
Office Hours: Wednesday 12:30-2:30; Friday
10:30-12:15, or by appointment. Please feel free to drop by to
discuss any problems with the material or concerns that you have.
Telephone: 978-542-6814
E-mail: amy.luttinger@salemstate.edu
Web Page: www.salemstate.edu/~aluttinger/
Textbook: Campbell, Neil A., Jane B. Reece,
Lawrence G. Mitchell, and Martha R. Taylor, Biology, Concepts
and Connections (2003), 4th edition, Benjamin/Cummings an imprint
of Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. Required.
Lab Manual: Fregeau, M. R., N. Scottgale, A.
M. Young, and D. W. Tapley, Biology 122 Lab Manual. Required.
Bring it to the first lab meeting. (You will also need goggles).
Course Description: The purpose of this course is to introduce
you to some of the major concepts in biology. This course focuses
on living things at the biochemical (molecular) and cellular level.
Where possible, effort will be made to relate course material to
human biology and human health. Issues relating to biotechnology and
the Human Genome project will be discussed. The major areas we will
cover in lecture are:
1. The chemistry of life, and the underlying similarities
among all living things
2. Cell structure and function
3. Genetics
4. Molecular biology and biotechnology
Within the cell, there is a "Flow of Information" from
genetic material (DNA) into mRNA, which is used by the cell to make
proteins. A specific gene (DNA) is used by the cell to make a specific
mRNA, which is then used to make a specific protein. Each different protein
within the cell has a different role and different ability. The proteins
made by a cell determine what happens within the cell, and what the cell
can and cannot do. Understanding this is central to the four topics above.
So this idea is integrated into the curriculum and will come up repeatedly.
Goals: For students to:
(a) have a better understanding of themselves in terms
of their biology;
(b) gain an understanding of and appreciation for both
the unity and diversity of living organisms;
(c) gain factual knowledge in these areas that will
be a basis for understanding and succeeding in any further biology
courses taken;
(d) gain knowledge that will help in understanding medical
issues that may concern them in the future;
(e) understand scientific and political aspects of the
Human Genome Project and biotechnology.
Objectives: Students who have successfully completed this
course should be able to:
(a) describe principles and theories in the above areas
of biology;
(b) describe and apply the scientific method;
(c) describe functions of the various biological molecules
in the body, and differentiate among them;
(d) identify and describe functions of the parts of
a cell;
(e) describe and identify stages of meiosis and mitosis
and the cell cycle; relate development of cancer to the loss of
cell cycle regulation;
(f) solve genetics problems;
(g) recognize symptoms of and know the genetic basis
of some human genetic disorders;
(h) list some ways in which biotechnology impacts on
human lives;
(i) describe the Human Genome project and some possible
benefits that may result from it.
Assessment (course requirements)
Grading: You will receive a grade for this course based
on your performance in lecture and in lab. Your lecture grade will count
as 75% of your final course grade; the lab will count as 25% of your final
course grade. Your lab instructor will discuss grading of the lab with you.
Calculation of the lecture grade:
There will be four lecture exams (dates listed below)
as well as a final exam. Your lowest exam grade will be dropped.
The best 3 exam grades and the final exam grade will count
equally in the calculation of your grade in lecture. Each is
worth 25% of your lecture grade (4 X 25% = 100%). The final will be cumulative.
You are required to take the final.
Material on exams and final: The exams and final will cover
lecture material, material from the text book, study guide, and
handouts, material from other reading assignments, and anything else
I mention in class. The majority of the questions will be from my lectures,
handouts, and the text. I strongly suggest using the study guide and
answering the questions at the end of each chapter. There is also a CD-ROM
study guide and a web site (listed in the book). Try them all and see
what works best for you. You can access several useful web sites
from my web page.
All students, whether present or not, are responsible for completing
all the course requirements and keeping up with all that goes on
in the course.
I do not plan on curving grades. 90% and above is an A;
80-89% is a B; 70-79% is a C; 60-69% a D; below 60 is failing. Pluses
and minuses will be given within these ranges.
EXTRA CREDIT: Students can earn extra credit by having perfect attendance.
Anyone who doesn't miss a class the whole semester will have 2 points
added to their final score. Missing only one class will result in 1 bonus
point. Excused absences are still absences and you will not get the bonus
points if you have them.
Extra credit will also be given for a written report on activities attended
during the Darwin Festival. Details will be discussed in class.
Course Policies:
Make-up exams will not be given. The lowest exam grade is dropped. If you miss an exam, that exam will count as your lowest grade. (You will not be given a make-up exam.)
If you know ahead of time that you cannot attend an exam for a "good" reason (an away game, an important conference, work, child care problems), arrangements can be made to take the exam EARLY. Please discuss this with me ASAP. (As soon as you know of a possible conflict).
While the lecture schedule is tentative, the exam schedule is fixed . We will have the exams on the scheduled date, whether or not we have covered all the material in lecture. If class is canceled the day (or the week) before an exam, you should still assume the exam would be on the scheduled day. I will post a notice on my door with information such as which chapters will be on the exam in this case.
The final exam is required. If you must miss the final due to illness or other serious emergency, please contact me within 24 hours of the final exam. You should be able to provide me with written evidence of the emergency. (A note from the doctor, etc.)
Cancellation of Class:
EXAMS and FINAL: If class is canceled
on a scheduled exam day, the exam will be given on the day of
the next class meeting. Monday May 17th is the Final make up day,
if school is closed on the scheduled day of the final. Look for
a notice on my door in this event.
Attendance is mandatory for lab and will be taken. A maximum of three lab absences are allowed. More than that and you must drop the course or you will receive an F. This is a departmental policy, and not negotiable. This includes excused absences.
Attendance in lecture is required and will be taken. Students are
allowed up to 4 absences (excused or not) in lecture. More
than 4 absences will affect your grade: your final grade will drop
1 pt/absence (excused or not) after the 4 allowed ones are used. Arriving
after class has started but within the first 5 minutes counts as late
and is equal to 1/2 absence. Being more than 5 minutes late counts as
an absence! Students arriving late are disruptive; please sit in
the back quietly. Students who are repeatedly late will be asked to
show up on time or not at all.
Darwin Festival. During the week of Feb. 9-13, BIO122 lecture
and lab sections do not meet. Instead, students are required to attend
3 events at the Darwin Festival for lecture (and additional ones for lab).
Tickets are handed out at the Festival to show that you attended.
You must hand these tickets in the following week (write your name
on them). If you do not hand in tickets, the missing tickets will each
count as an absence. Separate tickets are required for lecture and
lab. Extra credit will be offered for report(s) written on the Darwin
Festival event(s) you attended.
Academic Honesty: Academic honesty is expected and required. Plagiarism, cheating or any other form of dishonesty will not be tolerated. Students caught cheating will receive an F ("0") for that work. Allowing someone to copy from you is cheating also, and will also result in an F. Written work should be in your own words, or it should have quotation marks around it and a source should be given. Failure to do this is plagiarism. This includes documents "lifted" from the net.
Use and care of living organisms in an ethical and appropriate manner: Instructions for the proper use and care of living organisms will be discussed in laboratories when appropriate. Additional information will be provided for the organisms being used.
If you are taking this course to improve your grade in BIO101, please see the Biology Department chairperson, Dr. Susan Case (MH404) at your earliest convenience. Because course numbers have changed, a special note needs to be sent to the Registrar's Office for each student who is doing this. Dr. Case will generate a memo at the end of the semester, after grades have been submitted. Your current instructor does not need to know about this, and will not be told.
Other notes: There is no eating, drinking, or smoking in lecture or lab. Changes in course format may be announced during the semester, the schedule must be viewed as tentative. The laboratory and lecture are complementary. That is to say not all material covered in lab is covered in the lecture, and some material in lecture will not be covered in lab.
Salem State College is committed to providing equal access to the educational experience for all students in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act and to providing all reasonable academic accommodations, aids and adjustments.
Any student who has a documented disability requiring an accommodation, aid or adjustment should speak with the instructor immediately and present a Faculty Contact Form so that appropriate provisions can be made. Students with Disabilities who have not previously done so should provide documentation to and schedule an appointment with the Office for Students with Disabilities, (978) 542-6217 to develop the Faculty Contact Form and obtain appropriate services.
Suggestions on how to be successful in BIO122:
Lectures: Attend lectures, take notes, and ask questions if something is not clear. If possible, read the material I will cover in lecture ahead of time. Rewrite your lecture notes within 24 hours of the lecture.
Study outside of class: For most students, biology is difficult and requires a lot of memorization. You should plan on studying your lecture notes and my handouts, reading your textbook, and working through problems in the study guide, for a minimum of four hours per week every week.
Keep up with the reading. If you wait until an exam to study, you will be swamped. This also gives you the opportunity to realize if there are things you don't understand BEFORE the exam, so you can ask me about them.
Study Guides and questions at the end of the chapter: Treat these as practice quizzes. Think the answers through yourself, and write them down. If necessary, look up definitions in the text or my handouts. After you have answered all of the questions, look up the answers . If you have mistakes, figure out why- this is how you learn the material and practice for a test. If you have trouble answering the questions, get help- study with a friend, visit me during my office hours, or find a tutor. Some exam questions will come directly from the study guide or the end of the chapter, to encourage you to work through these; others will be modifications of these questions or new.
Study Journal: Many of my students find that keeping a study journal, in which they write a summary of each lecture and definitions of vocabulary words, is very helpful.
Flash Cards: Many students find flash cards helpful in learning vocabulary. Part of your grade in the course will come from your understanding of scientific terminology. Every time you see a scientific term in your studies, write it down and look up a definition. Note however, that questions on the exams will often ask you to apply your knowledge- not simply repeat or recognize a definition.
Get to know your classmates so you can copy their lecture notes if you miss a lecture.
Lectures will cover some topics not in your readings, and vice versa; you will not do well if you neglect either. In lectures I try to cover material from the chapter that I consider conceptually difficult. (There is not time to cover every bit of every chapter.) Material that needs to be memorized, but that I don't think requires explanation, I will try to point out, but won't necessarily discuss. You will not do well (probably not even pass) if you rely on the lectures alone without outside work
Ask questions in lecture! I am here to teach you, but I can only do that if I know what you don't understand. Asking questions will help you to understand the material and will slow down the pace of the lecture. Asking relevant questions helps everyone- you, the other students, and the instructor.
Tentative Lecture Schedule BIO122-03 Spring 2004
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Week
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Dates
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Topics
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Readings
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1
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1/22
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Introduction to the course
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Ch 1
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2
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1/27 |
Characteristics of life
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Ch 1
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1/29
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Atoms and Molecules
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Ch 2
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3
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2/3
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Water and pH
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Ch 2
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| 2/5 |
Exam 1 |
Ch 1, 2 |
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| 4 |
2/10, 12 |
Darwin Festival (no lectures)- attend
events and get tickets! |
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| 5 |
2/17, 19 |
Biological Molecules |
Ch 3 |
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6
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2/24, 26 |
Ch 4 |
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7
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3/2
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Exam 2 |
Ch 3, 4 |
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3/4 |
Energy |
Ch 5 |
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| 8 |
3/9 |
Enzymes |
Ch 5 |
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3/11 |
The Cell Membrane |
Ch 5 |
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| 9 |
3/16, 18 |
Spring Break!!! |
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| 10 |
3/23, 25 |
Fission, Cell Cycle, Mitosis |
Ch 8 |
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| 11 |
3/30 |
Meiosis |
Ch 8 |
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| 4/1 |
Exam 3 |
Ch 5, 8 |
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| 12 |
4/6, 8 |
Genetics |
Ch 9 |
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| 13 |
4/13, 15 |
Molecular Biology |
Ch 10 |
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| 14 |
4/20 |
Molecular Biology |
Ch 10 |
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| 4/22 |
Exam 4 |
Ch, 9, 10 |
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| 15 |
4/27 |
Control of Gene Expression |
Ch 11 |
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| 4/29 |
Cancer |
Ch 11 |
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| 15 |
5/3 |
DNA Technology |
Ch 12 |
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| 5/12 |
Final for BIO122-04 in SLH 8:30-10:30,
Weds. |
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