ROSE STATE COLLEGE Class Syllabus

ROSE STATE COLLEGE Class Syllabus General Biology, LFSC 1124 Spring 2013

COURSE DESCRIPTION Designed for science majors, this course includes a study of the chemistry and molecules of life, cells, biochemical processes, cellular reproduction, molecular genetics, heredity, evolution, and ecology.

PROFESSOR/INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION Name Ruben Murcia Title Biology Professor / Life Science Coordinator Office Location SM-100 Office Hours Monday 9:30-12:00; Tuesday, Thursday 2:00-3:00 PM Campus Phone Number (405) 733-7494 Campus E-mail Address [email protected] Fax Number URL Address http://www.rose.edu/faculty/RMurcia/

COURSE INFORMATION Prerequisite course(s) or skill(s) Appropriate math and language skills Section Number/Course Number/Course Title LFSC 1124, General Biology, Class #3067 Time/Location M,W 8:00 – 9:15 AM (SM-110)

DELIVERY METHOD Lecture

CLASS COMPUTER USAGE All course sections at RSC may be Web enhanced and require some level of access to a computer and the College utilized Learning Management System. Free access to computers is available to all enrolled students in the Learning Resources Center and in other Academic Division computer laboratories.

TEXTBOOK/SUPPLIES INFORMATION Title/Edition Biology th Author Campbell / Reece 9 Edition ISBN-13: 978-0-321-55823-7 ISBN # Other Required Materials General Biol Lab Manual (Bookstore), Mastering Biology Website Access

COURSE OBJECTIVES/EXPECTED OUTCOMES Students who successfully complete this course will be able to 1. Describe the characteristics that define and unify all living things 2. Explain the role of organic chemicals in cells and living things 3. Classify cellular organelles according to their function 4. Describe the metabolic work of cells 5. Explain the principles of cell division and genetic inheritance 6. Evaluate the effect of natural selection in the evolution of populations 7. Apply the principles of population and community ecology to human populations 8. Assess the effect of human societies on the ecology of this planet 9. Identify and classify all living things into their corresponding Kingdom and Phylum 10. Perform with mastery the basic skills of the biology lab, including microscope use, dissections and the proper handling of live animal cultures and preserved specimens

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CALENDAR OF TOPICS Week

Date

Topic

*Reading (Chapters)

1

(1/22-1/24)

General Biology Concepts

1

2

(1/28-1/31)

The Chemical Basis of Life

2,3

3

(2/4-2/7)

The Molecules of Cells

4,5

4

(2/11-2/14)

A Tour of the Cell / Membranes

6,7

5

(2/18-2/21)

Energy and Cell Work (Exam 1)

8

6

(2/25-2/28)

Cellular Respiration

9

7

(3/4-3/7)

Photosynthesis

10

8

(3/11-3/14)

The Cell Cycle (Exam 2)

12

9

(3/18-3/21)

Spring Break

10

(3/25-3/28)

Meiosis & Chromosome Inheritance

13, 15

11

(4/1-4/4)

Mendelian Genetics

14

12

(4/8-4/11)

Molecular Basis of Inheritance

16,17

13

(4/15-4/18)

Regulation of Gene Expression (Exam 3)

18

14

(4/22-4/25)

Microevolution & Speciation

23, 24

15

(4/29-5/2)

Population & Community Ecology

53, 54

16

(5/6-5/9)

Communities and Ecosystems

55

GRADING SCALE Your grade will be compounded as follows: Four exams

= 60%

A = 90% - 100%

Mastering Biology

= 10%

B = 80% - 89.9%

Participation

= 5%

C = 70% - 79.9%

Laboratory

= 25%

D = 60% - 69.9%

Total:

= 100%

F = below 60%

a) Lecture Exams: The lecture portion of this course will be evaluated in the form of four exams with a combined net worth of 70% of your total grade. These will be midterm exams and will not be cumulative. A comprehensive final exam will be an option that students may want to take if they have done poorly in one exam and would like to replace it with the final exam grade. My exams will contain various types of questions that may include multiple choice, matching, true or false, problems and essays. Although the lecture exams will be based mainly on the material covered in lecture (90% or more), a proportion of questions will be derived from the reading assignments (up to 10%). If you miss an exam due to a justified reason, you must contact me and make arrangements to make up the exam prior to the next class meeting. Make up exams will be given by appointment only. You will be allowed to makeup only one exam in the semester. b) Lab: The lab portion of the class is where you will learn about biological principles and the diversity of life. There will be weekly quizzes to assess your understanding and mastery of the objectives for the previous lab. The quizzes will only be given at the beginning of the lab period and you will not be allowed to take it if you arrive late. These quizzes will account for 15% of your overall grade, and the weekly lab worksheets account for 10%, thus giving the lab a net worth of 25%. c) Participation: This will be an assessment of your involvement in performing lab activities, your ability and willingness to follow directions given by your instructor, and your participation in lecture and other in-class assignments. A positive attitude for learning and a genuine interest in the subject will be rewarded with the highest grade for this category. It is not enough to say that you care about this subject. You must also show your interest and dedication in every class and lab meeting. Apathy for the subject shown in class and absences will result in a poor participation grade. AA 36-3’07

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER Last day to withdraw April 19 Final Monday May 13 @ 8:00 AM

COURSE POLICIES STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES Rose State College is an institution that greatly values the diversity and individual distinctions of its staff and students. As a faculty member of Rose State College I am committed to treat each of my students with respect and courtesy and I expect the students in this class to treat me and their classmates in an equal manner. I require from all students to abstain from talking during lecture or from disrupting the learning process during class in any way. If you are late to lecture (or lab), enter the room quietly and do similarly in case you need to leave early. Cell phones use and texting are not permitted during class. All wireless communication devices must be turned off or silenced prior to entering the lab or lecture room. Failure to comply with this class policy will result in a student forfeiting the participation grade and removed from class if the behavior persists. The use of laptop computers is not allowed in class. Students persisting in disruptive behavior could be dropped from the class. This may seem strict to some of you, but please understand that your education is of great importance to me and I will do my part on maintaining a positive learning atmosphere in class. Do your part too! Electronic Communication Electronic communication is the official means for communication to the students of Rose State College. The College will send communications to students via e-mail and will expect that those communications are received and read in a timely manner. Thus, all Rose State College students are issued a student e-mail account. The College will direct all electronic communications to the collegeissued e-mail address. Students should monitor the college assigned student e-mail account on a frequent and consistent basis in order to remain informed.

RECOMMENDED STUDY METHOD(S) General biology is a challenging class, not only because of the complexity of the concepts we will study, but also because you will be required to evaluate and discuss the implications each topic on our society and your daily life, thus using your knowledge in developing new ideas that will advance your understanding of animal life. These critical thinking skills will give you a great advantage to succeed not only in your college coursework, but in your professional life as well. I expect from my students nothing but the best. Therefore, you should work with dedication and thoroughness in all your assignments (including reading assignments). Here are a few suggestions that may help you succeed in this class: -Organize your study time. Make sure you set apart at least 5 hours every week to study for this class and conduct your reading assignments. -Attend all lectures. My lectures are not intended to cover all the details about specific topics. However, they are designed to emphasize important points, explain complicated processes and expand on ideas of interest to the class. -Record in your calendar all the important dates, such as add/drop deadlines, assignments and test dates. -If you have questions about something you did not understand during lecture or regarding a particular assignment, please, ask in class or during office hours. Don't be afraid of asking questions in class. Often you will find that many people will benefit from the answer to your question. Don't save your questions until the last minute. -Form study groups. This is particularly important when you are preparing for an exam. Studying with others will allow you to express your questions in a relaxed environment, and at the same time, you will learn new study techniques from your classmates.

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES Rose State College complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students with disabilities who seek accommodations must make their request by contacting the Office of Disabilities Services, located in LRC 125 or call 733-7407. The student will be asked to provide documentation concerning the disability. All accommodations must be approved by the Office of Disability Services.

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STUDENT POLICIES Academic Integrity Rose State College expects students to understand and to follow basic standards of honesty and integrity. Some common violations of these basic standards of academic integrity include but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating on tests and examinations, presenting work completed for one course as original work for another, and other forms of dishonest performance on college assignments, as explained below. Plagiarism means the use of the thoughts, ideas, words, phrases or research of another person or source as one's own without explicit and accurate credit to the original author. Cheating on examinations of any kind (quizzes, midterms, finals, etc.) includes copying another student's answers, exchanging information, using notes or books unless expressly permitted to do so by the instructor, or gaining access to examinations prior to the actual taking of such examinations. Other examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, copying or preparing another person's work; or buying prepared papers. Assisting anyone to engage in any of the violations described above qualifies as academic dishonesty. All rules and standards of academic integrity apply equally to all electronic media, particularly all intranet and internet activities. This is especially true for any form of plagiarism, ranging from submission as one's own all or part of a paper obtained from an internet source to failure to cite properly an internet source.

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