Heredity, Evolution and Ecology
Biology 102 Winter 2011
Course Syllabus
Lecture: 9:15 – 10:20, MWF Humanities 019
Instructor: Kathleen LoGiudice (pronounced Lo-Jū’-dis)
Office: Science and Engineering Center S308
e-mail: logiudik@union.edu
Tentative office hours: MondayS 10:30 – 11:30 or by appointment (drop-ins welcome if I have time)
Textbooks: Biological Science, 4th edition by Scott Freeman (2010).
Bio 102 Laboratory Manual available at bookstore
Welcome to Bio 102! I hope that this will be the first of many biology courses that you will take, and that you will fully enjoy the exciting things this field has to offer.
This course contains a lot of material and much of it is different in nature from the material you learned in Bio 101. Ecology and evolution are more conceptual and theoretical than the material in Bio 101, so reading the textbook is essential. It is also important to pay close attention to lectures; they will both supplement and limit the readings in the textbook. Although there may be many students in class, don’t be afraid to ASK QUESTIONS if you feel something needs clarification. Chances are that if you don’t understand it, many of your classmates are in the same boat. It will greatly improve your understanding of the lecture material if you read the textbook before you come to class. I will hold review sessions periodically during the term and you are encouraged to attend, especially if you find yourself getting some of the clicker questions wrong.
As you were advised in Bio-101, here is a good approach to the reading assignments:
- Skim the assigned material before class so that you familiarize yourself with the content.
- Attend lecture and take notes, leaving plenty of spaces and gaps for supplemental writing.
- After lecture, read the assignment more carefully and take notes in a different color pen directly into your lecture notebook. You will find that the author’s voice and my own are different and that you will benefit from two discussions of the same material.
- Every Wednesday, I will post exactly what terms and pages you will be responsible for in weekly study guides with a set of study questions.
Formula for an A in Biology 102:
- Follow the directions in the above paragraph regarding the reading (before and after class). The text is dense. Give it enough time.
- DO NOT GET BEHIND!!!!
- Read over your notes after class EVERY DAY; re-read the text to fill in gaps or to reinforce what was covered in class. Think about what you have heard and read. Bear in mind that as the term progresses and your notebook gets thicker, this will take more time, but it will be well worth the time spent.
- Answer the study questions that will be posted every Wednesday. Answer these in writing (perhaps in a separate notebook or in a Word document) so you can easily review them when you prepare for exams.
- Form a study group. It really helps.
- Attend the review sessions!
- Talk to me if you don’t understand something.
There is also tutoring help available from upperclass students through
Bio Back-up: MONDAYS 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. in the Ryon Room, S&E, S322 (and I am always available to help you )
Course policies:
Attendance:
- You are strongly encouraged to attend all lectures. Many exam questions will come directly from lecture material and discussions. Reading the book is important, but it will not take the place of attending lectures. Topics discussed during class also can be especially useful when writing lab reports. I will take attendance by passing around an attendance sheet, but there is not a formal attendance portion of your final grade (except for lab, where a missed labs are not tolerated). It is just a really good idea to come to class. If you are on the cusp of two grades and you have particularly good or particularly poor attendance, it may push you one way or the other. If you miss a bunch of classes, expect to hear from me so I can determine that you are OK. I realize that you are adults and can decide if you think coming to class is worthwhile, but in my experience, students who miss many classes are usually in some kind of trouble and/or do very poorly, so I try to be aware of students who miss an inordinate number of classes and contact them to make sure they are alright.
- Please arrive on time. Although our class is early, I will be on time for class since I realize that it is disrespectful to those who come on time to start late. I expect the same level of respect from each of you. It is very disruptive to have people wandering in and out during class.
- Foul weather policy. I live close to campus and can walk, crawl or cross country ski to class. No matter how bad the weather, I’ll be here. I expect the same of those of you who live on or near campus.
Lab:
- Labs are managed as semi-independent classes which are taught by a variety of professors. You may be in my lab section, or you may not. Lab grading standards and assignments are consistent across all sections.
- All students must attend a laboratory safety lecture each year. If did not attend one last fall, you should plan to come on one of the following dates and times (you must attend only one session):
- Wednesday, January 12th and Thursday, January 13th at 5 PM and at 7 PM in the Olin Auditorium
- Lab grade is incorporated into the lecture grade (25%)
- Attendance at lab each week is absolutely essential.
- You are expected to attend your assigned section.
- If you are unable to attend your regular session and you have a very good reason, you may request to change sections. To do this you must:
- get the permission of the instructor of the lab you want to switch to (names and contact information of lab instructors is available on Blackboard), and
- inform the instructor of your regular section.
- Laboratory attendance is mandatory; missing lab may result in failure in the course.
- If you miss a lab for any reason, contact me or your lab instructor and make arrangements to attend the next lab that week that you can get to. If you can’t reach us, just show up for a lab (afternoons Mon – Thurs). There are no make-up labs, so you MUST attend one of the scheduled labs.
Exams & quizzes:
- Exams and quizzes will be given on various days of the week, see the Tentative Schedule for the dates. Unexcused absence from an exam will result in a zero grade.
- The only acceptable reasons for missing a quiz or exam are medical (with documentation) or Dean’s excuses. For all other excuses (death in family, emotional crisis, etc.) you must get a written excuse from the Dean of Students. If a sports schedule or academic event should conflict with a scheduled exam, you must arrange in advance to take a make-up exam. In this circumstance, you will be required to take it before the rest of the class, not after.
- When an exam or quiz is missed at the last minute with an acceptable excuse, a make-up will be given at my discretion during final exam week.
- All grading mistakes on exams or quizzes must be discussed before the day of the next exam or quiz.
If you anticipate an absence on an exam or quiz day, please see me immediately.
Grading:
Laboratory 25% (you must pass lab to pass the course)
2 Exams 34%
3 Quizzes 18%
Class participation 3%
Final Exam (cumulative) 20%
All work must be completed to pass the course
Academic Honesty: Any student who participates in cheating or plagiarism will automatically be taken to the Dean of Undergraduate Education. Definitions of cheating and plagiarism provided below are from “Tools for Teaching,” by Barbara Gross Davis, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, 1993.
“Cheating means getting unauthorized help on an assignment, quiz, or examination.
(1) You must not receive from any other student or give to any other student any information, answers, or help during an exam.
(2) You must not use unauthorized sources for answers during an exam. You must not take notes or books to the exam when such aids are forbidden, and you must not refer to any book or notes while you are taking the exam unless the instructor indicates it is an “open book” exam.
(3) You must not obtain exam questions illegally before an exam or tamper with an exam after it has been corrected.”
“Plagiarism means submitting work as your own that is someone else’s.”
For example, copying material from a book or other source without acknowledging that the words or ideas are someone else’s and not your own is plagiarism.
If you copy an author’s words exactly, you must treat the passage as a direct quotation (put it in quotes “”) and supply the appropriate citation. If you use someone else’s ideas, even if you paraphrase the wording, appropriate credit should be given. You have committed plagiarism if you purchase a term paper or submit a paper as your own that you did not write.”
- Electronic devices: Please show your respect to me and your classmates by turning your phone off during class. No electronic devices of any kind are to be consulted during an exam.
- Final Grading Scheme:
- 94-100 (A), 90-93 (A-): Indicates excellent critical analysis, writing skills and attendance, active and insightful contributions to discussions, exceptional understanding of material.
- 87 – 89 (B+), 84 – 86 (B), 80 – 83 (B-): Indicates good critical analysis skills, good attendance and participation, good understanding of course material.
- 77 – 79 (C+), 74 – 76 (C), 70 – 73 (C-): Indicates adequate critical analysis skills, average attendance and participation, satisfactory understanding of course material.
- 60 – 69 (D): Inadequate critical analysis skills and inability or unwillingness to really think about the material. Poor participation and/or attendance (missing more than 4 classes or any labs without valid excuse) usually indicate that the student just didn’t try very hard.
- Below 60 (F): Self explanatory.
- Special Needs: I encourage students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities, to discuss with me (during office hours, by appointment or after class) appropriate accommodations that might help facilitate your learning. You will need appropriate documentation in the Dean of Students Office. All discussions will remain confidential.
Tentative Schedule:
| Week | Dates | Tentative Topics |
| 1 | January 3 – 7 | Intro to evolution, Ecology/Demographics |
| 2 | January 10 – 14 | Population ecology/Behavior |
| 3 | January 17 – 21 | Community Ecology/Lyme disease/Ecosystems/Quiz 1 |
| 4 | January 24 – 28 | Cell division/Meiosis |
| 5 | January 31 – Feb. 4 | Mendelian genetics/ Exam 1 |
| 6 | February 7 – 11 | Evolution by Natural Selection |
| 7 | February 14 – 18 | Evolutionary processes Quiz 2 |
8 |
February 21 – 25 |
Speciation/patterns of diversity |
| 9 | Feb. 28 – March 4 | Biodiversity and conservation biology/Exam 2 |
| 10 | March 7 – 11 | Diversity of life/Quiz 3 |
| FINAL EXAM | Wednesday, March 16, 2011 8:30 – 10:30 HUMN 019 |
Text references will be included with Study Guide questions for each week.
Final thoughts:
- CHECK YOUR E-MAIL! This is still my most important means of out-of-class communication with students. If you don’t check your e-mail at least once per day, you may miss something important. If you have a non-Union e-mail that you would like me to use, please change your BlackBoard e-mail address to that one, as I typically use the BB platform to send messages. I cannot do this for you as I cannot change your personal settings.
- There are a lot of graded assessments in this class. There are 3 quizzes, 3 exams and a plethora of assignments that make up your lab grade (25% of total grade). This means that each assessment is worth a fairly small percentage of your grade, so don’t assume that a good grade on one exam, quiz or assignment will guarantee you a good grade in the class. You must be consistent in preparing and studying.
- In this class, everyone is expected to show respect for all people, regardless of race, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, etc. Don’t just tolerate those who are different from you, accept and embrace them!