Lecture: JM 219; Monday & Wednesday 9:00 AM – 10:27 AM1 Course Syllabus BIO 110 - INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY – WINTER 2011 LECTURE: JM 219; MONDAY & WEDNESDAY 9:00 AM – 10:27 AM LAB: JM 135; MONDAY/WEDNESDAY 10:30 AM – 12:30 AM Course Description: Students will investigate the nature of science and critically analyze scientific data and current biological issues. Basic biological concepts including cell structure and function, molecular biology, biotechnology, nutrient cycles, and evolution are presented in the context of current issues. This course is designed for non-science majors. This course includes a laboratory component. Prerequisites: ENG 085 or 090, and MTH 098 Course Objectives: Students successfully completing this course should be able to: - Describe the nature of science and how it is a self correcting process. - Identify cell structures and describe their functions. - Explain the origin of cancer cells and factors affecting their growth. - Understand the basic structure and function of DNA. - Give examples of how biotechnology is applied and describe basic procedures. - Understand the mechanisms of evolutionary change and how evolution differs from non-scientific explanations. - Understand the factors affecting global warming and other human impacts on the environment Associate Degree Outcomes: Associate Degree Outcomes. The Board of Trustees has determined that all JCC graduates should develop or enhance certain essential skills while enrolled in the college. Several of these Associate Degree Outcomes are addressed in this class, including critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and a knowledge of science. ADO 4: Scientific Reasoning Students will be able to design and carry out valid experiments to asses a given hypothesis, and draw appropriate conclusions based on the results. ADO 7: Critical Thinking Students will learn to critically analyze and interpret scientific data from scientific experiments as in the analysis carried out in numerous labs that involve interpreting and graphing data. Instructor: Jon F. Powell; Ph.D. Office: 136b Phone: (517) 796-8599 e-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: Tuesday: 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM Wednesday: 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM Thursday: 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM Required Text: Biology: Dimensions of Life, Presson & Jenner Biology 110 Lab Manual Course Web Site: tinyurl.com/blfvo2 Expectations & Guidelines for Success: As an adult college student you are responsible for participating in the learning process. Below are some points to being successful in this course: o Attend all classes and arrive on time o When you have an unavoidable absences, contact the instructor for missed assignments o Read the assigned chapters, either before or after lecture. This will help reinforce the topics covered. o Study class materials for at least 2 hours outside of class for each hour in class. o Participate in class discussions. o Participate in group study sessions, this can be the most effective form of learning for many students o Do not hesitate to contact the instructor about concerns you may have with the class. o Make use of the instructor’s office hours. Instructors Statement: The main focus of this course is to improve scientific literacy. Many students fail to see the relevance of science in their lives. To address this, this course will approach science from current topics that you should be able to relate to in your life. We will then need to learn some biology to understand these topics. Unlike a general biology course which focuses on attaining a knowledge base of biology, this course will focus on critical thinking. This will still entail gaining some knowledge base however it will not be to the depth of a general biology course. Although this is an introductory course, do not think that makes it an easy or blow-off course. Do not think introductory should mean “easy”, introductory simply means that it does not require background knowledge in biology. You will be required to do a fair amount of reading, writing, and thinking. This will require you to put in time studying and working on class materials. By the end of this course you should develop a lifelong skill to be able to critically consider and investigate scientific information. Grading: Your final grade for the course will comprise both lecture (75%) and lab (25%) components. Lecture - Tests: In class tests may consist of multiple choice, matching, fill-in, short answer, application, problem solving, and essay. No test grades will be dropped. The weight of your lowest test grade will be reduced by 50% to account for extenuating circumstances. This policy will not apply in cases of academic dishonesty. Tests will include information from lecture as well as discussion papers.3 - Quizzes, activities, and homework may also be assigned. You must be present for in-class activities to receive credit. - Discussion: Discussion reading assignments will be assigned periodically throughout the semester. The papers will be assigned for you to critically read and provide written feedback. Discussion papers MUST be typed and will be graded on both content and grammar (typically 15 pts per assignment). Responses to each question should be in paragraph format. The papers will only be accepted if they are turned in either before or within the first 5 minutes of the start of lecture class. Papers may be submitted to me electronically, however, if your documents do not arrive due to technical difficulties the work will not be accepted. You will also need to be prepared to talk about the paper during class. To facilitate this, you will be expected to prepare 2 copies of your assignment, one to turn in, and another to have during class discussion. If you miss a discussion assignment, you may do one make-up by doing a review of an article from the magazine Scientific American (on-line articles are not acceptable). The article you choose to review must be longer than 2 pages. The review will be a minimum of 2 pages typed and provide a review of the article as well as your personal perspective. You must include proper citation of the article you are reviewing to receive credit. Lab: Points will be awarded for each lab whether they are collected for grading or not. The instructor will inform you if the lab is to be collected prior to the