BIO 110 - INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY - FALL 2009 LECTURE: TUESDAY & THURSDAY 8:00 AM – 9:27 AM LAB: 9:30 AM – 11:30 TUESDAY OR THURSDAY 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, and includes a laboratory component. Prerequisites: ENG 085 or 090, and MTH 098 The main focus of this course is improving scientific literacy. The course material provides the biological foundation of concepts and terms to understand current topics. Although this is an introductory course, “introductory” doesn’t mean “easy”, but that the course does not require background knowledge in biology. Students will need to spend significant time studying to succeed – JCC’s recommendation is 2 hours per week per credit hour = 8 hours a week for this course. Students successfully completing the course should develop lifelong skills to critically evaluate scientific information. Course Objectives: Students successfully completing this course should be able to: - Describe the nature of science as 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. - Describe basic biotechnology procedures and applications - 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 Instructor: Prof. Laura Thurlow Office: 136c Phone: (517) 796-8508 e-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: Mon. 8:30-9:30, 1-2 Thurs. 11:30-1 Tues. 11:30 – 2 Weds. 8:30-9:30, 11-2 or by app’t. Required Materials: Text: Biology: Dimensions of Life, Presson & Jenner, ISBN 978-0-07-295267-4 Lab Packet : available at the bookstore Course Pack: available at the bookstore Calculator: especially helpful in lab; cell phones or other electronic devices may not be used during exams or quizzes-2- 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. The Associate Degree Outcomes addressed in this class are: ADO 4: Scientific Reasoning. Students will be able to design and carry out valid experiments to asses a given hypothesis, and to 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. Incompletes - Consistent with JCC policy, incompletes are granted with instructor permission only in situations where a student is passing the course and encounters an unusual emergency that prevents them from completing coursework. Instructor Absence/School Closing: If I am unable to attend class, the building secretary will be notified, and a notice will be posted outside our room. If the college is closed due to inclement weather, announcements are made on local radio stations. With the exception of these two situations, ASSUME WE WILL HAVE CLASS. Plagiarism and Cheating - Be sure that homework and any assignments are your own work. Copying anyone else's work is plagiarism, and plagiarized work will not be accepted. Evidence of plagiarism or cheating on any exam, lab, lab quiz or assignment will result in a "0" score for that assignment and notification of the Academic Dean - please see the attached JCC Academic Honesty Policy. Extra Credit - is not given in the course. Focus your time and energy on completing course assignments and studying for lab quizzes and lecture exams. Course Help and Special Needs - if you have special needs that I should be aware of in order to help you to best learn course material, please let me know as soon as possible. Students requiring special assistance (including those affected by the Americans With Disabilities Act) should contact the Center for Student Success in Bert Walker Hall, Room 123, 796-8415. Tutoring services are free at JCC - if at any point in the course you feel that you would benefit from a tutor, contact me and/or the CSS. Moodle Resources – some course materials can be accessed through the Moodle course management system. I will post announcements and grades, as well as many other course materials through this system. Simply type in the URL http://classes.jccmi.edu. or access Moodle through the JCC web page by choosing "Online classes". Grading Scale - Grades will be rounded to the nearest percent. Grades may be curved at the instructor’s discretion. Percent Grade Percent Grade Percent Grade 90 - 100% 4.0 75 – 79 % 2.5 60 – 64 % 1.0 85 – 89 % 3.5 70 – 74 % 2.0 55 – 59 % 0.5 80 – 84 % 3.0 65 – 69 % 1.5-3- Student Responsibilities: Attendance - I expect that you will do your best to attend every class. Because testing is primarily from lectures, and because a portion of the course grade is determined from homework and in-class assignments, missing class makes it very hard to do well. Keep Up With Homework - If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out if homework is due on the day you return. In class assignments cannot be made up. Contribute to a courteous learning environment – Our class time is valuable. Please be punctual, especially on exam days, to avoid disruption to others and to be aware of class announcements. Anyone who interferes with the learning of others will be asked to leave class. This includes talking while I am talking, using cell phones or other devices during class, or being disruptive or disrespectful to others. Study - This is a difficult course that will take significant study time outside of class. You will need to use the text and electronic resources, review notes and do study questions to prep for exams and lab quizzes. Grading: Lecture accounts for 75% of the overall grade, and is described here. To determine your overall course grade at any point,