BIOL 141 - GENERAL BIOLOGY

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Michael Carey
OFFICE: Loyola Hall 120
PHONE: 941-7544 (Office), 570-575-5293 (Cell)
EMAIL: careym1@scranton.edu
OFFICE HOURS: 10:00-11:00 TT, 10:00-12:00 W or by appt.
CLASS HRS: 1:00-2:15 TT - Loyola 100
TEXT: Campbell, Reece, Mitchell; BIOLOGY, 8th Ed.

TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE

WEEK OF       TOPIC                       TEXT READING
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Aug 25     Science, Life, Biol. Chem.       Ch 1,2,Secs 26.1,26.6

Sep 1      Biological Chemistry             Ch 3,4,5,Secs 8.4,8.5

Sep 8      Exam 1, Cell Structure           Ch 7,6

Sep 15     Cell structure, Photosynthesis   Ch 6,10

Sep 22     Respiration, Exam 2              Ch 9

Sep 29     Cell cycle, Classical Genetics   Ch 12,13 

Oct 6      Classical Genetics               Ch 14,15

Oct 13     Classical Genetics,              Ch 14,15

Oct 20     Exam 3, Molecular Genetics       Ch 16,17

Oct 27     Molecular Genetics               Ch 17,18

Nov 3      Molecular Genetics, Exam 4       Ch 19   

Nov 10     Evolutionary Genetics            Ch 22,23

Nov 17     Speciation                       Ch 24

Nov 24     Speciation, Evolutionary History Ch 24,25

Dec 1      Cell Evolution, Fossil Record    Ch 25

Dec 8      **FINAL EXAM**

COURSE POLICIES

OBJECTIVES: The main objectives of this course are to have you learn the language of biology, understand key concepts of the biological sciences, and to relate these concepts to each other in a logical way. Toward these ends, memorization of facts and definitions, while important, should not be the only focus of your studies. You must also be able to think about the material you have memorized, be able to apply it to other areas of the science, and be able to use it to extrapolate to new or unfamiliar situations.
While I do not take attendance in class, it is to your advantage to be present in each class period. Much of the lecture material is different from the text, and much of the text material is not covered at all. Since the exams are drawn largely from class lecture material (see exam policy), you should be there to hear it.
While I do not take attendance, I do notice people who are excessively absent from class. Such excessive absences may reflect negatively on your final class grade (See grading policy).
In order to allow you to review lecture material and to pay closer attention to the lecture in class, all PowerPoint materials used in lecture will be posted on Angel for this section. You can access Angel through the link at My.Scranton. Your university username and password will get you into the site and this course should show under the "Courses" section. After entering the course, lecture materials can be found in the "Lessons" section.

EXAM POLICY: There are four 1-hour exams as shown in the schedule above. Each exam is worth 100 pts and will cover only material not included in a previous exam. The final exam is worth 200 pts and consists of 2 halves: 1st a 100 pt. exam covering untested material in as much depth as any earlier exam; 2nd an additional 100 pts covering the entire semester in general. Questions are drawn mainly from material discussed in class or about logical inferences that you can make about class material. Only very general questions will pertain to textbook material not covered in class. There will be a variety of question formats on each exam. Sample exams can be seen at HTTP://ACADEMIC.UOFS.EDU/FACULTY/CAREYM1/EXAMS.HTML.
If you must miss an exam, you must notify me beforehand. I will then schedule a make-up day for you. If you do not notify me before the exam, your make-up will be scheduled on the make-up day (the last day of finals week). If you do not have a legitimate excuse for missing an exam, you will not be allowed to make it up, and will receive a grade of zero for the exam.
You must live up to the University of Scranton Academic Code of Honestyand fulfill all the requirements of academic integrity. To view the code and aspects of academic integrity, go to http://academic.scranton.edu/department/wml/academicintegrity.html. Violation of the code (see especially Section II for your responsibilities) will lead to a score of zero on that exam. Students suspected of cheating will be seated in special areas of the classroom on future exams.

GRADING POLICY: Your grade will based solely on your performance on the exams. Letters will assigned as follows: 90%-A, 80%-B, 70%-C, etc. If I feel it is absolutely necessary, the grade scale may be curved downward from these cutoffs, never upward. Individual grades may be weighted based upon improvement during the semester or upon glaring inconsistencies in scores. Criteria such as class attendance, participation, and interest will be used to determine the grade of students who end up on a borderline.

Additional copies of this syllabus may obtained at HTTP://ACADEMIC.UOFS.EDU/FACULTY/CAREYM1/B141.HTML
or under the "Class Information" section at Blackboard.