• Biology 113
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Biology 113

SAMPLE SYLLABUS

Instructors:

• Lecturer:

  • Dr. Paul A. Fuerst
  • Dept. of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology
  • Aronoff Laboratory Room 386
  • Office Hours: MW 1:30-2:30, or by appointment
  • Telephone: 292-6403
  • E-mail: fuerst.1@osu.edu

• Course Coordinator Biology 113:

  • Dr. John Cogan
  • Center for Life Sciences Education
  • Smith Laboratory Room 4068
  • Office Hours: Anytime, or by appointment
  • Telephone: 292-4470
  • E-mail: cogan.1@osu.edu

• Head TA:

  • Matt Lawrence
  • Entomology
  • Jennings Hall Room 317
  • Office Hour: W 1:00 – 2:00 pm
  • Telephone: 292-2460
  • E-mail: lawrence.205@osu.edu

Text:

Biology; Campbell and Reece, 6th Edition, Benjamin-Cummings, 2002. ISBN 0-8053-6624-5

Description

Biology 113 is a course which, together with Biology 114, is designed to give the student a broad experience in the biological sciences. Science majors, including many health professionals, are the intended audience. The sequence will meet your General Education Curriculum requirement in the Natural Sciences. For those of you in the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences, Biology 113-114 will meet the ten-hour sequence requirement. NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A STRONG SCIENCE BACKGROUND, YOU BELONG IN ANOTHER COURSE, NAMELY, BIOLOGY 101-102.

Prerequisites

Chemistry 101 or 121 or consent of the instructor. If you have not had chemistry, you will need to fill out a form to determine whether the prerequisite can be waived.

Grading Policy:

There are two portions to the course, lecture and recitation/lab period. Each portion contributes to your grade as indicated in the table below:

Exams:

There will be two midterm exams which should take approximately 1 hour although you will have a full class session, 1 hour and 18 minutes, to complete them. We expect each exam to be made up predominantly of multiple choice questions, but some short answer/discussion questions may appear. You will be responsible for material presented in lecture, recitation and in the reading assignments. The final exam will consist of approximately 140 points representing a "third" midterm examination from material covered after midterm #2, and 80 points which will be comprehensive from earlier course lecture material.

Make-Up Exams:

Makeup exams will be short answer/discussion. A written doctor's excuse or equivalent is required in order to take a make-up. If you need to take a make-up exam, it is your responsibility to contact us, present your valid excuse, and arrange for the make-up. It is not our responsibility to find you. Please bear in mind that it is a serious pain in the neck for faculty to compose and arrange make-up exams, especially for a class of this size. Please do not abuse the privilege.

Senior Finals:

Senior finals will be short answer/discussion. Graduating seniors should notify all instructional staff as soon as possible that you are graduating at the end of the quarter.

Recitation and Quizzes:

It is important to attend recitation because new material will be presented and there will be quizzes, which will add points to your grade. Five quizzes (15 points each) will be variable format, and cover both lecture and lab material. Quizzes are given as determined by your TA and announced in advance. A late student arriving after the class has completed a quiz will not receive a makeup quiz unless she/he can provide a valid written excuse as an explanation for the late arrival. No quiz is provided without the written excuse. If a student arrives during the quiz period, the student may take the quiz, but will not receive extra time for completion; she/he must turn in their quiz with the rest of the class.

Question Diary:

The question diary consists of a series of single questions presented by Dr. Fuerst toward the end of class time in random lecture periods throughout the quarter. Each question is of moderate difficulty and based on material presented in that day's lecture period. Question format may vary from week to week (short answer, multiple choice, etc.).

On the day that a question is presented, you will receive an index card at the beginning of lecture period for recording your answer. Only those answers recorded on the index card are accepted; answers on notebook or any other form of paper will not be graded. Each question is worth 5 points and graded on the basis of full, partial or low credit depending on the quality of your answer. A complete, fully correct answer receives the maximum 5 points. An answer that is partially incomplete or somewhat correct, but does not fully answer the question, receives 3 points. A poor or incorrect answer receives 1 point. A complete lack of an answer receives no credit. The question diary is worth a total of 35 points (7 questions overall) with an additional 10 points available (2 extra questions) for those students who wish to answer them.

To streamline index card collection at the end of class, you are responsible for placing your card in a collection box marked with your TA's name and class time. Any cards placed in the wrong box will not be graded, so be careful when you return your card. Be sure to include your name, your TA's name and your class days and time on your index card; any cards with incomplete or lacking information will not be graded.

New York Times Project:

A goal of this course is to demonstrate the relevance of biology to society today and to your own life. The New York Times project is designed with this in mind. You will receive an information sheet for subscribing to the New York Times at a greatly reduced rate negotiated by the Biology Department. Or, you may view the New York Times online via a link presented on Carmen. Read through the New York Times each week and choose an article addressing a topic in biology. Beginning the week of Oct. 6, turn into your TA each week for the next 7 weeks an article (original, photocopy or download) from the previous week's New York Times plus a written summary paragraph explaining:

1. the topic of the article,
2. how it is important or relates to society,
3. why you chose that article.

This assignment is due to your TA at the beginning of recitation period. These written assignments are worth 7 points; the seventh assignment is worth 8 points for a total of 50 points. The last assignment is due during the week of November 17th.

Laboratory

Laboratory assignments and grading are discussed in a separate document, "Biology 113 Lab Schedule and Policy," available on Carmen. Lab exercises will not begin until the second week of the quarter, but recitation meets as scheduled beginning the first day of class, of course.

Contacting TAs

Each TA will hold an office hour and also give you a telephone number and e-mail address at which they can be reached. TAs can also be reached by calling the Biology Office in 4034 Smith Laboratory at 292-9861. A message will be left in the TA's mail box and they will return your call within 24 hours.

Contacting the Faculty:

Dr. Fuerst is happy to talk to you about the class material and your future careers in biology, make-up exams etc. However, he must restrict contact to office hours or appointments. To make an appointment, contact him after class, by e-mail (the preferred method) or by phone. He will respond within 24 hours. If you can't reach him, call the Biology Office at 292-9861. There is always someone there between 7:30 and 4:30. They will relay a message. Please direct routine questions about course procedures to your TA who will be present for every lecture.

Carmen and Handouts:

All course information and handouts will be posted on Carmen. Therefore, it is necessary that you have access to a computer that allows web access. We assume that any university student who is majoring in a science field will have access to the web, and can print off web-based information. This will include notes, which will be made available before lectures.

Comments from the Faculty:

For this course, you will be responsible for material presented in the lectures, and the corresponding reading assignments in the text. Anything mentioned in lecture may be on the exam even if it is not covered in the text. There may also be material in the text which is not covered in lecture. The lecture exams will not cover any material covered only in the laboratory portion of the course. That material will be tested separately in the lab.

In order to prepare for the exams, we recommend the following:

• Read the text before coming to lecture. Become familiar with new terms.
• Take notes in lecture and pay particular attention to topics not discussed in the text. The lecture outlines will usually be available before a lecture on Carmen, and you should print them and bring them with you to class. The lecturers will assume that you have this material, and will usually be moving through slides at a speed that will not allow you to copy down every word, if you do not already have the notes.
• Write down questions about any topic that you find confusing, so that you can ask for clarification from your TA during recitation or ask the faculty lecturer for help during office hours.
• Be sure to keep up with the material. This course moves very rapidly and builds on previous material. Plan to spend at least 5–6 hours per week studying the lecture material. One hour spent early equals two or more hours just before the exam.
• Keep up with new terms (vocabulary) each week. Learning biology is like learning a new language. You will need to know much more than just terms, however, in order to get a good grade.
• The Study Guide for the text (available in bookstores) is useful, but not essential.
• Be sure that you reserve enough time for this course. If you work more than 20 hours per week, this should be the only major science course you are taking.

Enrollment:

To enroll or change sections, go to room 4034 in Smith Laboratory. The size of the class is limited by the number of spaces in the laboratory. Generally, anyone who has wanted to get in this class has been able to because some people drop the class early in the quarter. If you are having problems with the scheduling, go to the section of your choice to see if there is potential room for your enrollment or transfer and be patient. It will work out. You must attend the first class meeting of the section in which you are enrolled. If you would like to change your section, you must fill out a section change form at room 4034 Smith Laboratory between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM weekdays prior to attending the section you wish to attend.

Students with Disabilities:

Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation because of a physical or learning disability should contact course coordinator John Cogan (contact info above) right away to discuss the course format, complete any necessary paperwork and anticipate your needs and explore potential accommodations. We rely on the Office for Disability Services to verify the need for accommodations and develop accommodation strategies. If you have not previously contacted the Office for Disability Services, we encourage you to do so, (292-3307, 150 Pomerene Hall).

Grading Scale:

Schedule of Lectures: (tentative)