Honors Biology 115
SAMPLE SYLLABUS
Scheduling Issues:
All requests to change section, add or delete the course, etc., are handled by the Center for Life Sciences Education (292-9861), 4034 Smith Laboratory, 174 W. 18th Avenue.
Lecture and Recitation Grading Policies and Goals
Exams will consist of short essay, multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. Material will be drawn from the lectures (including the guest lectures) and the assigned readings in the textbook.
Recitation section quizzes and homework assignments will be based on material covered during the previous class lectures and reading assignments.
A major goal of this course is to demonstrate the relevance of biology to modern society. To help achieve this goal we included the following:
- Invited guest speakers with expertise in specific areas at the interface of contemporary biology and society.
- A project based on regular reading of biology-related content in The New York Times. This project will involve collecting clippings of current articles, editorials, columns, letters to the editor and other items that address a topic of contemporary biological relevance to be determined in consultation with your TA. Additional details will be supplied on a separate handout.
Overall Point Distribution and Approximate Grading Scale:
| Item | Points | Portion of Final Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Midterm Exam 1 | 50 | 12.5% |
| Midterm Exam 2 | 50 | 12.5% |
| Final Exam | 100 | 25.0% |
| New York Times Project | 50 | 12.5% |
| Recitation | 20 | 5.0% |
| Laboratory | 130 | 32.5% |
| TOTAL | 400 |
| Percent | Total Points | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 90 – 100 | 360 – 400 | A range |
| 80 – 89 | 320 – 359 | B range |
| 70 – 79 | 280 – 319 | C range |
| 60 – 69 | 240 – 279 | D range |
| 0 – 59 | 0 – 239 | E |
Format:
Biology H115-116 is a lecture, recitation and laboratory sequence in which interaction with research faculty and discussions are encouraged. The sequence deals with basic concepts and problems common to all forms of life, whether plant, animal, or microbe, with emphasis upon problem solving and experimental design. Biology H115 emphasizes molecular, cellular and developmental biology. Biology H116 continues comparative processes of organisms and progresses through ecological and evolutionary biology. There is a strong evolutionary theme throughout the two-quarter sequence.
Lecture text:
Campbell and Reece 2002, Biology, 6th edition. The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc. Redwood City, California.
Additional reading assignments will be available on closed reserve in the Biological Sciences Library.
Lab text:
Information regarding the laboratory textbook and laboratory supplements will be distributed in the laboratory.
Prerequisites:
Honors standing, eligibility for Math 150. Not open to students with credit for Biology 113. Students should have also taken high school courses in chemistry and in biology (and ideally a college course in general chemistry) prior to this course.
Course Objectives:
Students in H115-H116 will have an opportunity to:
- Acquire a thorough knowledge of the fundamental terminology, concepts and processes common to living systems, whether plant, animal or microbe.
- Acquire a working knowledge of basic laboratory approaches utilized in modern biological investigations.
- Develop an understanding of the means by which a research investigator recognizes the potential of a given project, creates the experimental design, does the experimentation, and analyzes and interprets the collected data into one or more new hypotheses.
- Gain experience in seeking out information from reference texts, journals, reprints, and other sources in the Biological Sciences and Health Sciences libraries.
- Gain experience in problem solving, in synthesizing ideas, and in writing reports.
- Develop an awareness of science as a human endeavor with social consequences and responsibilities and with a great potential for meeting present and future challenges.
