General Biology 100 - Course Syllabus Emporia State University Fall Semester - 2008

Instructor: Greg Sievert

Office Phone # : (620) 341-5908

Biology Office Phone # : (620) 341-5311

Office: Breukelman Science Hall - Room 42

Text:   Essentials of Biology; 1^st Edition, By Dr. Sylvia Mader

ISBN: 0073224790                             Copyright year: 2007

Attendance: Students are expected to attend each class meeting.  The bottom line is: be in lecture or face the consequences of low test scores.  To that end, for every 5 absences ( excused or unexcused) that you miss I will lower your final letter grade 1 letter grade; 10 times = 2 letter grades etc. !!! Please plan accordingly !!!

Please note:

All test questions come 100% from lecture. There will be 7 to 10 questions from each lecture on the next test each worth 2 points. So each lecture is worth 14 to 20 points on the next test.

Withdrawal deadline: The last day for an automatic withdraw "AW" on your transcript is Wednesday, October 29^th. I cannot give you an "AW" after that date. Your grade will then be based on the total number of points you have earned in the class.

Course Content and Goals: General biology is an introductory course that attempts to cover scientific concepts that may affect you as an individual in our society. As is the case with any science course, there will be a large number of terms for you to learn. Do not try to learn all of these the night before the exam. Taking this course is like taking a foreign language because of all of the scientific terminology. Material at the end of the semester will build on material from earlier in the semester, therefore you truly need to learn the material as we go. Cramming the night before the exam will not put the material into your long term memory. At the end of this course you should have a basic understanding of important biological processes and understand the terminology associated with these processes.

I will follow the "ESU Dishonesty Policy" please see the ESU Student Handbook. Any form of cheating on an exam in this course will result in an automatic zero on that exam and the comprehensive 5^th exam cannot be used to replace that zero. You must also guard against others looking off your answer sheet during exams. Letting others see your answers is a form of cheating and if you do this you will also receive a zero for the exam. If you are caught cheating and then drop the course to avoid a lowered grade, I will pursue with the Vice President for Student Affairs and your advisor having you put on academic probation or expelled from Emporia State University.

Course Mechanics: The lecture material will come from your book and from other sources that I use. I will test you over lecture material plus any movies or video clips I show during lecture. If you want to do well plan to attend lectures and take good notes. Bring your text with you to class because I will often refer to figures and tables in your text (or similar to ones in your text).

Free Biology Tutoring for all Biology 100 Students - Please follow this link to see the current schedule of tutoring hours.

Study tips for making a good grade in this course - Please follow this link to find tips for studying for a science course.

More Study tips and good study habits !!

NOTE: We may have to deviate from the following tentative lecture schedule.

To print a lecture term list click on a topic title. If you want to space out the terms on your printed page: left click over the terms and highlight all of them then go to EDIT and COPY - close your internet browser, then open a word processor of your choice (WordPerfect or Word) and go to EDIT and PASTE - then space out the terms or change the font or font size, then print your page.

Note: Some of the following term lists have links to Adobe ( .pdf ) files, you must download the FREE Adobe Reader to view these files.

Date	Topic	Chapter(s)
Aug. 21       TH	Introduction + What is life? + Taxonomy + Scientific Method	1 + 16.3
Aug. 26       TU	Chemistry of Life	2 + 3
Aug. 28       TH	Cell Membranes + Energy + Photosynthesis + Respiration	4.3 + 5 + 6 + 7
Sept.  2       TU	Catch up + DNA	11.1
Sept.  4       TH	Protein Synthesis + Cell Division	11.2 + 8
Sept.  9       TU	Gametogenesis + Genetics	9.1 - 9.3 + 10.1
Sept. 11       TH	Human Genetics	10.2 - 10.3 + 9.4 + 13
Sept. 16       TU	Lecture + Exam 1	Exam 1
Sept. 18       TH	Populations + Communities	30 + 31
Sept. 23       TU	Communities + Ecosystems	31
Sept. 25       TH	Biomes	31.3
Sept. 30       TU	Human Impacts on the Biosphere	32
Oct.   2       TH	Viruses + Bacteria Kingdom + Protist Kingdom	17
Oct.   7       TU	Fungi Kingdom	18.3
Oct.   9       TH	Fall Break - No Class	Holiday
Oct. 14       TU	Lecture + Exam 2	Exam 2
Oct. 16       TH	Plant Kingdom + "Sexual Encounters of the Floral Kind"	18.1 - 18.2 + 20.7 + 21.2
Oct. 21       TU	Animal Kingdom	19.1 - 19.3
Oct. 23       TH	Animal Kingdom (Continued)	19.4 - 19.5
Oct. 28       TU	Evolution	14 + 15 + 16
Oct. 30       TH	Evolution (Continued) + Circulatory System	16 + 23
Nov.   4       TU	Respiratory System + Digestive System	24.2 + 24.1
Nov.   6       TH	Digestive System + Urinary System and Excretion	25 + 24.3
Nov. 11       TU	Veteran's Day - No Class	Holiday
Nov. 13       TH	Lecture + Exam 3	Exam 3
Nov. 18       Tu	Immune System	26
Nov. 20       TH	Nervous System	27.1
Nov. 25       TU	Senses + Endocrine System	28.1 + 27.2
Nov. 27       TH	Thanksgiving Holiday - No Class	Holiday
Dec.   2       TU	Endocrine System	27.2
Dec.   4       TH	Reproductive System - Male + Reproductive System - Female	29.1 - 29.2
Dec.   9       TU	Birth Control + Human Development	29.2 - 29.3
Dec. 11       TH	Lecture + Exam 4	Exam 4
Dec. 15 - 19     M - F	Final Exam Week     -     Comprehensive Final Exam	Comprehensive Final Exam

Comprehensive Final Exam:

Exams: There will be 4 regular multiple choice exams during the semester, each worth 100 points (50 questions X 2 points). During final exam week a comprehensive 5^th exam that is multiple choice will be available and is optional for all students who complete the first 4 exams. The comprehensive exam will have about 17 questions from each of the first 3 exams. This comprehensive exam can be taken to replace a lower score on one of the first 4 exams. The comprehensive exam cannot be used to replace exam 4 (if you missed it). Students who missed exam 4 will take it during final exam week instead of the comprehensive exam. If you missed exam 4 and take the comprehensive exam instead of exam 4 during final exam week you will receive a ZERO for that exam. The lowest test grade from the 5 exam scores will be dropped in computing the final grade (so if you score lower on the comprehensive exam it won't affect your grade). Therefore, there will be 400 total points in the course.

***********   Starting the day after each test, you have 2 weeks to come and see your test to see what you missed. After 2 weeks it is too late to see your old tests !!!!

Please Note: All grade bumps will occur AFTER you take the comprehensive 5^th exam.   If you do not take the comprehensive exam and your total points ( not percentage points ) are 1 - 3 points from the next letter grade you will NOT get your grade bumped !!

No Make Up Exams will be given!!   If one exam is missed for any reason (except exam 4 - see above), the student will have to take the comprehensive exam at the end of the semester to replace the missed exam. If more than ONE exam is missed the student will be given a ZERO for each additional missed exam, and it is highly recommended that such students withdraw from the course if possible. Check the exam schedule now, if you know now you have to miss 2 exams please change to a different section of GB 100 or drop the course now and take it next semester.

320 - 359 = B - Above average. Performance exceeds basic expectations for the course, demonstrated mastery of at least 80% of course content.

280 - 319 = C - Average. Performance meets basic expectations for the course, demonstrated mastery of at least 70% of course content.

240 - 279 = D - Below average. Performance does not meet basic expectations for the course but is acceptable for credit, demonstrated mastery of at least 60% of course content.

     0 - 239 = F - Unsatisfactory. Performance unacceptable for academic credit, demonstrated mastery of less than 60% of course content.

**** Do NOT ask me at the end of the semester what you can do to raise your grade – It is too late !!!

Please come to see me after your first exam if you want to improve your grade !!!

Disabilities Services: Emporia State University will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students need to contact the Director of Disability Services and the professor as early in the semester as possible to ensure that classroom and academic accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. All communication between students, the Office of Disability Services, and the professor will be strictly confidential.

Test-out Examination: A test-out examination will be given on Monday, August 25^th, at 4:00 p.m. in SH 156. Students who pass this exam, with a grade of at least 70%, may drop GB 100 and add GB 100TO (signifying test-out). This will indicate on the transcript that you did test out of the course and you will receive three hours of credit. However, no letter grades are awarded; only a P grade. Students taking the exam must present their ID card to identify themselves; you cannot take the exam without it. You should not attempt this examination unless you have a good high school background in biology and chemistry and you have a reasonable amount of confidence in your abilities.

*** There is no test-out exam for the laboratory course GB 101.

Expectations: You do need to purchase a textbook and I recommend you bring it with you to class to refer to figures and tables. If you want to do well in a college level science course you should budget 2 hours of study time per each lecture. For tips on how to do well in this science course please follow this link.

Please feel free to come and talk to me if you have problems related to the class, questions, or if you just want to chat. I will be available during my office hours or you can make arrangements to meet with me at other times. Questions and comments are encouraged in lecture!!! If you are confused or want clarification on something then probably so do many of your classmates. I am not a mind reader, therefore you must let me know if something is not clear to you.

***********   My lecture notes are available for students to see or copy ( not photocopy ) during my office hours. If you missed something in lecture, please feel free to come and look at my notes.

PLEASE:     NO TALKING DURING LECTURES. If I can hear you, I assume that you are disturbing your classmates.

Unless you want to annoy the instructor and disturb your classmates, do not come to lecture LATE !!

Also, if you come to lecture DO NOT SLEEP OR GET UP AND WALK OUT EARLY or suffer the CONSEQUENCES!!!

The instructor reserves the right to initiate a faculty withdrawal from this class or lower your final letter grade for any student with excessive absences or disruptive behavior. ( By excessive I mean more than 5 total absences !!!! )

IMPORTANT:Please turn your cell phones off or leave them at home !!    If you let your phone ring during class time or especially during a test, the instructor reserves the right to dismiss you from class and/or lower your final letter grade because you were irresponsible and disruptive !!!

Contract terminated on 14 Oct 2005 at 9:10 in GB 100 Section A Class