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Biology 110: Spring, 2013 Instructor: Dr. Ed Devlin Office: Gilmer 107, 6173, edevlin@hsc.edu Office Hours: 10:30 daily, and Arranged Course Organization Biology 110, Principles of Biology, is a course designed as an introduction to the study of biology, both for the science major and for the student only taking one course in biology. A science-based course such as one in biology is much more than an accumulation of facts neatly ordered in a text book. Any science is both a study of knowledge and importantly, the process whereby that knowledge is obtained. Clearly, today there is far more information available in the field of biology than can be covered in a one-semester course. As the name of the course implies, we will approach the study of the discipline by examining a number of major themes that run through the biological sciences. Major topics will include an introduction to the study of biology, ecological relationships, genetics and the molecular basis of inheritance, and evolutionary biology. As part of this process, it is necessary to acknowledge the validity of competing and often contradictory points of view, to accept the limited nature of what can be known with certainty, and to resist the temptation to reduce the natural world to simplistic categories of black and white. It is hoped that as you begin to understand the complexity and multiplicity of living things and living processes, that you will develop a deeper appreciation and awe of what life is. Lecture Attendance/Text Lecture attendance is mandatory, you will find it very difficult to do well on, or pass the exams if you do not attend lecture. The text for the course this semester is Discover Biology by Singh-Cundy and Cain, 2012, Fifth Edition, Norton and Company. This looks like an excellent text designed for both students interested in continuing in science as well as those that are only interested in fulfilling their lab science graduation requirement. Note that I am recommending the second edition of the text, which should be available for a reasonable price, it is not necessary to buy the third edition. Grading/Honor code There will be four lecture exams worth 80% of your final grade, the final exam will count for 20% of your grade. To encourage you to do your best (and to offset bad days), exams will be weighted differently according to your performance. Of course, I expect integrity as put forth in the Honor Code from all students on all their work in this course. The grading summary is broken down below: Exam with the lowest grade 17% Exams with the middle grades 20% each 40% Exam with the highest grade 23% Final Exam 20% TOTAL 100%
TOPIC CHAPTER IN TEXT 1. Introduction: What is biology? What is life? Ch. 1 2. Process & product, methods & theories; major themes of biology Ch. 1 3. Nanobacteria Handout 4. More on Nanobacteria Handout 5. The Biosphere Ch. 21 6. Population dynamics Ch. 22 7. Patterns of population growth Ch. 22 8. Niches and community structure Ch. 23 9. Community interactions Ch. 23 10. EXAM I --- 11. Energy flow through ecosystems; trophic webs Ch. 24 12. Nutrient flow through ecosystems; biosphere and climate Ch. 24 13. Global Change Ch. 25 14. Introduction to Cells Ch. 6 15. Cell growth and division Ch. 10 16. Meiosis and making gametes Ch. 10 17. Stem Cells Ch. 11 18. Mendelian genetics: probabilities, problems, Punnett squares Ch. 12 19. Dominance relations; polygenic inheritance and interactions Ch. 12 20. Human genetic analysis; chromosomal mapping & non-disjunction Ch. 13 21. EXAM II --- 22. DNA structure and its role in inheritance Ch. 14 23. DNA replication and repair Ch. 14 24. Protein synthesis and the genetic code Ch. 15 25. From DNA to protein; from genotype to phenotype Ch. 15 26. Biotechnology Ch. 16 27. Biotechnology continued Ch. 16 28. Natural selection Ch. 17 29. Evidence for evolution Ch. 17 30. Evolution of Populations Ch. 18 31. EXAM III --- 32. Microevolution and Macroevolution Ch. 18 33. Rates of speciation Ch. 19 34. Evolution of early life Ch. 20 35. Extinctions/adaptive radiations Ch. 20 36. Viruses, prokaryotes, & “simple” eukaryotes Ch. 2 37. Plant evolution I Ch. 3 38. Plant evolution II Ch. 3 39. Animal evolution I Ch. 4 40. Animal evolution II Ch. 4 41. EXAM IV --- 42. Course review ---
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