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Biology 202: Spring 2015, Instructor: Dr. Ed Devlin
Course Organization As most of you know Biology 202, Anatomy and Physiology, is one of the three "core" courses taught in the biology department. Biology 202, along with Biology 201 (Genetics and Cell Biology) and Biology 203 (Ecology) are designed to expose students interested in the study of biology to core subject areas that define the discipline. In Biology 202 we will build on the concepts introduced in Biology 110 and explore the mechanisms and strategies utilized by multicellular organisms that allow them to survive and reproduce. This is no small task, as cells and multi-cellular organisms represent highly-ordered arrays of molecules in a universe that does not like ordered structures, hence a constant input and processing of energy is necessary. In Biology 2020 we will be looking at the basic organizing and functioning principles of both plant and animal systems. Along the way we will pay special attention to how organisms have evolved different strategies which allow them to continue to survive and reproduce. The scope of the material we will be investigating represents a tall order to try to cover in a single semester, especially in a course designed for first year college science students. As such, it is our intention to provide an overview of how plant and animal systems evolved to have their current structure and function. In such an undertaking it is sometimes easy to get bogged-down in the details of how these complex systems operate. But hopefully we will be able to break through in our level of understanding, so that we can develop a sense of awe and wonder at how living organisms have evolved and are able to go about their daily business of survival and reproduction.
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 laboratory is an integral part of the course and lab attendance is required. You cannot receive a passing grade in Biology 202 with any with any unexcused absences from lab. The lab manual is a work-in-progress this semester and we will provide you with a copy. The text this semester one of the current editions of the text that has been used in previous semesters by Sadava et al, Life, the Science of Biology, 2014, Tenth Edition, Sinauer/Freeman. The text comes with a website that contains many resources that support the topics in the text. The Internet address is: www.thelifewire.com. This is an excellent text that you will find a useful resource not only for our class but also for many of the upper-division courses you may be taking.
Grading/Honor Code The grade in this course is made up of both your lecture grade and lab grade. The breakdown of how the grades are determined in the course is given below:
Four Lecture Exams, 13% each 52% In all of your work in this course I expect a level of integrity from all students as put forth in the HSC Honor Code. LECTURE SCHEDULE Lecture Number Lecture Topic Chapter In Text
1. Introduction 1 LABORATORY SCHEDULE, SPRONG 2015
Lab Number Dates Lab Topic
1 Jan 20/22 Cells and Biological Membranes 3 Feb 2/5 Photosynthetic Pigments 4 Feb 10/13 Plant Structure and Hormone Function 5 Feb 17/19 Animal Structure and Function 6 Feb 24/26 Endocrine System Function 9 Mar 17/19 Invertebrate Body Plans 10 Mar 24/26 Vertebrate Body Plans 11 Mar 31/Apr 2 Human Heart Function 12 Apr 7/9 Human Muscle Physiology 13 Apr 14/16 Frog Sciatic Nerve Function 13 Apr 21/23 Presentations I 14 Apr 28/30 Presentations II
Presentation/Paper: Each student is required to write a research paper and make a PowerPoint presentation on their research topic during one of the last two lab periods. The topic of the paper is one you select that deals with some aspect of the topics we cover in this course. It can be approached at any level of organization, from the subatomic (electron flow) to the organismal. Your paper should take the format of a literature review of some area of interest you have or that you develop during the semester. You may start your literature search by looking at appropriate journals in our library or an online search using the various one-line services available. Note that most of the literature sources will not be found in our library and must be downloaded or hardcopies ordered in from surrounding libraries. Therefore it is very important to start your search as soon early in the semester as possible. Another aspect of this paper is that the literature used must be primary literature from refereed journals. While many online journals are available and may be used almost all of the more common websites and references you come up with if you goggle a topic may not be used unless they are from a valid refereed journal. The format for the references you cite in your paper should follow the format used in the literature cited section of any of the major journals you have used. By mid-semester you should hand in a short general outline for your paper with the key papers you plan to use. Your papers are due the last day of classes. A PowerPoint presentation of your paper will be given to the class in the last two weeks during lab. Your presentation will be 15 minutes long with 3 minutes for questions. Any new feedback or ideas resulting from your presentation should be integrated into your final draft of your paper. |