PIKEVILLE COLLEGE

PIKEVILLE COLLEGE

BIO 152: PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY

COURSE REQUIREMENT FORM

Course Description

Meeting Times & Room Location (Current Term)

Instructor: Joe Whittaker

Office: ARM 105

Office Phone: 218 - 5467

Division Phone: 218 - 5460

email: jwhittak@pc.edu

Office Hours: See schedule or by appointment.

Prequiste: BIO 151 (C or better)

Required Textbook: Campbell, N. A., and J. B. Reese. 2002. Biology. 6^th Edition. Benjamin/Cummings. Menlo Park, CA. 1330 pp.

Morgan, J. G., and M. E. B. Carter. 2002. Investigating Biology. 4^th Edition. Benjamin/Cummings. New York. 776 pp.

Recommended: Taylor, M. R. 2002. Student Study Guide for Biology. 6^th Edition. Benjamin/Cummings. Menlo Park, CA. 532 pp.

Goals and Objectives: The primary goal of this course is for you to learn to distinguish major groups of bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals, as well as, to develop an understanding of each group of organisms' life requirements and developmental stages. This will enable you to make objective observations of living and preserved organisms and to formulate and test hypotheses about the evolutionary history, morphology, behavior, and development of organisms. Interactions of organisms with one another and their environments, both locally and globally, will be introduced in order to enable you to critically read, converse, and make responsible decisions about personal and societal issues. You will continue to develop skills in the use of laboratory techniques such as microscopy and dissection. Laboratories are designed to provide you with hands-on study of morphology and natural history of major groups of organisms. Laboratory provides important skills you will need for further biology coursework. Writing assignments will expose you to current literature and help you learn to think critically.

The material we will discuss in this course is cumulative by its very nature. It is therefore critical for you to have a good understanding of the material early in the semester to provide a basis for you to comprehend the later material.

Attendance Policy:

Attendance in lectures is not required. However, if absences become excessive (without valid, college-recognized excuses) points will be deducted from your final percentage, or in extreme cases a grade of Q or F will be assigned. I strongly recommend you attend class. There is a strong positive correlation between lecture attendance and final course grade. While attendance will not formally count for points in the course, students who attend class regularly will be given extra consideration in the case of a borderline final grade. If you miss a lecture you are responsible for getting the material you missed. If you know ahead of time (athletic activities, etc.) that you will be missing an assignment, you must contact the instructor at least 24 hours in advance concerning your absence in order to make arrangements to make up any missed assignments. You must make up any missed assignments either before your absence or before the next class meeting. Any work missed because of a valid, college-recognized emergency absence (must be accompanied by a written excuse, (e.g., physicians note, etc.)) must be made up as soon as possible after your return.

Laboratory attendance will count for 10% of your final laboratory grade. Unexcused laboratory absences will result in loss of points. Missing four or more labs, without a valid, college recognized excuse, will result in a grade of F in the course. You must attend your assigned lab period. If you must miss a lab we may make prior arrangements to attend the other section. Students will not be permitted to just show up to the alternate section. This will be strictly enforced during laboratory exam weeks.

In the event you must miss a lecture or lab exam you must contact me BEFORE the exam. If you miss a test or other assignment due to an emergency (illness, etc.), you must have a valid, written excuse (physician's note, etc.). Any exam missed without specifically notifying me and making arrangements ahead of time or without a valid, college-recognized emergency excuse will be assigned a grade of “0” on the exam. A word of warning: make-up exams will not be identical in content or format to original exams (often in essay format and therefore may seem more difficult than the original examination). Typically make-up exams are given during finals week. Missed lab exams CAN NOT be made up.

Grading Policy and Scale:

Grades will be based on the following:

1. Three lecture exams (~125 points each)

2. Cumulative lecture final exam (~200 points)

3. Two laboratory exams (100 points each)

4. Lab notebook (including diagrams) (20 points)

5. Lab attendance (22 points)

6. Writing assignments (30 points total)

Your grade will be based on your percentage* of the total points as follows:

Percentage Grade

> 90 A

80-89 B

70-79 C

60-69 D

< 59 F

* Your percentage = Your total points / Total number of points possible

    Lecture exams will be of variable format. This may include a combination of, but is not limited to,    multiple choice, true/false, matching, short answer, and brief essays. The final lecture exam will be cumulative. Lab exams will typically be composed of both objective and written questions.

    The laboratory notebook will be turned in and graded following each lab exam. I will be grading notebooks on organization, clarity, and effectiveness as a study aid. I expect you to make diagrams and notes on organisms observed in lab. I will not be grading you based on artistic ability.

    You will be asked to turn in 6 article reviews. The first three should come from popular literature [newspapers, popular magazines, etc. (NOT primary literature)]. These first three should pertain to current biological issues. The next three should come from primary literature (scientific, peer-reviewed journals). You may need to get these through interlibrary loans so plan ahead. You may get copies of the article from the internet but websites themselves are not appropriate sources. Each article review should consist of one or two paragraphs describing what the article is about and a concluding paragraph explaining the significance and relevance of the article.   Your article reviews must be accompanied by a copy of the article. I will require two copies of your written review. All articles must have been published after 1 December 2002.

    Assignments are due at the beginning of the class period unless otherwise specified. Late assignments will be penalized 10% per day (starting with – 10% after the assignments are collected in class).

Academic Dishonesty: Pikeville College views academic dishonesty as cheating, plagiarism, fabricating, or facilitating academic dishonesty. I will not tolerate any instance of academic dishonesty. Science depends on the integrity of those contributing to it. As such, instances of plagiarism or academic dishonesty will result in either: the student receiving a failing grade for the activity or receiving a failing grade for the course, according to the perceived intent and extent of the instance(s) of academic dishonesty. This policy will be rigidly enforced. Copying portions of your article reviews word-for-word from the source article or copying from a friend or the internet is plagiarism. Please see the Pikeville College Course Catalog or ask me if you have questions about academic dishonesty. It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty.

Vandalism, intentional destruction and theft of Pikeville College property (including specimens, models, slides, or facilities) and/or endangering other people through negligent or irresponsible behavior will result in your immediate dismissal with a grade of "F" for this course and may result in legal action by Pikeville College.

Tentative Lecture Schedule for BIO 152

Tentative Laboratory Schedule for BIO 152.

Section A on Mondays. Section B on Wednesdays.

Disclaimer: The schedules and policies associated with this course may be subject to revision or change as a consequence of changing circumstances or events. Reasonable notification will be provided to students prior to any major changes in course policies or procedure.

Individuals who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, which might affect their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to inform me (the instructor) at the start of the semester. Methods, materials, or testing may be modified as required to provide for equitable participation.

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PC / Division of Science / Biology / Faculty / JWhittaker
URL: http://campus.pc.edu/~jwhittak/JCWclasses/Principles_of_Biology_II/BIO152SyllWeb1.htm
Last updated: 1/09/03 / JCW

	Lecture exams will be of variable format. This may include a combination of, but is not limited to, multiple choice, true/false, matching, short answer, and brief essays. The final lecture exam will be cumulative. Lab exams will typically be composed of both objective and written questions.
	The laboratory notebook will be turned in and graded following each lab exam. I will be grading notebooks on organization, clarity, and effectiveness as a study aid. I expect you to make diagrams and notes on organisms observed in lab. I will not be grading you based on artistic ability.
	You will be asked to turn in 6 article reviews. The first three should come from popular literature [newspapers, popular magazines, etc. (NOT primary literature)]. These first three should pertain to current biological issues. The next three should come from primary literature (scientific, peer-reviewed journals). You may need to get these through interlibrary loans so plan ahead. You may get copies of the article from the internet but websites themselves are not appropriate sources. Each article review should consist of one or two paragraphs describing what the article is about and a concluding paragraph explaining the significance and relevance of the article. Your article reviews must be accompanied by a copy of the article. I will require two copies of your written review. All articles must have been published after 1 December 2002.
	Assignments are due at the beginning of the class period unless otherwise specified. Late assignments will be penalized 10% per day (starting with – 10% after the assignments are collected in class).