PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY

Biology 121L- 001/002

Fall 1999

Syllabus

 

 

Meeting Place & Time:             

           Lecture (001):      Rm. 133, Acad. bldg; Tuesday & Thursday 1:00-2:15 p.m.

           Lab (002):                   Rm. 135, Acad. bldg; Tuesday  2:30-5:15 p.m.                                

 

 

Instructors:                Dr. Miriam J. Chávez                                   

Office:                     Room 134, Acad. bldg                                                                    

Office hours:                   Monday – Thursday 9:00-10:00 a.m.

Tuesday & Thursday 11:15-12:15 p.m.

 

Phone:                  925-8613                                                

e-mail:                   mjchavez@unm.edu

 

 

 

TEXTBOOKS:

Lecture:                Life: The Science of Biology by Purves, Orians, Heller, and Sadava, 6th edition,

2001, Freeman Publisher. (Note: either volume I or both)

 

     Lab:                      Explorations in Basic Biology by Gunstream, 9th edition, 2001, Prentice Hall.

 

 

 

REQUIREMENTS:                Attendance.  Attendance is necessary for you to participate in class as well as to fully understand the material presented.  You are responsible for “signing-in” to document your attendance.  Unless otherwise advised, after four absences you can be dropped from the class.

 

Policies. 

1.        Make-up Exams.  Make-up exams will be given with a documented emergency.  There is no extra-credit on make-up exams. 

2.        Quizzes.  Make-up quizzes will be given to students with a valid excuse.

3.        Cheating and Plagiarism.  CHEATING ON EXAMS OR PLAGIARIZING IS A VIOLATION OF UNIVERSITY POLICY.  Anyone caught cheating or plagiarizing will be dealt with following university policy.

4.        Withdrawal. All withdrawals must have a passing grade (70% or better) as of the last class attended to receive a withdrawal passing (WP).

5.        Special needs. If there is any student in this class who has a disability, please inform me of your special needs as soon as possible to ensure those needs are met in a timely manner.

6.        Cell phones. As a courtesy to the class, please turn off any cell phones or pagers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grading policy:                Lecture will count for 70% of the course grade, while the lab will count for 30%. 

                               

                                                                                                Lecture:

                                                                                                                Attendance --- 30 points

                                                                                                                Quizzes (4 out of 5) --- 40 points

                                                                                                                Exam (3) --- 300 points

                                                                                                                Final Comprehensive Exam ---110 pts  

                                                                                                                                                               

 

 

                                                                               

 

The total possible points (480 points) will divide the student’s total points and the grade earned will be based on the following percentage:

 

                                                                100 or higher -- A+                          90-99 – A                             80-89 -- B            

                                                                70-79 – C                                             60-69 – D                             below 60 – F

               

 

 

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

                1.  to learn the principles & concepts of introductory biology

                2.  to develop a basis for studying advanced biology

                3.  to develop an appreciation for biological science

                4.  to familiarize the student with the basic techniques used in biology

                5.  to demonstrate concepts presented in lecture

 

 

 

STUDY TIPS:

1.        Be an active student.

2.        Look at chapter outline before coming to lecture.

3.        Read the chapter.  It will take you more than one reading to understand the material presented.

4.        Learn the vocabulary.

5.        Take good notes in class.

6.        Keep up with the lecture.

7.        Give yourself plenty of time to study for a quiz or exam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LECTURE --- COURSE OUTLINE

 

                                                                                                                   Chapter

August 21 - September 11

                An Evolutionary Framework for Biology .............................                1

                Small Molecules & Macromolecules ..................................              2, 3

                The Organization of Cells .……..........................................                4

 

                Quizzes -- Quiz 1—Aug. 31; Quiz 2--Sept. 6

                EXAM I --- Thursday, September 13

 

September 18 - October 16

                Cellular Membranes .............................................................                5

                Energy, Enzymes, and Metabolism .…..................................         6

                Cellular Pathways That Harvest Chemical Energy ................                7  

                Photosynthesis: Energy from the Sun ...................................             8

 

                Oct. 11 & 12 -- FALL BREAK -- No Classes

                Quiz 3--Oct. 4

                EXAM II --- Thursday, October 18

 

October 23 - November 13

                Chromosomes, the Cell Cycle and Cell Division ..............  9

                Transmission Genetics ....................................................                10

                DNA & Genetics …….......................................................                11, 12

 

                Quiz 4--Oct. 25

                EXAM III --- Thursday, November 15

 

November 20 - December 6

                Genetics of Viruses, Prokaryotes & Eukaryotes ................                13, 14

                Biotechnology & Molecular Biology ...................................             16, 17

 

                Nov. 22 & 23 -- THANKSGIVING -- No Classes

                Quiz 5—Nov. 29

 

 

FINAL EXAM   December 10-13 Date & time will be announced later.
LABORATORY --- COURSE OUTLINE

 

 

1. August 21                         Exercise 1                Orientation

 

2. August 28                         Exercise 2                Microscopy                                                         QUIZ 1

 

3. September 4                      No Lab                                                  

 

4. September 11                    Exercise 4              Chemical Aspects                                 QUIZ 2

 

5. September 18                    Exercise 3              Cell                                        

                               

6. September 25                      Exercise 5                Diffusion and Osmosis                                      QUIZ 3

 

7. October 2                           Exercise 6              Enzymes                               

 

8. October 9                           MIDTERM EXAM

 

9. October 16                         Exercise 8              Cellular Respiration           

                                                               

10. October 23                       Exercise 7                Photosynthesis                                                  QUIZ 4

 

11. October 30                         Exercise 9              Cell Division: Mitosis

 

12. November 6                     Exercise 9              Cell Division: Meiosis                                 QUIZ 5                                                                  

13. November 13                     Exercise 34            Heredity

 

14. November 20                     Exercise 35            Genetics                                                                 QUIZ 6

                 

15. November 27                   Exercise 36            DNA Fingerprinting                       HOMEWORK DUE

 

16. December 4                       FINAL EXAM

 

 

NOTE:  Midterm and final exams will be divided into practical and theoretical portions.  The practical portion will be based on visual observations, while the theoretical will be similar to the quizzes.

 

Grading policy for the Lab (30% of course grade):  

 

                                Quizzes (5 out of 6) .............   50 pts

                                Midterm Exam ....................                   50 pts

                                Final Exam .........................        80 pts

                                Lab Reports/Attendance ......                    50 pts**

                                   Homework ...........................                   20 pts

                                                                            Total       250 points

 

                **Lab reports will be turned in at midterm and final exam days.  Points will be deducted from attendance when each lab is missed or not completed.