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.