BSC 120 Section 001: Honors Gen Biology II
Spring 2013
4 Credit Hours
Primary Instructor: Dr. Martha Powell
Core Designation: University Honors, Natural Science
Syllabus subject to change.
BSC 120, Honors General Biology II, is a continuation of BSC 118, Honors General Biology I. Along with BSC 118 (or BSC 114:115), it provides a foundation for future coursework in biological sciences. It is a study of the structure, function, physiology, phylogeny, and ecology of organisms, including microbes, fungi, lower and higher plants, and invertebrate and vertebrate animals. It includes three 1-hr lectures, a 1-hr discussion period, and a 3-hr laboratory each week. BSC 120 will satisfy core curriculum requirements for a natural science course and will substitute for BSC 116:117 for those majoring in biology, microbiology, or marine science.
At the end of the course students will be able to:
A 1. Recognize the diversity in form of living organisms and the shared characters of various groups of organisms.
A 2. Explain the methods and principles used to determine phylogeny of eukaryotes.
A 3. Describe specific examples of physiological processes including some potential disorders that occur when function is not optimal, helping to appreciate the diversity in function of living organisms.
A 4. Apply basic concepts in population, community and ecosystem ecology to problems.
A 5. Relate the impact of living organisms on man and the impact of man on other living organisms
As a collaborative and active learning course, at the end of the course students will be able to:
B 1. Recognize and identify key concepts in science to provide a broad perspective on the human condition
B 2. Critically discriminate between reliable and less reliable information when making decisions
B 3. Apply the scientific method and critically evaluate scientific information as related to real world problems
B 4. Understand the bases of research methods used organismal biology
B 5. Utilize skills in working together in a team developed in the course.
Through participation in the laboratory, at the end of the course students will be able to:
C 1. Apply scientific methods and critically evaluate scientific
C 2. Identify and interpret microscopic and macroscopic structures of major organismal groups (see laboratory syllabus),
C3. Design experiments to explore basic hypotheses in organismal biology (see laboratory syllabus).
| Jan | W | 9 | Lecture: | Course Introduction |
| Discussion: | Assessment | |||
| F | 11 | Lecture: | CH 25: Origin of Life | |
| M | 14 | Lecture: | CH 25: Origin of Life | |
| W | 16 | Lecture: | CH 27: Bacteria and Archaea | |
| Discussion: | Biodiversity - "Tree Thinking and Phylogenetics" | |||
| F | 18 | Lecture: | CH 27: Bacteria and Archaea | |
| M | 21 | NO CLASS | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day No Class | |
| W | 23 | Lecture: | CH 28: Protista | |
| Discussion: | Protista - "Parasites: Eating us Alive" | |||
| F | 25 | Lecture: | CH 28: Protista | |
| M | 28 | Lecture: | CH 28: Protista | |
| W | 30 | Lecture: | CH 31: Fungi | |
| EXAM # 1 | EXAM #1 - Chapters 25, 27, 28 | |||
| Feb | F | 1 | Lecture: | CH 31: Fungi |
| M | 4 | Lecture: | CH 29: Plants | |
| W | 6 | Lecture: | CH 30: Plants | |
| Discussion: | Plants - "Stressed Out Plants" Dr. David Francko | |||
| F | 8 | Lecture: | CH 30: Plants | |
| M | 11 | Lecture: | CH 35: Plant Form and Function | |
| W | 13 | Lecture: | CH 35: Plant Form and Function | |
| Discussion: | The Evidentiary Approach to Discovery - "What Happened to the Dinosaurs?" | |||
| F | 15 | Lecture: | CH 38: Angiosperm Reproduction & Biotechnology | |
| M | 18 | Lecture: | CH 36, 37: Plant Nutrition and Transport | |
| W | 20 | Lecture: | Chapter 32: Animals | |
| EXAM # 2 | Exam #2 - Chapters 29, 30, 31, 35, 36, 37, 38 | |||
| F | 22 | Lecture: | Chapter 32: Animals | |
| M | 25 | Lecture: | Chapter 33: Animals | |
| W | 27 | Lecture: | Chapter 33: Animals | |
| Discussion: | Physiology - "Hormones and Behavior: Something Fishy" Dr. Ryan Earley | |||
| March | F | 1 | Lecture: | Chapter 33: Animals |
| M | 4 | Lecture: | Chapter 34: Animals | |
| W | 6 | Lecture: | Chapter 34: Animals | |
| Discussion: | Physiology - "Snakes on a Plane" Dr. Stephen Secor | |||
| F | 8 | Lecture: | Chapter 40: Animal Form and Function | |
| M | 11 | Lecture: | Chapter 40: Animal Form and Function | |
| W | 13 | Lecture: | Chapter 41: Nutrition and Digestion | |
| EXAM # 3 | Exam #3 - Chapters 32, 33, 34, 40 | |||
| F | 15 | Lecture: | Chapter 41: Nutrition and Digestion | |
| M | 18 | Lecture: | Chapter 42: Circulation and Gas Exchange | |
| W | 20 | Lecture: | Chapter 42: Circulation and Gas Exchange | |
| Discussion: | Development - "Sex and Monsters" Dr. Jane Rasco | |||
| F | 22 | Lecture: | Chapter 42: Circulation and Gas Exchange | |
| M | 25 | NO CLASS | SPRING BREAK No Class | |
| W | 27 | NO CLASS | SPRING BREAK No Class | |
| F | 29 | NO CLASS | SPRING BREAK No Class | |
| April | M | 1 | Lecture: | Chapter 44 : Osmoregulation and Excretion |
| W | 3 | Lecture: | Chapter 44 : Osmoregulation and Excretion | |
| NO Discuss | Honor's Week No Discussion | |||
| F | 5 | NO CLASS | Honor's Week No Class | |
| M | 8 | Lecture: | Chapters 48/49 Nervous System | |
| W | 10 | Lecture: | Chapters 48/49 Nervous System | |
| EXAM # 4 | Chapters 41, 42, 44 | |||
| F | 12 | Lecture: | Chapter 46: Reproduction | |
| M | 15 | Lecture: | Chapter 46: Reproduction | |
| W | 17 | Lecture: | Chapters 53,54 Population and Community Ecology | |
| Discussion: | Ecology - "Discovery of Ecological Risks with Introduction of Non-Native Species" Dr. Jennifer Howeth | |||
| F | 19 | Lecture: | Chapters 53,54 Population and Community Ecology | |
| M | 22 | Lecture: | Chapters 55,56 Ecosystem Ecology and Conservation | |
| W | 24 | Lecture: | Chapters 55,56 Ecosystem Ecology and Conservation | |
| No Discuss | Dead Week | |||
| F | 26 | Lecture: | Chapters 55,56 Ecosystem Ecology and Conservation | |
| May | F | 3 | EXAM #5 | 9:00-10:30AM FINAL EXAM (Exam #5) |
| Chapters (48,49), 46, (53,54), (55,56) |
There will be 5 lecture examinations during the semester. Value Added Points are earned for participation in active and collaborative learning projects. Each exam counts 20% of the lecture grade, and the lecture grade counts 75% of the course grade.
Mid-term grades that are reported are based ONLY on the lecture portion of the course. You should consult your laboratory teacher to evaluate your performance in the laboratory portion of the course.
Your final grade is based on:
(Total Exam Scores + VAP / 5) 0.75 + (Laboratory %) 0.25 = Final Grade Percent.
Results on exams and value added points account for 75% of the course grade. Through active learning and collaborative projects, up to 20 Value Added Points may be added to the sum of your 5 exam scores. The laboratory portion accounts for the remaining 25% of your course grade. Details regarding the laboratory are provided in a separate laboratory syllabus. Course grades will be assigned using the following scale:
|
98-100 A+ |
88-89 B+ |
78-79 C+ |
68-69 D+ |
below 60 F |
|
92-97 A |
82-87 B |
72-77 C |
62-67 D |
|
|
90-91 A- |
80-81 B- |
70-71 C- |
60-61 D- |
|
Make-up exams will be given in cases where illness or compelling circumstances are verified. Make-up exams will be given Friday April 19, 2013 at 3PM for Exams # 1,2,3 and 4. There are no make-ups for missed make-up exams.
If the final exam is missed (with a valid excuse) the make up will be scheduled following the university's make-up schedule set for departments.
Attendance is required. Students are unlikely to do well if they rely on the textbook alone or other students’ notes.
None for Lecture. See Laboratory Syllabus for other course materials.
Value Added Points are earned by participation in active and collaborative learning projects.
All students in attendance at the University of Alabama are expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. The University expects from its students a higher standard of conduct than the minimum required to avoid discipline. Academic misconduct includes all acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any knowing or intentional help or attempt to help, or conspiracy to help, another student.
The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.
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