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Syllabus for Bi 253: Principles of Biology

Spring 2010 Portland State University

Course Description The Principles of Biology sequence (Bi 251, 252, and 253)
introduces the foundations of life science. Bi 253 examines how
animals develop and work, and many different aspects of ecology.

Prerequisite Chemistry 221 and 227 (or concurrent enrollment)

Instructor Dr. Mandy Cook


Office: n/a
Email: tursiops@pdx.edu or posted to Blackboard
Office hours: Mondays 4:00-6:00 pm; SB2 second floor lobby

Lectures Sect. 2: MW 1840 – 2030, Hoffmann Hall, Rm. 109, CRN 60293
(Sect. 1: MWF 1130 – 1235, Hoffmann Hall, Rm. 109, CRN 60292)

Final Exam MONDAY, June 7, 2010, 1930-2120

Laboratory All labs are held in SB1, Rm. 409. You must be concurrently
enrolled in both a lecture and a laboratory section.

Text “Biological Science” by Freeman, 3rd edition (Pearson)


(Optional: “Study Guide for Biological Science”, 3rd edition)
All laboratory materials will be posted on Blackboard

Course Web Pages I will use the PSU online resource Blackboard for posting lectures,
announcements, the lab manual, and other course materials. Log in
at http://psuonline.pdx.edu/. You must have an ODIN ID and be
registered for the course in order to access the Blackboard site.

Important Dates Apr 11 Drop deadline (course not on transcript)


Apr 14 Lecture Exam 1
May 3 Lecture Exam 2
May 16 Grading option change/withdraw deadline
May 17 Lecture Exam 3
May 31 Memorial Day – no class
Jun 7 Final exam 1930-2120 Hoffman Hall
Syllabus: Bi 253 2

Grading Lecture (total 70%)


Class exams (best 2 of 3): 20% each (total of 40%)
Final exam: 30%

Laboratory (total 30%)

Exams There will be three class exams. Your lowest class exam score will
be dropped. No make up exams will be given. The final exam will
cover the whole course, and cannot be dropped.

Grading Policy Grades will be assigned according to the percentage of possible


points earned. As a rough guide, the highest score on any given
exam can be thought of as 100%. If you earn at least 90% of the
highest score you will receive an A- or higher; if you earn at least
80% you will receive a B- or higher; if you earn at least 70% of the
possible points you will receive a C- or higher; if you earn at least
60% of the possible points you will receive a D- or higher.

Incompletes PSU’s policy on incompletes is strictly adhered to in this course.


Please note, you must be passing the course (with a C- or better) in
order to be eligible for an incomplete. See the PSU Bulletin for more
information: http://www.pdx.edu/oaa/psu-bulletin.

Classroom Policies

Academic Honesty Cheating or plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated. See the
PSU “Code of Student Conduct and Responsibility” for more
information: http://www.pdx.edu/dos/conduct. If cheating occurs, the
grade for the assignment will be a “0” (and will not be dropped), and
the student will be reported to University officials as described in the
Code (577-031-014: Procedures for Complaints of Academic
Dishonesty).

Academic Courtesy Respect the rights of fellow students during the class period. Please
avoid talking and other distracting behavior, and turn off your
phones and other noise-making devices.

Scheduling Students are expected to arrive for class on time so that lectures
and labs start and end according to schedule.

Facilities All are expected to help maintain the appearance of the classroom.
After class, all trash should be removed and discarded or recycled
appropriately.

Disability If you have a disability and are in need of academic


accommodation: first register with the Disability Resource Center
[(503)725-4150, http://www.drc.pdx.edu/], then notify Dr. Cook to
make appropriate arrangements.
Syllabus: Bi 253 3

lecture
wk day date topic chapter points lab lab points
mon 29-Mar early development; pattern form 21; 22
1 metabolism
wed 31-Mar cell diff; animal form/fxn 22; 41
mon 5-Apr water balance & kidneys 42 mlr=15
2 development
wed 7-Apr nutrition 43 dq=5
mon 12-Apr gas exchange & circulation 44 dlr=15
3 cardiovascular
wed 14-Apr Exam 1 21, 22, 41, 42, 43 20% cq=5
mon 19-Apr nervous system 45 clr=15
4 nervous system
wed 21-Apr sensory 1 46 nq=5
mon 26-Apr sensory 2 & muscle 46 nlr=15
5 sensory
wed 28-Apr hormones 47 sq=5
mon 3-May Exam 2 44, 45, 46 (ex muscles) 20% slr=15
6 muscle
wed 5-May reproduction 48 mq=5
mon 10-May immunology 1 49 mlr=15
7 immunology
wed 12-May biomes & biogeography 50 iq=5
mon 17-May Exam 3 46-muscles, 47, 48, 49 20% ilr=15
8 behavior
wed 19-May behavior 51 bq=5
mon 24-May population ecology 52 blr=15
9 ecology
wed 26-May community ecology 53 eq=5
mon 31-May Memorial Day no class
10 no lab
wed 2-Jun ecosystems; biodiversity; cons. 54; 55
comprehensive: ^ (175 pts
Exam 4 (final): note time is 7:30 « (90 pts gross
mon 7-Jun 20% chapters 50-55; 30% gross lab
PM lecture total)
10% all previous chapters total)

We will drop your lowest


There are NO MAKEUP EXAMS, lecture exam score, lowest
QUIZES, OR REPORTS… lab report score, and lowest
lab quiz score.
Total: 70% 30%
Each lecture exam = 40 questions, and the final = 60 questions. Each question is worth 0.5 points.

3 x 40 + 60 = 180 questions x 0.5 = 90 points. 90-20 (drop lowest) = 70 lecture points possible

Each lab point is worth 0.194 lecture points. (175 - (15+5)) x 0.194 = 30 lab points possible
percent
grade Note: A zero obtained due to academic dishonesty cannot
overall
range be the lowest score dropped.
total
86% A
75% B Note on late lab reports: Lab reports are due at the beginning
61% C of your lab period. You may turn in a late report up to one week
51% D after the due date, for a maximum of 50% credit.
<51% F
Syllabus: Bi 253 4

Tips for Success

If you are unfamiliar with college courses, I recommend you attend the Skills Enhancement and
Tutoring Center’s workshops (http://www.setc.pdx.edu/), which cover topics such as Time
and Stress Management, Note Taking, Effective Studying, and Test Taking.

Be an active learner. Attend all lectures. You are responsible for all topics discussed in the
lecture, even if they do not appear in the online notes. Take notes during class – do not rely
on the printed-out class notes alone. Write down questions that come to mind during the
lecture. Identify points in the lecture that you think are the main points. Review your notes
after class, incorporating details that you remember but didn't get written down. While you are
reading the textbook, take time to think about what you are reading. How does it fit with what
you know already? Combine the information from the lecture and the text into one set of
complete notes to review and study. Try the Cornell System of note-taking and review: a
simple but powerful method for studying. See:
http://lsc.sas.cornell.edu/LSC_Resources/cornellsystem.pdf

Figure out and use your learning strengths. Learning styles vary from person to person.
You might do your best studying through reading, writing, or drawing, or through discussion
with fellow students. Most likely, it will take some of each to be most successful. Experiment,
and use the techniques that work best for you.

Spend time on this course. Schedule and spend time reading and reviewing course
materials. Revisit your notes, and think about the logical structure underlying the subjects.
Plan on spending a significant amount of time (10-15 hours/week) working on this course.
Later topics build upon earlier portions of the course: please do not let yourself fall behind.

Ask for help if you need it. Come to my office hours, talk to your TA, find a study partner or
study group, use the Discussions board on Blackboard, etc. You’ll make the best progress
when you are active about seeking answers.

Use the University resources. Campus services are available to help you with all aspects
of your education, see http://www.pdx.edu/studentaffairs. PSU's undergraduate advising
website is http://www.pdx.edu/advising. The Undergraduate Advising and Support Center
(UASC), 425 Smith, http://www.pdx.edu/uasc/, offers academic advising and referral,
academic support programs, community college relations, disability resource center, athletics
advising, study skills workshops, tutorial programs, and veteran services.

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