Ronald M. Coleman: Teaching

Teaching Philosophy:

"Doceo ergo sum" -- I teach therefore I am.

One student at a time.

My goal as a teacher is not only to teach the subject material of a particular course, but more importantly, to help students improve their ability to think and communicate as a scientist. Some students find my courses hard; others find my courses to be extraordinarily helpful in developing a love for organismal biology. I focus on the incredible complexity and interrelationships of life, in particular, tradeoffs wherever they occur, whether that be in the intricacies of modern fisheries biology to the wonders of animal behavior.

I teach a diversity of courses, ranging from Bio 9, an introductory course for non-majors, Bio 109, the Biology of Dinosaurs, for non-majors, to upper division biology majors courses such as Fisheries Biology, Animal Behavior and Ichthyology, to advanced graduate courses such as Behavioral Ecology, Advanced Fisheries and Advanced Ecology.

I do not employ multiple-choice testing and a student can expect to do a lot of writing in my courses. I find a dramatic increase in the ability of students to construct and write logical scientific arguments between the start and end of my courses and I think this greatly improves a student's future prospects whatever those might be. If this is the kind of thing that interests you, below is what I teach. If you are merely interested in a few easy credits, please look elsewhere.

Courses I teach:

Course Descriptions:

Undergraduate level courses

 

Bio 198A: Honors Proseminar and Research

If you are interested in the Honors program for the 2008/2009 academic year, contact me immediately.

Course website

Contemporary topics in biology selected by students in the course will form the basis for an introduction to scientific journals, the scientific method, and research as a professional pursuit. Each student develops a refined research proposal and prepares a seminar summarizing the proposal and the current state of knowledge in the topic area. Students will develop and refine their methodology under the direction of a faculty sponsor.

Syllabus

Field trips. None
Prerequisite: Open only to honors students in Biological Sciences who have an overall GPA of 3.25 and a minimum of 3.0 GPA in biology courses (at least six units of upper division biology excluding BIO 106, 108, 194, 195, 197 and 199).
Graded: Credit/No Credit
Scheduling: Every fall; next offered Fall 2008
Units: 2

Text: Sindermann, Carl J. (2001) Winning the Games Scientists Play. Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 290pp.

ISBN: 0-7382-0425-0 Required.

 

 

 

Bio 198B: Honors Research and Seminar

If you are interested in the Honors program for the 2008/2009 academic year, contact me immediately.

Course website

Directed research involving completion of an independently conducted research project for which a proposal and methodology was developed in BIO 198A. Data collection, summary and analysis, and formulation of conclusions based on the data will be discussed periodically with a faculty sponsor. Culmination will consist of preparation of an undergraduate thesis and presentation of a seminar summarizing results and conclusions. Note: Open only to honors students in Biological Sciences.

Course fee: $15.

Prerequisite: BIO 198A. Open only to honors students in Biological Sciences who have an overall GPA of 3.25 and a minimum of 3.0 GPA in biology courses (at least six units of upper division biology excluding BIO 106, 108, 194, 195, 197 and 199).
Graded: Credit/No Credit
Scheduling: Every spring, next offered Spring 2007
Units: 2
Text: No text.

 

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Graduate-level courses

 

Bio 292: Biological Concepts

Course Website

Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday from 7pm to 8:15 pm (3 hours total).

Historical approach to the development of major concepts of the biological sciences. Examples of concepts may include molecular evolution, cell concept, gene concept, species concept, and ecosystem concept. Literature, seminars, and term paper will be used to develop concepts from ancient times to the present.

Scheduling: Every fall, next offered Fall 2008
Units: 3

Text: Mayr, E. (1997) This is Biology: The Science of the Living World. Harvard. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 323 pp. ISBN 0-674-88469-8 (pbk) Not Required.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bio 293: Research Conference

Scheduling: TBA (2 hours)

Presentation and discussion of graduate student and faculty research and current literature with emphasis on critical evaluation of research design, data analysis and presentation techniques. Note: Discussion two hours. May be taken twice for credit. Only two units may be applied to the University's requirement for 200-level courses.

Prerequisite: Graduate status and instructor permission.
Scheduling: Typically every semester
Units: 2
Text: none

 

 

Bio 294F: Graduate Seminar. Topic: Parental Care

Discussion: Wednesday 5:30 to 6:20 pm (1 hour)

We will be working our way through the book "The Evolution of Parental Care" by T.H. Clutton-Brock. The main focus of the course will be evolution, ecology and life-history but there will also be ample room for discussion of physiology as it pertains to parental care. The book is not limited to any one taxa and in fact attempts to cover all taxa, so people with diverse interests should find the topics relevant to their own area of interest. The book is divided into fourteen chapters, making it ideal for a seminar-type class.

Text: Clutton-Brock, T.H. (1991) The Evolution of Parental Care. Princeton University Press, New Jersey. 352 pp. Required

 

Pedagogical Interests:

Teaching of Evolution:

I am interested in how evolutionary concepts are taught in schools. I believe a clear understanding of evolution is essential for understanding biology at any level. I feel that too often evolution is taught as an adjunct topic rather than as the fundamental building block it is.

CSUS BIO SCI