BIO
7: INTRODUCTION TO THE SCIENCE OF
BIOLOGY
Lecture Instructor: Melanie Loo, Seq 414, 278-6573,
mwloo@csus.edu, www.csus.edu/indiv/l/loom
Office hours: Monday 11-11:50, Tuesday 3:15-4:05, and by
appointment
Laboratory Instructors: Melanie Loo (TTh
12-1:15) and Adam Rechs (TTh 1:30-2:45)
Catalog Description: Introduction
to major concepts of biology, including properties of living things, cells and
their molecular constituents, the unity and diversity of organisms, genetics,
ecology, evolution, and the scientific methods of investigation employed by
biologists. Satisfies requirements in biology for students planning to
obtain the Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Lecture three hours;
laboratory three hours. Fee course. [Not applicable toward the Biological Sciences major;
satisfies GE Area B and Laboratory Requirement.]
BIO
7 is designed to
·
Introduce major concepts of biology at the cellular, organismal, and
population levels (including concepts of genetics, ecology, and evolution).
·
Introduce scientific approaches to asking and answering questions about
living things and their relationships.
·
Stimulate interest in organisms and their activities.
·
Integrate writing, critical thinking, and mathematical skills in the
study of biology.
·
Model varied teaching and learning approaches.
·
Provide knowledge and skills to support making decisions that will
impact the individual and society.
Desired Student Outcomes: On completion of BIO 7 students should be
able to describe and discuss the implications of
·
what distinguishes living from non-living things and the properties
common to all life forms.
·
how organisms are classified based on differences and similarities in
structure, behavior, and lifestyle.
·
the most common groups (domains, kingdoms, and phyla) of organisms.
·
how water, ions, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids are
important for all life forms.
·
the structures of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
·
how properties of life are maintained at the cellular level.
·
how living things are organized into higher and higher levels starting
from atoms, to molecules, to organelles, to cells, often to tissues, organs,
organ systems, to individuals, to populations, to communities.
·
how properties of life are maintained at the organismal level through specialized
cells and organ systems.
·
how genetic information in DNA provides information for the structures
and activities of organisms, and how genetic variation can arise.
·
how genetic information is copied and passed on from cell to cell and
generation to generation.
·
how organisms interact with each other and their physical environment.
·
the composition of an ecosystem and how energy flows and matter cycles
in an ecosystem
·
how interactions between environments and organisms result in some organisms
reproducing more than others.
·
how life forms are believed to have a common origin and to have evolved
into diverse forms now existing and extinct.
·
how scientific investigations are conducted and how their findings are
limited by experimental and random errors.
·
what K-8 teachers are expected to teach in Life Science in
·
how a variety of individuals and cultures has contributed to and
benefited from our existing knowledge in biology.
On
completion of BIO 7, students should be able to
·
access and evaluate printed and electronic sources of information.
·
use appropriate observational (e.g. microscopes and lenses) and
measuring (e.g. balances and meter sticks) instruments.
·
identify independent, dependent, controlled, and uncontrolled
variables.
·
design, execute, interpret, and communicate about a scientific
investigation.
Required Texts:
Discover Biology, third
edition, by
Cain, Damman, Lue, and Yoon, WW Norton, 2007
BIO 7 Laboratory Manual, by Melanie Loo, Elaine
Kent, and Jennifer Lundmark
Handouts
and current print and electronic media articles will be used as appropriate.
Course Format:
The
course will be conducted with three hours of lecture and two 75-minute
laboratory sessions per week.
Course Requirements:
1.
Class attendance and participation: while lecture attendance will not be
recorded, there will be numerous activities and discussions in lecture and lab,
which are designed to aid your learning.
Your learning will be enhanced by preparing for class and active
participation; many in-class activities
will be graded. In-class activities
will include mini-quizzes, to help you see how well you have prepared for
class.
2.
Homework assignments:
these will be assigned weekly
and will appear on my website by Friday of each week. They may
be completed in consultation with the book, other students, and the instructor,
but all answers must be composed by the individual. Homework assignments are aimed at having you
come into lecture with a familiarity of terms and their relationships. Research on how we learn indicates that there
is a limited amount of information that we can absorb in an hour and that we
must work to connect new ideas with ideas that we already understand to really
grasp the new idea.
3.
Examinations: there will be three lecture midterms. Examinations will be based on material
covered in lecture and the introductions to lab activities. They will include multiple choice questions,
short answer questions, definitions, diagrams, and problems. In-class activities and homework assignments
will be counted toward your midterms. Preparation for midterms should include
reading your text and laboratory manual, completing assignments, participating
in lecture and lab, and focusing on terms and questions on your study guides.
Part of each
exam score will come from homework
assignments, in-class assignments, and a current
article analysis. The CURRENT ARTICLE ANALYSIS will be worth 5 points; to start you must find a
current article in a magazine or newspaper or reliable website, which is
related to biology. In 1-2 pages you
must
o
summarize the
article, taking care not to plagiarize [Plagiarism is the use of major parts of others'
ideas and/or language without citing their work. Information
on citing sources is available at http://library.csus.edu/services/inst/Citing.html],
o
discuss a piece
of biology-related information in the article and explain how it is connected
with an idea that you have already learned in
biology (through lecture, lab, text, or
outside reading)
o
identify another
piece of biology-related information or concept in the article, which you would
like to know more about. Explain why you
are interested in learning more about it, find
out more, and summarize what you learned, as well as the source of your information.
Write for an audience
of your peers. You will be graded for organization, grammar, and
spelling, as well as scientific accuracy.
The short writing assignment can be turned in any time before the
exam. If you turn one in at least 10
days before the exam, I can return it to you for revision.
4. Laboratory Worksheets: students
will work in groups to complete a laboratory worksheet each week. The student assigned as recorder for the
group that week will be responsible for recording the group's answers and
turning in the worksheet. The role of
recorder will rotate weekly, and all group members must sign the submitted
worksheet in order to receive credit for it; all group members will share the
same score. Your laboratory instructor
will discuss in more detail how to be successful in lab.
5. Investigation Project: students will work in groups to frame a testable question of interest, and then design, conduct, interpret, and communicate about an investigation to answer their question. Your final report will be written and presented orally as a group. This assignment is intended to allow you to practice scientific processes and pursue an interesting biological phenomenon. It is described in more detail in your lab manual.
6. Other policies:
§
Academic dishonesty (submitting someone else’s work as yours, including
plagiarism) will not be tolerated. The
first offense will result in failing an assignment; a second offense will
result in failing the course. [ See http://www.csus.edu/umanual/student/UMA00150.htm
for more information on academic dishonesty.]
§
Make-up examinations will be given only if you contact me on or before
the day of the examination and provide a serious reason for missing the
examination.
§
Late assignments will be accepted but a point will be deducted for each
day they are late; the weekend will be counted as one day.
§
Up to 10 points of extra credit work will be available in lecture (see
handout).
Evaluation:
Grades
will be based on examinations and assignments from lecture and laboratory, with
the following weighting:
3 lecture midterms 405
points
laboratory worksheets 110
points
1 investigation report (written +
oral) 55 points Total
= 570 points
The
highest total achieved will serve as the 100% mark. Grades will be awarded based on the following
percentages of the highest total:
95-100% A, 90-94% A-, 86-89% B+, 82-85% B, 78-81% B-,
74-77% C+, 70-73% C, 66-69% C-, 62-65% D+, 58-61% D, 54-58% D-, 0-53% F.
Classroom Conduct:
I
welcome your participation, comments, and questions in lectures and activities;
your responses are crucial in letting me know what ideas we need to explore and
clarify. I also encourage you to confer
with classmates on some assignments (but not during exams) and
enhance your learning by teaching others.
Further, I expect you to stay focused on class activities and NOT
distract yourself or others with personal conversations, using a cell phone,
walking in and out while class is in session, and/or doing other things not
related to the class activities.
Dropping Classes:
I
will follow the university’s policies, which are summarized at this website: http://www.csus.edu/schedule/Fall2007Spring2008/change.stm#Drops
.
Basically,
you can withdraw yourself the first 2 weeks of class via MySacState; you will
need the instructor’s and department chair’s approval from weeks 3-4; and must
have the instructor’s, chair’s, and Dean’s approval after that. You will also need to provide documentation
of serious and compelling reasons for dropping after week 2.
Tentative Lecture and Laboratory Schedule
|
Date |
Topics |
|
|
Jan. 29 |
Intro.to Course, Properties of Life |
|
|
Jan. 31 |
Scientific Methods,
Diversity of Life |
|
|
Feb. 5 |
Classification of Major Groups of Organisms |
|
|
Feb. 7 |
Atoms and Molecules in Organisms |
|
|
Feb. 12 |
Cell Structure and Function |
|
|
Feb. 14 |
DNA, RNA, protein |
Ch.7, Lab 5 |
|
Feb. 19 |
Cell Responsiveness |
|
|
Feb. 21 |
Cell Responsiveness and Energy Use |
|
|
Feb. 26 |
Cell Energy Use:
Photosynthesis and Respiration |
|
|
Feb. 28 |
Cell Reproduction:
Mitosis |
|
|
Mar. 4 |
Development:
from Cells to Organisms |
pp.569-581,
Lab 10 |
|
Mar. 6 |
Plant Structures and Functions, Levels of
Organization |
|
|
Mar. 11 |
MIDTERM 1 on material
through 3/3/08 |
Lab 12 |
|
Mar. 13 |
Plant Growth and Reproduction |
|
|
Mar. 18 |
Nutrition, Gas
Exchange, Transport Systems |
|
|
Mar. 20 |
Animal Support and
Movement Systems |
|
|
Mar. 25 |
Maintaining Constant
Internal Conditions, |
|
|
Mar. 27 |
Nervous
and Sensory Systems |
|
|
March 31-April 4 |
Spring Break |
|
|
Apr. 8 |
Hormones, Defense
Systems |
|
|
Apr. 10 |
Reproductive Systems |
|
|
Apr. 15 |
Organism Poster Session, Mendel's Laws |
Ch 10 and 11,
Lab 20 |
|
Apr. 17 |
Mendel’s Laws |
Ch 10 and 11,
Lab 21 |
|
Apr. 22 |
MIDTERM 2 on material through
4/15/08 |
Lab 22 |
|
Apr. 24 |
Genes, Chromosomes, and Modern Extensions of
Mendel’s Laws |
Ch. 11 and 15, Lab 23 |
|
Apr. 29 |
Intro to Ecology, Population Growth |
Ch 33 and 34,
Lab 24 |
|
May 1 |
Interactions among Organisms, Communities and Successions |
|
|
May 6 |
Energy and Matter in Ecosystems |
Ch. 37 and
38, Surprise Lab |
|
May 8 |
Evolution by Natural Selection |
|
|
May 13 |
Evolution by Natural Selection |
|
|
May 15 |
Adaptations and Speciation, History of Life |
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 22 |
FINAL EXAM Thursday,
8:00-10:00 a.m. |
|
|
|
|
|