Office: 428 Boyd Science Center
E-Mail: jdooley
Phone: 826-8227
Lecture: BSC 401, MWF 9:00-9:50 a.m.

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Course Description:

My overarching goal for this course is convey a broad, conceptual understanding of organismal biology.  Please understand the scope, depth and challenge levels of the course are designed to prepare students for further study in the sciences and then careers in life science or related fields.  This is an LAE course but it is designed with the assumption that students have plans for professional careers in the life sciences or related fields (e.g., medicine).  Please consider this carefully if you are planning to major in areas outside the sciences. Also note that routine access to the text will be vital for academic success.  The good news is that we use this text for all the introduction courses for life science majors.  The bad news is that the text is very expensive (~ $160.00).  Again consider that information in your decision to take this course.

Students should enhance their appreciation and understanding in the following general areas:

(1) Pre- and post-Darwinian world views
(2) The nature and mechanics of evolutionary theory.
(3) Mechanisms that drive change in gene pools within populations and how variation is maintained within a population.
(4) Mechanisms of speciation
(5) Methods of classification and recent reclassification of the animal kingdom based on new molecular DNA evidence.
(6) Evolutionary relatedness among the selected phyla and classes.

Clearly, evolution is an important theme in this course - and for good reason.  Evolution provides one of the most important and exciting theoretical frameworks in all of science and certainly provides the conceptual foundation upon which all of modern biology rests. Most folks have "kind of an idea" of what evolution is all about, but few people have a solid command of even its most basic principles. In addition, there is a lot of misunderstanding about what evolution says and what it doesn't say. Much of that misunderstanding springs from a more general problem many people have in understanding how science works.

A Word About Our Topic: Some people feel that accepting the ideas associated with evolution places them at odds with their religious or philosophical beliefs (on the other hand, many others see no inherent conflict). My goal here is not that you come out of this course believing in the theory of evolution, however I will expect you to understand the basic theoretical principles underpinning modern evolutionary biology as well as current ideas about the history of life that we will advance through lectures, reading, and discussion.
 
Course Learning Objectives:  Course Leaning Objectives extend directly from the Biology Department's Learning Goals.   In particular, the learning objectives for this course emphasize Biology Department Learning Goals 1, 3 & 4.   As a result of successfully completing this course, students will:

• Be able to describe the data and observations that Darwin used to develop his theory of evolution.
• Explain how descent with modification by natural selection explains the adaptations of organism and the unity and diversity of life.
• Be able to outline the scientific evidence that supports evolution and provide specific examples.
• Describe the mechanisms by which populations evolve.
• Be able to test whether a population is evolving using the Hardy-Weinberg equation.
• Describe the various processes by which new species originate.
• Construct a timeline of the history of life on earth.
• Articulate the factors influencing the rise and fall of major animal groups.
• Construct and interpret phylogenies.
• Evaluate how molecular data impact phylogenies.
• List the characteristics of animals and describe the evolution and characteristics of major body plans.
• List the main characteristics of the major invertebrate phyla, and be able to place organisms in the correct phyla based on their descriptions.
• Cite the major factors influencing invertebrate success and diversity.

Course Design and Structure:

The course is designed to progress through a carefully selected array of topics.  Topics for class sessions and associated readings are presented in the classroom schedule that follows later in this syllabus.  I will lecture during many class sessions however some sessions will feature demonstrations or discussions of articles or discussion board assignments.   Several short quizzes are already planned, more may be added if it appears that class learning is not keeping an appropriate pace. 

There are a number of important resources discussed below but foremost among them is your text.  It is an excellent book and I expect that you will invest a great deal of time in your text reading.  Please note: we can't cover everything from the reading in class.  Therefore, expect that tests will have questions drawn directly from text reading and any other materials I've assigned - even if we haven't directly discussed the material in class!  
 

Class Policies:

• Participation & Attendance: In order to succeed in this course it is critical  that you participate in all discussions, complete all assignments, prepare for all quizzes and exams and attend lectures on a regular basis.  I will take attendance at every class meeting.  You will be allowed a maximum of five absences (for whatever reason). If you miss class a sixth time (regardless of the reason) your participation grade will be docked at my discretion.  The more absences you have, the more likely you will loose significant course points. Thus, the five absences I allow you are much like an insurance policy. Only use them when you are sick or have an athletic obligation etc.
  

In some cases coaches, other staff or faculty members have taken to sending out documents listing names of students who are not going to be attending classes because of a field trip, athletic event or other college sanctioned activity.  Please Note: I will not review each of these documents and then compare the names with each of my class rosters - sorry but that would require a huge amount of wasted time.   Therefore understand that if you are going to miss class, it is your responsibility to e-mail me with an explanation as to why you will not be in class. Please be sure to include reference to the class you are taking with me and make sure I receive this information 1 week before the event.   Failure to comply with this policy will mean you will be counted as absent for the class.

• Communication:   I understand that you may or may not routinely check email in your personal life.  However, email is a critical means of communication for this course.  Your are responsible for checking in for course email at least once each day.  "I didn't receive the email" will not  be accepted as an excuse if you fail to receive and act on announcements or changes to course assignments.

• Cell Phones: I do want you to bring your cell phone to class - we're going to use them to help us improve learning.  However if you text for non-class related purposes, I will ask you to leave class for the day.

Grading: Course grades will be based on the following formula:
 

Test I	15%
Test II	18%
Test III	18%
Test IV - Comprehensive Final*	24%
Quizzes & Short Assignments	15%
Class & Event Participation	10%
Total	100%

* Approved Exam Notes Permitted

The New Idea:

• A maximum of 10 pages of typed notes prepared using MS Word will be permitted.
  
• Notes must be received by midnight on Sunday December 9th.   
• Send by email with the subject line "Biol 111 Exam Notes"
• Attached Word file should be named as following this example form: Smith_Susan Final Exam Notes.doc (or docx depending on the version of Word you use)
• JD will print your notes and have them ready for you at the exam
• No other materials will be permitted

• Textbook:  BIOLOGY 9th Edition -  Campbell and Reece (ISBN: 978-0-321-55823-7 - Note - this text is also used for Biology 112 & 226).   

• Web Support: 

• MasteringBiology - This is a web-based support site provided by the text's publisher.  We will be using it for short assignments as well as exam preparation. Texts coming from the University bookstore will have the access information you need.  If you buy your text elsewhere, be sure you add this feature.  If your purchase site does not offer it, you can purchase access from Pearson Publications for something in the neighborhood of $40.00.   The URL for the site is http://www.masteringbiology.com; course ID = JLDOOLEY87012.
  

• BlackBoard - You should already be enrolled in the BlackBoard course associated with this class (check this out today!).  Use this site for downloading PowerPoints, checking for course announcements, and participating in discussion boards.   You should check this site every few days.
  

• On-Line Version of the Course Syllabus. Your should plan to plan to check on-line for updates to the class web page - I use an on-line version of the syllabus (particularly the class schedule section) as a kind of class bulletin board. Note that at the top of the syllabus I list the date of the last update: use that as a quick guide post to determine whether you are up to date on what is going on with the course.

• Tutoring Sessions: available weekly via the Student Success Center in Patton Hall.   This fall the hours are: Sunday 4-6, Monday 6-8, and Thursday 4-7.  For more information see the Student Success Center website