BIO 150
– CELLS, PHYSIOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT
Spring
2009
Course Information:
BIO 150 Cells, Physiology, and Development
Course credit:
4 hours
Class time:
TR 9-10:20 a.m.
Location:
McConnell 103
Teaching staff:
Staff |
Role |
Email |
Office |
Phone |
Christine White-Ziegler |
Lecturer |
cwhitezi@smith.edu |
SR 456 |
X3815 |
Carmen Say |
Tutor |
csay@email.smith.edu |
Jacobsen Center |
|
Carla Louis |
Tutor |
mlouis@email.smith.edu |
Jacobsen Center |
|
Graham Kent |
Lab Instructor |
gkent@email.smith.edu |
SR 249 |
X3820 |
Wen Li |
Lab Instructor |
wli@email.smith.edu |
Burton 401 |
X3832 |
Judith Wopereis |
Lab Instructor |
jwoperei@email.smith.edu |
SR 437 |
X3829 |
COURSE
DESCRIPTION
Welcome to BIO150: Cells, Physiology, and Development. The course is designed for all students who have an interest in biology and it also serves as part of the basis of the majors in Biological Sciences, Neuroscience, and Biochemistry. The accompanying lab, BIO 151, is required for Biochemistry and Neuroscience Majors. It also fulfills one of the 100 level lab requirements for the Biological Sciences major. Thus, the lab is highly recommended!
As the
instructor for BIO150 I hope to provide you with a strong foundation of
knowledge in biology pertaining to the areas of cellular, molecular, physiological,
and developmental biology that will allow you to better define your interests
and support your future studies in upper level courses.
READINGS
Readings for the course will be predominantly from BIOLOGY,
8th edition, 2008, by Campbell and Reese.
You have the option to purchase the online version of the book (an ebook) or a hard copy of the textbook at the Grecourt Bookstore.
Several hard
copies of the text will also be on reserve in the Young Science Library. Any additional readings will be
posted on Moodle as pdf
files. It is your responsibility
to download these files.
MOODLE
I will rely heavily on Moodle (http://moodon.smith.edu/) for assignments,
readings, online quizzes, lecture presentations, and announcements. If you have any problems with your Moodle account, you should contact the ITS User Support
Center in Stoddard Hall 23 (X4487 or 4its@email.smith.edu) as soon as
possible. I will also send class
emails through Moodle – if your primary email
is not your Smith address, it is your responsibility to have your emails
forwarded (ask ITS).
OFFICE
HOURS:
As the instructor for this course, I have set my office
hours just before the class and will hold them in the classroom (McC 103). I am
hoping this will allow easy access for help on the course material and
facilitate group study within the course.
Review sessions will also be held at this time. The tutors from the Jacobsen Center are
a wonderful resource for getting additional help. These are students who have recently gone through the
introductory course. They are available
for individual appointments, small groups, or on a drop-in basis. I have also included the office hours
of the lab instructors if you have specific questions relating to the lab
materials and assignments.
Staff |
Office
Hours |
Location |
Christine White-Ziegler |
TR 8:15-8:50 am |
McC103 |
Carmen Say |
By appointment |
Jacobsen Center |
Carla Louis |
By appointment |
Jacobsen Center |
Graham Kent |
M 10-11 am, R 2-3 pm |
SR 249 |
Wen Li |
T 1-2 or by appointment |
Burton 401 |
Judith Wopereis |
F 9-10 am |
SR 437 |
EVALUATION
Assignment |
Percentage
of Grade |
Points |
Quizzes (3 x 20 points) |
10% |
60 |
Exams (4
x 100 points) |
67% |
400 |
Cell
Type Essay |
17% |
100 |
Participation |
6% |
40 |
Total |
|
600 |
Quizzes:
Quizzes
that will be available on the course Moodle Page. You will take these quizzes online and
immediately receive your score. Quizzes
will be made available on the dates noted on the class schedule. The purpose of these
quizzes are to get you acquainted with the material and type of
questions that would be on an exam.
Exams:
There will be three 2 hour
self-scheduled exams during the semester and a fourth exam during the final exam
period. Each exam emphasizes the
material that was covered in lectures since the last exam. Exams will consist of essay, short
answer and multiple choice/matching questions. Exams will be placed on reserve in the Young Science Library
and you can sign out an exam from the library during regular library hours. You will be given a multiple day time
period in which you will be able to access the exam as noted on the class
schedule.
RULES for SELF-SCHEDULED EXAMS:
1. Exams are given in
the Young Science Library.
a. Tests will be
available after 5:00 pm of the first day.
b. Pick up your test
and record the time you pick it up on the sheet at the front desk.
c. You have 2 hours
total to take an exam. Additional time taken will be considered a violation of
the Academic Honor Code.
d. When finished, return
your paper to the front desk, record the time returned and initial.
e. You are to complete
the test on your own. These are
NOT open book tests; no books, notes, Powerpoints, or
any other materials are to be used.
f. These tests must be
taken in the Young Science Library during their regular hours. Be familiar with the hours of the Young
Science Library (http://www.smith.edu/library/info/hours/).
g. You have until
closing on the last day of the exam period to take the test. Please note that you must return
the exam ½ hour before closing time to the reference desk so please plan
accordingly.
2. Be sure to write
legibly and make sure to include your name on your paper!
3. Never pick up a
returned paper that isn't yours, even if you are asked to do so by your friend.
4. You are reminded
that all aspects of the Smith College Academic Honor Code apply to exams and
the other assignments in this course. Be sure you understand what this means; if you are unsure,
you can read about it at this website: http://www.smith.edu/sao/handbook/socialconduct/honorcode2.php
If you have any questions about
academic honesty during the preparation of your work, ask your lab instructor
or me. Importantly, you are not allowed to talk about the exam with anyone
during the days of open testing.
Cell Essay:
There will be one writing assignment in this course, in
which you must craft a one-page essay describing the structural composition and
corresponding function of a specific cell type, and its significance to the
physiological state of a multicellular organism. More detailed instructions will be
provided later in the semester. This
assignment will require significant research of primary literature utilizing proper
citation and referencing.
Participation:
Given the large size of the class, it is a bit difficult to
judge participation. The majority
of students in the course will receive a similar score, assuming they attend
class and complete all assignments on time. Students who are noticeably and meaningfully involved in class
discussion by asking questions, offering ideas, or in other ways show they are
particularly motivated will be rewarded with increased participation points.
QUIZ AND
EXAM MAKE-UP POLICY
By providing you several days to
take the exam, I am giving you the freedom to complete the test when you feel
the best prepared, healthy, and alert.
In return, I expect that every student will be able to manage their time
to get the exam completed in this time frame and you will be expected to still
attend all of your classes. There
will be no extensions for inadequate time management for scheduling to
take the exam during this period of time.
Make-ups are given only for reasons of family emergency or illness. If a last-minute emergency or health
problem prevents you from taking an exam or quiz at the scheduled time, you
must notify your Class Dean and the course director as soon as possible in
writing by email.
EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES:
Stump
the Scientist |
5 points/presentation |
Seminar
Write Up |
5 points/seminar |
Stump the Scientist:
If a question arises during class that the instructor
cannot immediately answer, then the student may do a literature search on the
topic and give a 1-2 minute presentation on the topic at the beginning of the
next available class.
Determination of whether the topic merits investigation and whether it
is suitable for extra credit requires approval by the instructor. The maximum extra credit is 5 points
per presentation. You are allowed
to do up to 1 presentation every 4 lectures. Overall, a single student can obtain a total of 30
points. The availability of this
type of extra credit encourages students to be interactive during class and to
delve deeper into the subject matter outside of class.
Seminar Synopsis:
Certain seminars that cover material related to Cells,
Physiology, and/or Development may also be considered for extra credit. Attending and writing a one-page
summary of the seminarÕs main points can provide up to 5 points per
seminar. All seminars require
professorÕs approval.
STUDY
TIPS FOR BIO 150 (or any other class!)
1.
Skim
Before: Skim (or read!) the readings before each lecture to familiarize yourself with the
topic. Pay close attention to
figures/tables and to the terminology.
2.
Focus
Your Note Taking: Because the Powerpoint
lectures will be posted for your later review, I strongly suggest you focus
your note taking on the main concepts we discuss and spend time critically
thinking about the material in class in rather then simply transcribing every
detail on the slides.
3.
Read
After: Carefully read over the relevant sections of the book that
directly correlate with what was covered in lecture. From this exercise generate what you think are the main
concepts emphasized in both the book and lecture, significant questions or
trouble areas you experience, and whether connections between previous lecture
material can be made.
4.
Write
Immediately: Review your notes as soon as possible after lecture. This will ensure several things: 1-
Clean and organized notes for later studying. 2- More
comprehensive notes, as you will recall information from your short term memory
that did not make initially onto your page. 3- Gets you studying immediately
and consistently, which in turn reduces the amount of time and stressful studying
often affiliated with ÒcrammingÓ before an exam.
5.
Utilize
the Powerpoint files: All lectures will be presented in Powerpoint form.
All Powerpoint files will be available on Moodle after a specific topic is covered. Therefore it is recommended your notes
be rewritten with printed Powerpoint at hand or while
simultaneously viewing the presentation from the downloaded file.
6.
Online
Resources: The main reasons I have required the purchase of ÒMastering
BiologyÓ is due to the studying resources it provides. I strongly suggest you review both the
online tutorials and quizzes that Mastering Biology provides on a weekly
basis. Search out the tutorials
and quizzes that pertain to the material we are covering that week and go
through them after you have reviewed your notes and read the required pages in
your text (ebook). These exercises will truly help to
solidify the concepts.
7.
ÒOwn the MaterialÓ: Much of
studying for Biology is like learning a new language, as such it requires the
memorization of terms and phrases so you can effectively communicate and
interpret scientific data. Common
tips for memorization include but are not limited to repetitive writing, flash
cards, and linking the terms with familiar attributes.
8.
Study
Groups: I highly recommend that you work together in study
groups. Teaching is one of the
most effective methods to actually learn the material. If you are capable of explaining the
material to others it will solidify the knowledge for yourself as well as help
others. Additionally, group work
to tackle problem sets such as those provided on the online quizzes is
encouraged. Discussing different
methods for approaching problems is hugely beneficial for exam preparation.
9.
Seek
Help: Seek out help from the tutors or professor during their
office hours. We are here to
help! It is most effective to do
this frequently as questions come up, rather than just right before the exam. To facilitate this, I have my office
hours to be just prior to class.
10.
Time
Management: Last but possibly the most important is time
management. As a rule of thumb, college courses
are said to require approximately two hours of study for each hour in class,
suggesting the average student should then be spending a minimum of eight hours a week outside of class working on
Biology 150. I would expect most
would require more than 8 hours for this particular course. Do not fall behind,
especially during the first couple of weeks; it will be extremely difficult to
catch up. Schedule out every dayÕs
activities from eating and sleeping to studying and hitting the gym for a well
balanced life!
Date |
Topic |
Readings |
|
||
January 26 |
Introduction
to the course |
|
January 28 |
Cell
Type- Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes Visualizing
Cells Cell
Structure and Function |
Ch 6, Ch 7 |
February 3 |
||
February 5 |
||
Take Moodle
Quiz 1 between February 6-February 12 (Includes material covered
in class January 26-February 5) |
||
February 10 |
Cell
Structure and Function |
|
February 12 |
Biological
Molecules |
Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5 |
February 17 |
Biological
Molecules |
|
February 19 |
DNA
Replication and Transcription |
Ch 16 |
Take Exam 1 between February 19-23 (Includes material covered in class January 26-February 17) |
||
February 24 |
Protein
Synthesis, Folding and Modification |
Ch 17 |
February 26 |
Protein
Synthesis, Folding and Modification |
|
March 3 |
Cell
Signaling |
Ch 11 |
March 5 |
Hormone
Signaling |
Ch 45 |
Take Moodle Quiz 2 between March
5-March 9 (Includes material covered in class from February 19-March 3) |
||
March 10 |
Cellular
Physiology: Catabolism |
Ch 8, 9 |
March 12 |
Cellular
Physiology: Catabolism |
|
March 17,19 |
SPRING BREAK |
|
Take Exam 2 between March
26-March 30 (Includes material covered
in class February 19-March 12) |
||
March 24 |
Cellular
Physiology: Anabolism |
Ch 10 |
March 26 |
Plant
Systems |
Ch 35, Ch 36 |
March 31 |
Plant
Development |
|
April 2 |
Animal
Development |
Ch 47 |
Take Moodle
Quiz 3 between April 2-April 6 (Includes material covered
in class from March 24-March 31) |
||
April 7 |
The
Circulatory System |
Ch 42 |
April 9 |
The
Circulatory System |
|
Take Exam 3 between April
10-April 13 (Includes material covered
in class March 24-April 9) |
||
April 14 |
The
Immune System |
Ch 43 |
April 16 |
The
Immune System |
|
April 21 |
Osmoregulation and Excretion |
Ch 44 |
April 23 |
Osmoregulation and Excretion |
|
Cell Paper (due
Thursday April 23) |
||
April 28 |
The
Nervous system |
Ch 48 |
April 30 |
The
Nervous system |
|
Take Exam 4 between May
4-May 8 (Includes material covered
in class April 14-April 30) |
BIO150:
Cells, Physiology, and Development
Spring 2009
Tuesday and Thursday 9-10:30, McConnell
103
NOTE:
This schedule is a list of topics in the order they will be covered. It is subject ( and
likely) to change.