Principles of Biology
Spring 2005
Course Overview
Principles of Biology is an introductory lecture and laboratory course that provides an overview of key themes and concepts in Biology, including cell biology, human biology, genetics, organismal diversity, evolution, and ecology. This course is intended for students who are not majoring in the biological or life sciences. Principles of Biology meets the laboratory science requirements of the University Studies Program and the College of Arts and Science's general education program. Students in Biology 1000 must be enrolled in both a lecture and laboratory section.
Instructor
Department of Botany
Rm 135 Aven Nelson Building
Phone 766-4353
e-mail sherbert@uwyo.edu
Office Hrs
1 PM MWF or by appointment
Meeting time and place
12:00 noon to 12:50 PM MWF, Rm 308 Classroom Building
Textbooks
The Living World (Third Edition), by George Johnson
Fundamentals of Biology: Laboratory Manual (4th Edition), by Beiswenger and Gorski
Grading
Each of the 4 lecture exams is worth 100 points. Additional announced and unannounced quizzes and/or homework assignments may be given at the discretion of the instructor. Laboratory is worth 200 points. Final course grades are based on the total points possible earned in lecture and lab according to the following scale: A (90-100%), B (80-89%), C (70-79%), D (60-69%), and F (59% and below).
Laboratory
Biology 1000 is a laboratory course. Enrollment and active participation in a laboratory section is required.
In order to pass Biology 1000, you must receive at least half of the points possible in lab (100 out of 200). If you do not receive at least 100 points in lab, you will fail the course, regardless of your lecture grade.
You will not have laboratory meetings during the first two weeks of the semester. Laboratory sessions will begin the week of January 24. You will receive a laboratory syllabus during your first meeting which will outline details not present here.
If you are repeating Biology 1000, it may not be necessary for you to repeat the laboratory if you received sufficient points the previous time (you must have taken the course within the past 5 years). If you think you do not need to repeat the laboratory, please contact the General Biology Coordinator, Dr. Mark E. Lyford, for permission (Department of Botany, AV 138C, 766-2818, mahler@uwyo.edu).
Procedure for Making Up a Lab
Your laboratory Teaching Assistant will take attendance each week. If you miss a lab or know you will miss a lab, you will be allowed to make up the lab ONLY if you are involved in a recognized University activity or if you have a verified illness, hardship, or family emergency. You must contact your Teaching Assistant to arrange a time to make up the lab. Labs can be made up only during the days they are offered. Labs are offered Monday through Thursday. If you cannot contact your Teaching Assistant, you can contact the Laboratory Coordinator:
Please refer to the laboratory syllabus for more details on procedure for making up a lab.
Exams
The first three lecture exams will be given on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The dates of these exams are printed on the lecture schedule.
Exam 4 will be given during the Finals Week at the time listed under "Permanently Scheduled Group Exams" on page 22 of the Spring 2005 Time Schedule. Exam 4 is not comprehensive.
If you have three finals scheduled on the day of any exam or have some other foreseeable hardship, you can make alternative arrangements with your instructor ahead of time. If you miss an exam because of a personal illness, a personal emergency, or a family emergency, you can arrange with the instructor to take an all-essay make-up exam.
Please bring your student Campus Express ID Card with you to all exams.
Academic Dishonesty
University Regulation #802 strictly forbids academic dishonesty of any type, including plagiarism, copying lab reports or term papers, or cheating on quizzes or exams. All work is expected to be your own, unless you are specifically directed to work with others. All sources (whether printed or verbal) used in assignments and projects, including those located on the WEB, need to be correctly cited. If you use 5 or more words from a source just as they are used in the source, you need to put those words in quotation marks and cite the source. If necessary, we will use electronic means to detect plagiarism. Students involved in any form of academic dishonesty can receive an automatic "F" in this course. If you are unsure of what constitutes an act of academic dishonesty, please refer to University Regulation #802.
Who to ask if you have questions
If you have any concerns with the lecture portion of the course, you should first contact your lecture instructor. If you need to arrange alternative exam times with your instructor, you need to contact your instructor immediately. If you have course related concerns, feel free to contact the General Biology Coordinator, Dr. Mark E. Lyford. Any problems related to laboratory should first be directed towards your laboratory Teaching Assistant. If your problem requires further help, please contact Jane Beiswenger.
General Biology Coordinator:
Department of Botany
AV 138C
766-2818
mahler@uwyo.edu
Laboratory Coordinator:
Dr. Jane Beiswenger
Department of Zoology and Physiology
BS 314
766-3553
jmbeis@uwyo.edu