Bio 112 General Biology 112 Lecture Syllabus 2000

Bio 112 General Biology Lecture I 2007

Instructor: R. Pinette Office: Folsom 307, MWF: 11-12:00 and by appointment

Phone: 768-9481
Textbook: Johnson, George and Jonathan Losos. 2006. The Living World. 5^thed.

McGraw-Hill, Boston. 812 pp.

Web page: http://www.umpi.maine.edu/~pinette/ email: pinette@umpi.maine.edu

I. Tentative Course Outline. Class meets MWF 8-8:50.
Week of	Day	Chp	Chapter/ Topic	Pages
Aug 27	M W F	1 1 2	Course Introduction/ Diversity/ Properties of Life The Scientific Method Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection	2-5, 16-20 8-14 24-32
Sep 3	M W F	3 3	Labor Day—No Classes Molecules and Chemical Bonds and Water^* pH and Buffers *Review atomic structure on pp 44-45 before this lecture.	48-52 53-55
Sep 10	M W F	4 4 5	Proteins & Nucleic Acids Carbohydrates and Lipids Cell Structure	60-69 70-73 78-87
Sep 17	M W F	5 5 5	Nucleus and Endomembrane System Other cell parts and Cell Movement Osmosis and Diffusion	88-91 92-97 98-99
Sep 24	M W F	5 9	Exam #1 on Chapters 1, 2 ,3, 4 & 5 LObj#1 Transport Across Membranes Cell Cycle/ Chromosomes	100-106 154-157
Oct 1	M W F	9 10 11	Cell Division--Mitosis Cell Division--Meiosis Mendelian Genetics--Monohybrid Cross	158-163 170-177 184-190
			Columbus Vacation--October 6-14
Oct 15	M W F	11 11 6	Mendel’s Laws and Other Genetic Principles Human Chromosomal Disorders (nondisjunction in lab) Chemical Reactions and Enzymes	191-199 202-209 110-118

Oct 22

M
W
F

Photosynthesis/ Chemiosmosis

Carbon Fixation

Exam # 2 Chapter 5, 6, 9, 10 & 11 LObj#2

122-129

130-134

Oct 29

M
W
F

Cellular Respiration

Glycolysis and Krebs Cycle

Chemiosmosis/ Fermentation

138-141

144-146

148-50, 142

Nov 5	M W F	23 23 23	Plant Body Organization and Tissue Types Roots, Stems and Leaves Water Movement	416-419 420-425 426-428
Nov 12	M W F	23 28	Veterans Day--No Classes Translocation and Nutrition Tissues, Organs and Organ Systems	429-430 534-537
Nov 19	M		Exam #3 on Chapters 7,8 & 23 LObj#3 Thanksgiving---No Classes (Nov 21- 25)
Nov 26	M W F	29 30 31	Circulatory System Respiratory System Vertebrate Digestion System	558-568 574-581 593-599
Dec 3	M W F	34 34 36	Nervous System (Neurons and Nerve Impulse) Nervous System (Synapse, Reflex Arc) Human Reproduction	648-651 652/661-62 700-705
Dec 10	M		Wrap up /Course Evaluation Exam #4 Wednesday, December 12, 8-10:00 Chapters 28, 29, 30, 31, 34 & 36 LObj#4

II. Student Evaluation

4 Exams (50,75,75,100) = 300
Laboratory = 100
Possible score = 400 points

See attached General Course Policies for determining your letter grade.

General Biology Award. The student with the highest average for all sections of the course is eligible for this award. The award amount varies from year to year, but it is generally several hundred dollars.

III. Testing. Lecture exams will consist of identification or defining of terms, diagramming, fill-in

tables, short answers and essays. Please come prepared with blue or black ink pens. You will be

expected to respond to questions using complete sentences and standard punctuation and

grammar. You may use pencil on diagrams only.

IV. Expectations. Learning is a process and it takes time to occur. One of the things which
I learned as a student is that everything in academics takes more time than you imagine. If you

have a job, keep hours your work to a minimum. If you have family responsibilities develop an
understanding between you and your family members so that you have as much time for
studying as possible.

If you haven’t done so already, make yourself a schedule as to when you will study each of your
courses that include when you are in class and ALL other activities. One week has 168 hours which breaks down approximately as 15 hours in class, 50 hours studying and 72 hours sleeping. That leaves
only 31 hours for mundane things such as eating, washing and relaxing. Notice, I didn't include
any time for a job here.

My expectation is that you spend no less that 10 quality hours per week studying if you want to

get a C out of the course. Better grades take more time.

On examinations, I expect you to know the information that we covered to the point where
you can take a blank piece of paper and reconstruct the ideas from your head. Here are some tips
to help you prepare.
    --Read over the chapter before class and do the multiple choice questions at the end of each
      chapter.
    --Come to class and take notes; don’t get in the habit of cutting class and getting someone
       else’s notes.
    --Abbreviate your notes otherwise you won't be able to keep up in lecture.
    --As soon as possible after lecture, find a quiet place, and go over your lecture notes with the help
      of the textbook the sooner you do this, the better.
    --In another notebook, put together a new set of notes combining your lecture notes and pertinent
      material from the text.
    --Don’t overlook illustrations in the text as they are often packed with information.
    --If any questions arise during this process, write them down and bring them to class.
    --Also prepare your own dictionary of terms introduced in lecture.
    --Drill. Drill. And do more drill. You should be able to define terms and make labeled drawings of
      any material from scratch.
     -- Each exam has a set of learning objectives. See the syllabus on my web pages for links or see

blackboard. I have a list of the principal learning objectives for each chapter. I typically restate

these into questions fro my tests. My exams are nearly 100% constructed from these learning

        objectives.
    --Relax before a test. Don’t study until the last minute. Go for a walk and clear the cobwebs.
      Keep anxiety to a minimum.
    --One final but important note. Take care of yourself. Like sports which demand that you be in good

physical condition, academic pursuits require that you are in good mental condition.

Spending sleepless nights cramming for exams and finishing projects may solve some immediate

problems, but in the long run it will diminish your effectiveness and learning ability. Manage your time

carefully so this doesn’t happen to you.

VI. Tips for writing essays and short answer questions.
In class essays take practice and it’s a skill which I hope you will refine before you leave

college. Here are some suggestions on how to proceed.

--Before writing, examine the question carefully. Pick it apart and make certain you understand

what is being asked.
--Don’t hesitate to immediately ask for clarification if it is needed. If you have a problem, you’re
probably not alone.
--Also don’t neglect to notice how many points the essay is worth. This is a good clue as to how
much detail you should include.
--An essay should have a beginning, a middle and an end. Make some brief notes as to what you
want to talk about. That way you won’t worry about forgetting some crucial points as you write

your answer.
--Before proceeding too far in the process, ask yourself if your are answering the question. I

usually don’t give credit if you fail to answer the question.
--Use blue or black ink. Write using standard grammar and punctuation. Just because you are

under time constraints, I still expect complete sentences. I provide lined paper for essay

questions. -- Leave the left hand margin blank so I can make comments. Some instructors take

off points if you write in the margins so it’s a good habit not to do so.
--As a rule, I don’t take off for spelling, but overall, I do tend to take off less points if you pay

attention to these details. If time permits, read over your answer and make factual and

grammatical corrections before you turn your test in.

It takes me about a week to grade exams. I make corrections and suggestions to help improve your performance. Be assured I will get your tests back to you as promptly as I can.