This class is designed to help non-science majors better appreciate: 1) how scientists learn about the biological world, 2) the diversity of living things, and 3) issues related to biology that affect your life. Why do I think these are important? Scientific inquiry is simply a formal version of everyday thinking. Many exercises in this class can help you improve your skills of observation and deduction, which are useful in your daily life. You are also a citizen and (hopefully) a voter, so we will discuss the science behind some of today’s important issues to help you become a thoughtful and informed citizen. With your participation, we can accomplish these goals through lecture, discussion, experiment, reading, and writing.
Instructor
Dr. Eric Singsaas
Office: 435 CNR Building
Phone: 346-4259
Office hours:
Tuesday 11:00 - 12:00
Friday 9:00 - 10:00
Other times by prior appointment only
Lecture
Lecture meets 8:00 AM on
Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday in room D102 Science
building. You my tape lectures, if desired, for review
purposes.
Laboratory
All sections meet in room 254, CNR Building according to the following schedule:Section 1: 9:00 – 11:50 Wednesday
Section 2: 9:00 – 11:50 Thursday
Section 3: 2:00 – 4:50 Wednesday
Textbook
Campbell NA, Reece JB, Mitchell LG, & Taylor MR (2003) Biology: Concepts and Connections, 4th ed. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings. (Required rental). I will make Frequent references to figures and text from this book during lectures.Reading assessment
I will assign reading pages before each new topic in lecture. Each reading assignment will be accompanied by a short (~3 point) assessment quiz taken online at http://capa1.uwsp.edu/.(What is LON-CAPA?)
Laboratory notebook
I will not require you to keep a laboratory notebook, however I suggest that you purchase a bound notebook or three-ring binder. These will house your writing, graphs, pictures, and other data necessary to complete your laboratory work. These data are your notes used to study for exams. You can use this book to take notes, draw, make graphs, and write your conclusions. I will not collect or grade these notebooks.Assignments
Over the course of the semester, I will hand out four short take-home assignments. These will be worth ten points each. I will give you more information on these when each is assigned.Lab assessment
I will give twelve weekly assessments online following lab each week. They will be short – ten points each – mostly objective questions, and will cover material learned over the past week in both lecture and lab. Questions may be short answer, matching, labeling or multiple-choice. You will have seven days to complete each assessment. You may work together, but be warned that your answers will probably differ from others’. To take these, log in to http://capa1.uwsp.edu/.(What is LON-CAPA?)
Exams
I will give four exams during the semester. Exams will be 50 points each, made up of multiple-choice and matching questions based on the lecture material. These portions will be machine-graded so you can get them back quickly. At least ten percent of each exam’s material will come from the lab assessments. An additional ten percent will be based on the laboratory exercises, including the results of your experiments. At least two of the exams will also have a short (10 points) essay question for you to answer.Final exam
The final exam is scheduled for 8:00 – 10:00 on Saturday, December 17 in D102 Science Building. This will not be a comprehensive final, It is just Exam #4.Academic conduct
According to the UWSP community rights and responsibilities document, chapter 14, “Academic misconduct is an act in which a student (a) Seeks to claim credit for the work or efforts of another without authorization or citation; (b) Uses unauthorized materials or fabricated data in any academic exercise; (c) Forges or falsifies academic documents or records; (d) Intentionally impedes or damages the academic work of others; (e) Engages in conduct aimed at making false representation of a student's academic performance; or (f) Assists other students in any of these acts. (g) Violates electronic communication policies or standards as agreed upon when logging on initially (See uwsp.edu/it/policy). “ These offences are punishable by one or more of the following: “(a) An oral reprimand; (b) A written reprimand presented only to the student; (c) An assignment to repeat the work, to be graded on its merits; (d) A lower or failing grade on the particular assignment or test; (e) A lower grade in the course; (f) A failing grade in the course; (g) Removal of the student from the course in progress; (h) A written reprimand to be included in the student's disciplinary file; (i) Disciplinary probation; or (j) Suspension or expulsion from the university. “In addition, a percentage of the student’s points may be deducted from a student’s assignment or test if the student behaves in a belligerent, obstructive to the learning environment, or otherwise unprofessional manner, as determined by the instructor.
Special needs
If you need accommodation for medical or other condition, you must first visit the Student Disability Office to complete the necessary paperwork. After that, you may contact me to make arrangements for note taking, testing, or other accommodations.If you are having difficulty with the class material, see me as soon as possible, after class, during lab, or during office hours, or contact me by email of phone. Also, be sure to contact the class tutor.