BIOLOGY 160

Winter 2008

 Syllabus Error:  See the dates for the final exam.  These are correct.

COURSE INFORMATION

Bio 160 Human Biology Lecture

Section B and C, 4 credits

Prerequisites: None

INSTRUCTOR

Steven Clark

Office: APH 203F. Phone: 992-2203

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 10:30-11:30.  I’m usually on campus everyday and can meet with students.  The 10:30-11:30 is simply a time when the likelihood of my being available is high.  It would be best to call me or make an appointment.

E-mail: sclark@clark.edu

Mailbox: APH Science Office

In the event of snow or any other odd occurrence that may impact class, look at my web site.

TEXTBOOK, READING STUDY GUIDES, AND OTHER RESOURCES

Textbook: Biology of Humans 2^nd Edition by Goodenough, McGuire and Wallace.  You must have a text that gives you website entry (used book buyers will need to purchase online privileges from the publisher).

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 

1. Your text recommends several web sites.  Those web pages have a variety of resources presented for each individual chapter.  The main site for our text is printed in your textbook and will be linked on my website.
2. My website address is: http://web.clark.edu/sclark/
3. Tutoring Center and Writing Center are in 102 Hawkins Hall (992-2253).  The writing center in downstairs Gaiser will help you with editing and writing competent essays.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES

Students at Clark College need to study sciences as part of their degree.  Many students take this course in preparation for the Anatomy and Physiology sequence (BIOL 231, 232, and 233). However, a substantial number of students also take the course simply to meet the science distribution requirement.  I hope you’ll find this a rewarding class whatever your reason for enrolling.  I love biology—for me it has answered countless questions about the living world.  Biology has also exposed me to some fascinating creatures and some intricate relationships between organisms.  I realize that college classes entail time pressures and performance pressures.  I hope I can help you to manage these pressures with newfound competence.  Throughout this class, I encourage you to come to me when you need help.  I also hope that those pressures notwithstanding, you can come to appreciate and enjoy aspects of the biological world. 

TO MAXIMIZE YOUR SUCCESS IN THIS CLASS YOU WILL NEED TO DO THE FOLLOWING

·        Read the text (this will require students to overcome procrastination and read ahead of deadlines).

·        Complete the reading study guides

·        Take good lecture notes

·        Study effectively for tests

·        Be able to answer questions that are more sophisticated than factual recall questions.  For example, I want students to become facile answering what-if questions, inferences and defend-the position questions among others.  Those kinds of questions require higher level thinking that can be an invaluable accomplishment in your college career

·        Join the conversations, question-answers, role playing and other aspects of lecture that enrich the lecture experience for the whole class

If you find you need help with any of these, see me and we’ll tackle your concerns together.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Clark College has identified key abilities that it wants students to acquire through their education.  Similarly, the science department has identified education requirements that are important to the sciences.  The table below shows how this class will address the goals of the college, the science department and of the Biology 160 class.

In addition to learning specific biology subject matter, Clark College has identified six campus-wide Student Learning Outcomes or Abilities that form the foundation of our educational emphasis: 1) critical thinking/problem solving, 2) information/technology, 3) communication, 4) life-long learning, 5) effective citizenship, and 6) global/multicultural awareness.  Although we will involve aspects of all of these abilities during the quarter, I will specifically promote critical thinking and communication (through class discussions, small group discussions, reading assignments, and presentations).  The table below shows how I will endeavor to promote specific Science Learning Outcomes in this class:

[Detailed descriptions of homework will be provided in class]

COURSE POLICIES

Preparation for Class and Class Attendance: A tentative schedule is included in this syllabus.  The Weekly Reading Study Guides will help you to stay abreast of the reading topics.  Reading before class will enhance your comprehension during lecture.  It also allows you to bring any questions with you to class for clarification.  If you are absent, it is your responsibility to get copies of any handouts from another student or from me.

I walk around during lecture.  I also ask students to write questions and answers on scratch papers during lecture.  Occasionally I will ask students to cluster together during lectures to work on some task.  To facilitate these lecture activities I will need students to sit in specific areas of the lecture hall (close to the front, leave spaces so I can move among the seats, etc.)  I may design a seating pattern soon and expect students to help make that seating design work.

Students will be allowed to drop a class, without instructor signature, through the seventh week of the quarter. (Note: Classes that meet less than 10 weeks, including summer classes, will have a pro-rated deadline.) Students who drop after the 10th day of the quarter receive a 'W' grade on their transcript, which does not affect their GPA. No drops will be allowed after the seventh week. Students who feel they have extenuating circumstances may appeal this policy by contacting the unit dean before the end of the last scheduled day of the quarter (before finals). The refund policy remains the same.  [This is Clark College policy].

Missed Tests:

1. There will be no makeup tests. If you miss an exam, it will be the low score that you drop.  I reserve the right to develop an alternative grading strategy in the event of extreme personal circumstances.
2. Students may not drop the final exam.
3. There will be no makeup tests unless you make arrangements with me beforehand. For emergencies (this does not include work conflicts) I will attempt to re-schedule your test.  If I am unable to do so, you may elect to drop the class.  I reserve the right to develop an alternative grading strategy in the event of extreme personal circumstances.
4. If class is canceled for any reason, see my web site or expect that scheduled activities will be take place at the next class meeting.

Missed and Late Assignments:  If you are absent for a lecture, you are still responsible for any assignments made during the class. If class is canceled for any reason, then assignments will be collected at the next class period. All assignments are due on time (that may be at the beginning of class or by the end of class) and no late assignments will be accepted.  Please do not ask me to accept a late assignment.

Class Participation: I like students to be engaged by questions coming either from me or from other students.  Conversation, questions and comments are a welcome part of this class.  The success of these interactions is enhanced by students reading their text before class.

Student Conduct: In the appendix of the Clark College catalogue is a section on student conduct (G3-G11) that all students ought to be aware of.  I’ll highlight a few pieces of that appendix below.

Academic Honesty: Academic honesty is required at all times.  Cheating will result in a zero for that particular test/exam/assignment and may also result in a dismissal from the course with a failing grade.  Plagiarism, which is representing another’s work as your own, is considered academic dishonesty.  If you intend to quote someone’s idea or sentence, use quotations or a footnote or a parenthesis to tell me what you are doing.  If you don’t declare where the idea or sentence came from, it looks like copying or plagiarism and you will be held accountable for that.  In addition to helping you to footnote properly, I would be happy to help you become skilled at reading someone’s work then closing the book and developing your own opinion honestly and confidently.

Classroom Behavior: Students engaging in disruptive behaviors during class will be asked to leave the classroom.  Repeated occurrences will lead to dismissal from the course. You may not leave and reenter the classroom during a test or exam so take care of any bathroom needs before tests begin. 

GRADED ITEMS AND GRADING SCALE

Lecture Exams: There will be three tests during the quarter plus a Final Exam.  Tests will cover material from lecture and material from the reading that I did not discuss in lecture.  This is important to me because I value the text and by including reading questions on the test I hope to provide accountability to the reading assignments. 

Weekly Reading Study Guides: I want students to read the text as a primary source of biology information.  I also want to guide students as they read.  To facilitate both of these, I will give out weekly reading study guides.  These will be a series of questions that I expect you to answer as you read.  I will ask you to bring your answered questions to class (there will be about ten and I want the answers typed).  I will collect your answers and grade them.  They will be worth 10 points each.  Your lowest weekly grade will be dropped.  I will not collect these from late arriving students.  Often in the reading guides I will ask students to tell me what topic needs extra in-class discussion to improve comprehension. 

Assignments: Students will earn points based on exams, reading guide questions and other assignments (see the box below and the table on page 3).  Students will complete two assignments during the quarter.  I will provide a detailed description of the assignment options.

Final Grade

Your final grade will be based on the percentage of the total class points that you earned.  The table below gives an estimate of the total points possible. 

Grade Scale:

            92%-100% = A                                               78%- 79% = C+

            90%- 91% = A-                                               72%- 77% = C

            88%- 89% = B+                                              70%- 71%   = C-

            82%- 87% = B                                                60%- 69% = D

            80%- 81% = B-                                               Below 60% = F

Disability Support Services: Any student with a disability requiring any auxiliary aids, services, or other accommodations should do both the following.

A.    Contact the Disability Support Services office at 992-2314 or 992-2835 (TTY), or stop by Gaiser Hall 141.

B.     Contact me within the first few days of class

Student Help Sessions: On the Clark College web page students may follow links to “Student Help Sessions”.  This page features a long list of student resources from time management workshops to note taking skills to services provided by our library. 

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (I expect this to change but it may give you a feel for our pace, reading requirements and our topics)

In Cases of Emergencies . . .

In emergencies (weather, power outage, crisis, etc.), students should do the following:

1. Inclement weather or emergency information
   1. Go to www.clark.edu or call 360-992-2000 as your first means of getting information.  The College does send notices to radio and television stations, but the College’s web site and switchboard are the official platforms for the most accurate information.
2. Immediate emergency communication alert
   1. To receive immediate notice on emergencies, you can register your cell phone number to receive text pages and your email address to receive email messages.  To do this go to www.flashalert.net .  Select “Subscribe” on the left, and follow the instructions.  Mass communication will also be sent to all college employee phones and computers.
3. Fire Alarm
   1. Evacuate the building through closest exit; evacuation maps are located in the hallways.  Take personal belongings only if it is safe to do so.  Remain at least 50        feet from the building.  Notify other of evacuation.  Do not re-enter building until instructed to do so.
4. Parking Lot Identifiers
   1. New parking lot identifiers using colors and number have been assigned to all Clark parking lots.  To help emergency or security personnel locate you, please refer to these identifying features.
5. Security Escort
   1. Security Officers are available for escorts please call 360-992-2133.  Use this service anytime you would otherwise feel uncomfortable.
6. For information check the web first.  Our website is created by Clark College and therefore less likely to have errors than a news outlet.
   1. Do not have loved ones drive to campus without checking the web.