BISC 1401 R11 INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY I SYLLABUS Introduction to Biology I is the first half of a two-semester course sequence designed to: Introduce biology majors to the broad scope of the biological sciences, and Prepare them to explore specific subject areas in advanced courses. This two-course sequence seeks to instill scientific literacy in students by Having them appreciate the scientific attitude, the curiosity that drives scientists to ask questions about how the world around us works; Having them appreciate that our understanding of the world, what we call scientific knowledge, is based on the outcome of experiments involving the testing of hypotheses; Having them appreciate the processes that drive evolution so as to better understand both life s unity and its vast and complex diversity; Having them develop the skills necessary for critical evaluation of biological information obtained from the popular media; Having them appreciate the applications of biology in: o Improving our health and well-being, and o Understanding our environment so that the detrimental effects of human activities may be recognized and mitigated, as much as possible. Text: Reece, Jane B., Lisa Urry, Michael L. Cain, Steven A. Wasserman, Peter V. Minorsky, and Robert B. Jackson. 2014. Campbell Biology, 10 th ed. Pearson/Benjamin Cummings. The ISBN for the text is 9780321775849. Lab Text: Morgan, Judith G. and M. Eloise Brown Carter. 2014 Investigating Biology, 8 th edition. Pearson/Benjamin Cummings. The ISBN for the text is 9780321838995. Lab Guide: Published in-house will be provided to each student. The required materials for this course should be purchased at the campus bookstore. In addition to the textbook, a homework and tutorial program called MasteringBiology is a required component of this course. MasteringBiology will give you access to a complete e-book, on-line tutorial assistance with homework problems, access-anytime video help, and incorrect answer analysis and feedback. The price of the textbook and MasteringBiology access code has been negotiated with the publisher to provide our students with the most cost-effective way to purchase ancillary materials for this course.
Caveat emptor: if you decide to rent a text or buy a used copy, you will also need to buy the access code to MasteringBiology separately from either the bookstore or the publisher at www.mypearsonstore.com. At other locations than the two legitimate ones listed above, the text may be marketed as including the access code. However, the code may have already been activated, in which case it will be invalid for a second use. The only way to be sure you are not cheated is to buy from the bookstore or the publisher (Pearson). Note that International texts are pirated versions of the real text and will not have the access code you need. They may also lack certain information and have out-of-date Concept Check and Test Your Understanding questions. Instructor: Prof. Gerard Iwantsch Office: 100D Larkin Hall Phone Number: 718 817 3673 E-mail: iwantsch@fordham.edu Office Hours: Mondays through Thursdays 4:00 to 5:00 PM and by appointment. Besides providing a state of the science review of the highlights of biology, the objectives of Introductory Biology I are to give students: An understanding of basic chemistry, An introduction to biological chemistry, An appreciation of: o Cell structure and function, o Cell division, and o Cell metabolism (respiration and photosynthesis). An introduction to the disciplines of: o Genetics, o Molecular biology, and o Biotechnology, An appreciation of evolution, A survey of: o Prokaryotes, o Protists, o Fungi, and o Plants. Course Policies and Information: Please turn off your cell phone and put it away when you enter the classroom. The PowerPoint presentations that I lecture from in class are available at the web site http://fordham.blackboard.com/. At this site click the Login button. On the next screen type your name and password and click Login. Or you can reach this site by logging in to my.fordham and
clicking the Blackboard icon at the top, near-left of the screen. The next screen will have BISC1401R11201630: Intro to Biology I. Click on this link to access the PowerPoint presentations. The list of learning objectives at the beginning of each presentation indicates the material that I consider most important. You may find it helpful to bring a download of the presentations to class so you can mark the material that I stress as important and also to add information not included in the presentations. Attendance: Classes are held Mondays through Thursdays from 6 to 9:45 PM beginning May 31 and ending with the final exam on June 30. The lecture is from 6 to about 7:30 PM and the lab, from 7:45 to 9:45 daily. This is a demanding course and I expect you to attend all classes. If you should miss a class, note that you are still responsible for obtaining information, materials, and assignments given on the day of your absence. Notify me in advance if you know you will be absent from class so I can inform you as to what topics you will miss and help you arrange to make them up. Missing more than three classes will result in automatic failure. Study: You should read the appropriate material in the text prior to the class scheduled for the material. If, during this initial exposure to the material, any questions arise, make note of them and refer them to me as soon as possible. At some point, as a check of comprehension and retention, you should answer the Concept Check questions at the end of each Concept section in the chapter and the Test Your Understanding section at the end of the chapter in the text. As with any activity, practice makes perfect, and the more time you invest in studies, the more strongly the material will be consolidated into your long-term memory. As professionals in the biological and medical sciences, this material will form the foundation that you will remember and build upon for the rest of your lives. Because it is best learned in many, short study sessions, you should devote at least two hours seven days a week to the study of biology. To prepare for exams you should go through the PowerPoint handouts to find out what you know and what you don t know. Then you should work on those areas that are problematic as you review for the exam. Biology is both a science and a foreign language. I strongly recommend that you make your own flash cards of the biological terms you encounter in this course. It is essential that you know the precise meaning of these terms so that you may better understand and learn what modern biology is about. Write the term on one side of a 3" x 5" file card-sized sheet of paper and its meaning on the other. Keep a stack of the cards on your person and review them whenever you have a few minutes of free time. When you become familiar with a term, put that card aside and focus on newer terms that you have not mastered yet. For multi-step, complicated processes, use a flow chart format to memorize the overall process. Use arrows to link the steps in their correct sequence. E.g., to learn the process of protein synthesis for export from the cell:
Now, all that is needed for the complete answer to the essay question, "Describe protein synthesis for export in the cell," is a description of what operation each step in the flow chart stands for in this multi-step process. The laboratory is a place to study, learn, and practice the techniques and conventions of science. This means you should: Think about the significance of each step in an experimental protocol as you perform it; Understand the relationship between the steps of the procedure and the result obtained; Study and make sketches of microscopic specimens under all magnifications to help you remember them, and quiz yourself on their identification; Quiz yourself on the anatomy of dissection specimens before ending the exercise; and Practice your laboratory techniques, observational skills, and especially your analytical skills so that you will be prepared for the more sophisticated exercises encountered in advanced laboratory courses. Full-period lecture-lab exams will be given starting at 6 PM on the following dates: Monday, June 6 Monday, June 13 Monday, June 20 Monday, June 27 If you miss an exam you must see me within three days of the missed exam with an acceptable excuse and arrange to take a makeup exam or you will receive a grade of zero for that exam. The final exam will be given Thursday, June 30.
I am available to answer any questions or help you with any course-related problems (studies, exams, lecture and laboratory assignments). You may e-mail, phone, or see me during my office hours. Your performance on the four midterms and the final exam form the sole basis for your grade in this course. Your final grade in this course will consist of the grades on your midterm exam grades and the grade on your final exam all weighted equally. I do not offer "extra credit" work in this course.
BISC 1401 Introduction to Biology I Summer, 2016 LECTURE OUTLINE Date Topic Text Chapter * May 31 Introduction; Basic Chemistry; Water 1; 2; 3 June 1 Carbon Chemistry; Macromolecules 4; 5 2 Cell Organization; Membranes 6; 7 6 L-L EXAM & Cell Cycle & Mitosis 12 7 Metabolism; Energy Utilization 8; 9 8 Photosynthesis; Meiosis 10; 13 9 Heredity; Chromosomes & Heredity 14; 15 13 LECTURE-LAB EXAM 14 DNA Structure & Function; Gene Expression 16; 17 15 Regulation of Gene Expression; Viruses 18; 19 16 Biotechnology; Genomes 20; 21 20 L-L EXAM & Darwinian Evolution 22 21 Population Genetics; Speciation 23; 24 22 History of Life; Phylogeny & Systematics 25; 26 23 Prokaryotes 27 27 LECTURE-LAB EXAM 28 Protists: Fungi 28; 31 29 Plant Diversity 29; 30 30 LECTURE-LAB FINAL EXAM * Text: Reece, Jane B., Lisa A. Urry, Michael L. Cain, Steven A. Wasserman, Peter V. Minorsky, and Robert B. Jackson. 2014. Campbell Biology, 10 th ed. Benjamin Cummings.
BISC 1401 Introduction to Biology I Summer, 2016 LABORATORY SCHEDULE Date Topic Text* May 31 Scientific Investigation 1.1-1.5 June 1 Measurements; Making Measurements; ph & Buffers LG-1; 5; 14 2 Chemical Constituents of Living Systems LG-30 6 LECTURE-LAB EXAM 7 Microscopes and Cells 2.1-2.3, 2.5 8 Diffusion and Osmosis 3.1-3.3A 9 Enzymes 4.1-4.3 13 L-L EXAM & Cellular Respiration and Fermentation 5.1, 5.2, LG-Appendix 14 Photosynthesis 6.2-6.4, LG-Appendix 15 Mitosis and Meiosis 7.1-7.3A, 7.4 16 Mendelian Genetics LG-45 20 LECTURE-LAB EXAM 21 Modeling DNA Replication and Expression LG-58 22 Population Genetics: Determining Variation 11.1, 11.2 23 Bacteriology 12.1A, B, 12.3, 12.4 27 L-L EXAM & Protists, Fungi 13.1, 13.2A (Dia), B (Para), C, 13.3A, 13.4, 17.1 28 Plant Diversity I 14.1A, 14.2C 29 Plant Diversity II 15.1B, 15.2A 30 LECTURE-LAB FINAL EXAM * Morgan, Judith Giles and M. Eloise Brown Carter. 2014. Investigating Biology, 8 th ed., Benjamin/Cummings, N.Y. LG- refers to the beginning page of the exercise in the Laboratory Guide for Introductory Biology I (provided by instructor).