BIOLOGY 1: GENERAL BIOLOGY FOR NON-MAJORS

Fall 2008

Course Description

This is an introductory course designed for non-majors. Areas stressed include the origin of life; structure and function of cells; basic processes of life; ecology; microbiology; evolution; classification; genetics and metabolic

General Course Information

Units:

4 (3 Hours Lecture & 3 Hours Laboratory Per Week)

Day Lecture:

(Depending on your section) MWF 8-9a; 9-10a, 10-11a, 11-12p, 12-1p, & 2-3p; 3:00-4:30p

Laboratory:

Depending on your registered block (see below - block sections); Room Sci-112

Required Materials

Textbook:

Essential Biololgy with Physiology by Campbell et. al. second edition.

Laboratory Manual:

Merced College Biology I Laboratory Manual, second edition.

Recommended Material

Additional Lecture Material

Biology 1 Power Point Lecture Outlines

Course Points

Points

Number

Total

Lecture Exams:

100

3

300

Quizzes:

20

5*

100

Lab Worksheets:

10

14

140

Final Exam:

200

1

200

Total Semester Points:

740

*Six quizzes will be given with the lowest one dropped.

Grading

85% = A (629-740)
75% = B (555-628)
60% = C (444-554)
50% = D (370-443)
49.9% and below = F (369 and below)

Exams, Quizzes, and Post-lab Assignments

Assessments	Expected Outcomes
Lecture Exam 1	1, 3, 8,
Lecture Exam 2	2, 8, 10, 11
Lecture Exam 3	5, 6, 7, 9
Final Exam	1 - 11
Quiz 1	13
Quiz 2	3
Quiz 3	4
Quiz 4	5
Quiz 5	9
Quiz 6	11
Lab Orientation
Lab 1 Scientific Method & Experimental Design	1
Lab 3 The Microscope & Cell Structure	12
Lab 2 Carbon Compounds-Molecules of Life	8
Lab 4 Diffusion & Osmosis	2
Lab 5 Photosynthesis	10, 11
Lab 6 DNA	10, 11
Lab 7 Cell Division	13
Lab 8 Genetics	14
Lab 9 Evolutionary Observations	5
Lab 10 Diversity of Life: Microorganisms	7
Lab 11 Diversity of Life: Animals	6, 9
Lab 12 Diversity of Life: Plants	11
Lab 13 Human Physiology: Circulatory System	2, 13
Lab 14 Human Physiology: Respiratory System	11
Lab 16 Ecology & Practice Final Exam	8

Lecture exams and quizzes are multiple-choice or true/false. Students must provide their own Scantron answer sheets for ALL EXAMS. Scantrons may or may not be needed for quizzes. YOU MUST TAKE BOTH QUIZZES AND EXAMS IN YOUR ASSIGNED LECTURE SECTION.

Make-ups & Attendance

EXAMS: You can make up ONE missed lecture exam. Makeup exams will be all essays and must be arranged with your lecture instructor. You cannot retake an exam to simply improve a score.

QUIZZES: Quizzes cannot be made up. In lieu of this, the lowest quiz score out of six quizzes will be dropped.

LAB: Labs cannot be made up due to the amount of work involved in setting up lab sections. Laboratory worksheets cannot be made up and must be turned in during your assigned block period.

Attendance Policy: STUDENTS MAY NOT MISS MORE THAN 4 WEEKS OF LABORATORY (MISSING GREATER THAN 4 WEEKS MAY RESULT IN BEING DROPPED FROM THE COURSE). STUDENTS MAY NOT MISS MORE THAN 8 LECTURES IN MWF CLASSES AND NOT MORE THAN 5 LECTURES IN MW CLASSES. (MISSING GREATER THAN 8 OR 5 LECTURES (DEPENDING ON CLASS) MAY RESULT IN BEING DROPPED FROM THE COURSE). Attendance will be monitored.

Laboratory

GENERAL INFORMATION: The laboratory is designed to be drop-in and self-paced around the section block you registered for at the beginning of the semester. To perform well in the course, students must attend weekly laboratory sessions. Vocabulary, concepts, and experiments covered in the laboratory may be included on lecture exams and quizzes. For each laboratory completed, students are required to turn in both a Pre-lab Quiz and a Laboratory Worksheet (Post-Lab Questions). Pre-lab quizzes are to be answered on a 10-question Scantron. Although worksheets are usually turned in when your lab is complete, the absolute deadline to turn in a worksheet is at the end of your assigned block.

All students must have a new lab manual or blank copies. An old used manual cannot be used if repeating the course.

BLOCK SECTIONS: Block one (Section 1445) is from Monday 9AM to Tuesday 12:30 PM, block two (1446) is from Tuesday 1 PM to Wednesday 12:30 PM, block three (1447) is from Wednesday 1 PM to Thursday 12:30 PM, and block four (1448) is from Thursday 1 PM to Friday 12:30 PM. You must register for a block when registering for a lecture section.

If your scheduled block lands on a holiday (usually on Monday or Friday), you will be able to attend any block for that week.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION: Always bring both your student ID (you cannot work in the lab without it) and laboratory manual each time you attend lab. It is also a good idea to bring both your textbook and a calculator.

No pets or children allowed in lab. Cell phones must be off (or on vibrate) in lecture and lab.

Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is expected of all students in this course. Academic dishonesty includes (but not limited to) cheating and plagiarism, and extends to students who may aid or abet such acts. Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else's writing or ideas as your own. If the unfortunate situation of academic dishonesty arises, the course policy is as follows: The student (or students) involved will receive a zero on the quiz, exam, or laboratory worksheet and a letter sent to the appropriate college authorities. You may not use this 0 as one to drop should you be found cheating on a quiz.

LECTURE AND LABORATORY INSTRUCTORS

Lecture Instructors (check schedule of classes for lecture classrooms)

Laboratory Coordinator: Glen Harvey

Laboratory Instructors (various times, see schedule in lab) (Sci-112)

1063

MWF 8-9am

Valerie Dewulf (dewulf.v@mccd.edu)

386-6679

Karen Andersonnoeckker

Ron Basmajian

1437

1304

MWF 9-10am, MW 3-4:30pm

Carl Estrella (estrella.c@mccd.edu)

384-6294

Sandra Vierra

Karen Crombie

1549

MWF 10-11am

Megan Igo (megan.igo@mccd.edu)

381-6594

Valerie DeWulf

1551

MWF 11am-12pm

Mireya Macias (kain.d@mccd.edu)

384-6344

Carl Estrella

1553

MWF 12-1p

S. Vierra (vierra.s@mccd.edu)

Science Division

384-6293

Lakshmi Nemana

Catherine Bettis

1555

MW 2pm-3:30pm

K. Crombie
(crombie.k@mccd.edu)

384-6292

Mireya Macias

6291

MW 5:30-7p

Kim Goodfellow (goodfellow.k@mccd.edu)

Science Division Phone 384-6293

Robert Pryor

6293

MW 7-8:30p

Kim Goodfellow (goodfellow.k@mccd.edu)

Science Division Phone 384-6293

Sabrina Ratley

Week of:	Lecture Topic (Exams and Quizzes are on Wednesdays unless otherwise announced)	Readings in Text (Chpts.)	Weekly Lab Topic
8/18	Introduction:Biology Today	1	Orientation/Registration
8/25	Essential Chemistry for Biology The Molecules of Life	2 3	Introduction to the Use of the Microscope and Study Skills
9/1	Labor Day (no class on Monday) Tour of the Cell Quiz 1 (Chemistry)	4	Exercise 1: Scientific Method
9/8	The Working Cell (Flow of Energy) Quiz 2 (Carbon Compounds)	5	Exercise 2: Carbon Compounds - Molecules of Life
9/15	Cellular Respiration: Obtaining Energy from Food Exam 1 (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Photosynthesis: Using Light to Make Food	6 7	Exercise 3: The Microscope and Cell Structure
9/22	The Structure and Function of DNA Quiz 3 (Cell Respiration/Photosynthesis)	10	Exercise 4. Diffusion and Osmosis
9/29	Cellular Reproduction: Cells from Cells	8	Exercise 5 Photosynthesis
10/6	Patterns of Inheritance Quiz 4 (Cell Division)	9	Exercise 6: DNA
10/13	How Populatioins Evolve Exam 2 (Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)	13	Exercise 7: Cell Division
10/20	How Biological Diversity Evolves	14	Exercise 8: Genetics
10/27	The Evolution of Microbial Life Quiz 5 (How Populatins Evolve)	15	Exercise 9: Evolutionary Observations
11/3	The Evolution of Animals	17	Exercise 10: Diversity of Miccrorganisms
11/10	Veterans Day (no class on Monday) The Life of a Flowering Plant	28	Exercise 11: Diversity of Life: Animals
11/17	Unifying Concepts of Animal Structure and Function Exam 3 (Chapters 13, 14, 15, 17, 28)	21	Exercise 12: Diversity of Life: Plants
11/24	Circulation and Respiration Thanksgiving Holiday (no class on Thursday and Friday)	23	No Lab This Week
12/1	The Ecology of Organisms and Populations Quiz 6 (Circulation and Respiration)	18	Exercise 13: Circulatory and Respiratory Systems
12/6	Communities and Ecosystems	19	Exercise 15: Ecology
12/15	Biology Final Exam (12:00 - 1:50)(Monday) 50 questions from Chapters 18, 19, 21, 23, and 50 quesstions from all previous chapters covered in class)

Expected Student Outcomes

The student who successfully completes this course will be able to:

1. Organize, analyze and interpret observations and predictions about the natural world using the scientific method.
2. Describe and explain catabolic and anabolic pathways and the role of enzymes in metabolism.
3. Identify and describe cellular and multicellular structures and relate them to their functions and relation to the cell theory.
4. Explain how metabolic pathways are performed in plants and animals in the form of photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
5. Compare and contrast the processes of cellular reproduction in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
6. Explain the organization, regulation and transmission of genetic information at the molecular level.
7. Analyze patterns and mechanisms of heredity and their application in population genetics.
8. Characterize interactions among and between organisms and their environment.
9. Explain principles and mechanisms of evolution at the molecular, micro and macro levels.
10. Identify the major groups of organisms and arrange them with currently recognized taxa.
11. Identify structures and explain the functions of those structures on plants and animals.
12. Become proficient in the use and evaluation of the compound microscope as a tool of the biologist.
13. Compare and contrast the general, structural, and functional characteristics of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.
14. Analyze and explain the processes associated with and the role of the cell membrane in the processes of osmosis and diffusion.

Advisory Skills:

Upon entering this course, it is recommended that the student be able to:

English A:

A. Make the appropriate connection between reading, critical thinking, and writing.

B. Write at the English 1A entrance level.

C. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of sound grammatical principles.

D. Utilize writing resource tools, such as a thesaurus, handbook of writing skills, and dictionary.

English 41:

A. Reading comprehension appropriate to college-level texts such as magazine articles, editorials, and newspapers

1. Evaluate author’s ideas and opinions

2. Paraphrase ideas within selections

B. Reading comprehension appropriate to college-level textbooks

1. Identify main ideas with increased efficiency in college level material

2. Identify supporting details with increased efficiency in college-level material

3. Recall significant facts with increased efficiency

4. Distinguish fact, inference, and opinion with increased efficiency in college-level material

5. Apply reading principles to content areas of college-level textbooks

C. College-level critical thinking skills

1. Apply problem-solving strategies