BIOL 190 Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology

SYLLABUS FALL 2006

LECTURE: Tuesday/Thursday 5:30 pm – 6:45 pm, EJCH 103

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Jeffrey G. Baguley, FA 341; Office Hours: M, W, F 10:00 to noon, or by appointment; Tel: 784-4928; email: baguley@unr.edu

PREREQUISITE: or corequisite, CHEM 121 or CHEM 201

TEXTBOOK: Campbell N. A. & J.B. Reece. 2005. Biology, 7th Edition. Pearson Education, Inc./Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco, CA.

COURSE WEBSITE:

Information for this course will be available via WebCT. The syllabus and schedule will also be posted on my personal webpage at:

http://unr.edu/homepage/jbaguley/teaching.htm

Modern academic life increasingly demands familiarity with the Internet and in this course you will be expected to make extensive use of the course web site. Notes for each lecture, including text, figures, tables and illustrations, will be posted on the World Wide Web in Adobe's portable document file (.pdf) format and will be linked to the course syllabus web site (WebCT). The .pdf files can be opened and printed using Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be obtained free of charge from Adobe's web site (www.adobe.com).

COURSE OVERVIEW:

This 3-unit course is aimed at providing beginning undergraduate students with a comprehensive introduction to biological systems at cell and molecular levels of organization. This course, along with BIOL 191, is the foundation upon which all further biology courses will build. Due to the broad and general nature of this course, many topics will be covered in a short period of time. My goal is to both stimulate student interest and enthusiasm for cell and molecular biological processes and real world applications; and to adequately prepare students for the rigors of more advanced courses in the biological sciences.

EXPECTATIONS/GRADING

· All students are expected to attend lectures.

· Although the notes posted on the course web site provide detailed outlines of the lectures, they cover only 30% to 50% of what is actually discussed in class. Effective note taking is therefore essential to successful performance in the course. Students are strongly encouraged to ask questions in class and to make use of office hours.

· Each student's grade will be based on the total number of points he/she earns from lecture exams (500 points) and weekly quizzes (100 points).

· There will be 5 lecture exams, each worth 100 points. The exams will consist of multiple-choice questions, definitions and short-essay questions. Make-up exams will only be given under exceptional circumstances. To be excused from an exam, a student must present written proof of a valid medical or family emergency.

· To encourage attendance and to aid students in preparing for the exams, there may be one or more short quizzes per week on material covered in the previous lecture. Quizzes will be given in class but the exact day and time of the quiz will generally be unannounced. There will be no make-up quizzes but students will be allowed to drop their two lowest quiz scores.

· In past years, a few students have exhibited the extremely disruptive behavior of leaving class immediately after taking a quiz. If you are caught engaging in this activity, you will be given a zero for the quiz. Repeat offenders risk being given zero points (out of 100) for the entire quiz portion of their grade.

Final grades will be based on a percentage of the total points:

90 to 100% A

80 to 89% B

70to 79% C

60 to 69% D

0 to 59% F

Dropping the Class: The last day to drop is 20 October 2006. It is the student’s responsibility to officially drop the course.

EQUAL-OPPORTUNITY-IN-EDUCATION STATEMENT

The Department of Biology is committed to equal opportunity in education for all students, including those with documented physical disabilities or documented learning disabilities. University policy states that it is the responsibility of students with documented disabilities to contact instructors during the first week of each semester to discuss appropriate accommodations for ensuring equity in grading, classroom experiences and outside assignments. The instructor will meet with the student and staff members of the Student Services Center to formulate a written plan for appropriate accommodations, if necessary.

SUGGESTIONS TO HELP YOU TO PASS THIS COURSE

• Please be aware that this is a difficult and intense course. You are expected to make a significant time commitment if you plan to pass this course.

• Attend each lecture period.
• Print the lecture slides and any posted notes off the web before coming to class.
• Review objectives and past exams found on the web.
• Focus heavily on the areas of the text that correspond to the lecture. Use the figures shown in class as your guide. 
• Review old exam questions to test your knowledge.

• Build on your knowledge base by setting aside time each week to study for this course. Avoid "cramming" for the exams. If you feel you lack discipline to do this on your own, I recommend one or more of the following.

1. Sign up for tutoring at Thompson Student Services (TSS)
2. Meet with me during my office hours or arrange another time to meet.
3. Get your friends involved and start your own study group. Review notes weekly and write practice test questions for each other.
4. Go to exam review sessions and look at the old exams on the web.
5. Be proactive. Consider taking a seminar on note taking or test taking skills at TSS.
6. DON'T JUST MEMORIZE! Try to link ideas together and study to understand. This is where attending lecture and studying weekly can really make a difference. 

There are three levels of learning that will be expected in this course:

 Know the terminology and details. Skills: memorization.

 Understand the concepts. Skills: memorization, linking new ideas to old, and tapping into your creative thinking skills and imagination.

 Apply the concepts to new situations. Skills: knowledge of concepts and terminology, accurate recall, creativity, and ability to think under pressure.

• If you are having problems, see me BEFORE you have a nervous breakdown. If we talk before the drop date, we can brainstorm possible options. After the drop date, your choices are much more limited.

BEHAVIOR AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Please turn pagers to silent and turn off cellular phones when you come to class.

• Adult behavior for college courses is required. Disruptive and rude behavior will not be tolerated. The instructor reserves the right to ask a student to leave class, for belligerent, uncooperative, or disruptive behavior. The instructor also reserves the right to drop a student from the course for continued misconduct. Disruptive behavior includes the following (but does not exclude other behaviors deemed inappropriate):

1. Yelling out in class.

2. Talking, chatting or giggling with classmates during the lecture.

3. Any other disruptive behavior.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Make sure to read the University policy on cheating and plagiarism described in the UNR General Catalog under "Academic Standards" and "Undergraduate Academic Dishonesty Procedures".

• Cheating-Any student suspected of cheating will receive a letter grade of "F" in the course. An official notification will be sent to the director of the judicial college and to the student within 10 calendar days of the altercation.

• Examples include taping a cheat sheet to the inside of your tie or on the cover of your calculator. All backpacks, jackets, calculator tops and other objects should be placed in the front of the room before beginning an exam. You should only have 1-2 pencils, a coverless calculator (first exam only), a scantron (provided by instructor) and the exam on your desk. 
• Text messaging with your cell phone during an exam is forbidden. If you are caught text messaging during the exam you will fail the course, not just that exam. You cell phone must be turned off and placed in your bag on the floor prior to each exam.

• Use the restroom before the exam. Anyone needing to use the restroom may be excused but you may be escorted to the restroom by an instructor.

• Stealing- Any student caught stealing another person's property or papers will receive an "F" in the course. Also, all tests need to be returned to the instructor. Failure to do so will result in an F in the course. If charges appear to be serious, the instructor may choose to notify the judicial college regarding a students actions.

TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE

Date	Topic	Reading
8/29/06	Course Overview – Introduction to Biology	Chapter 1
8/31/06	The Chemical Context of Life I	Chapter 2
9/5/06	The Chemical Context of Life II	Chapter 2
9/7/06	Water and the Fitness of the Environment I	Chapter 3
9/12/06	Water and the Fitness of the Environment II	Chapter 3
9/14/06	Chemistry of Life (Intro to Organic Chemistry)	Chapter 4
9/19/06	The Structure and Function of Macromolecules I	Chapter 5
9/21/06	The Structure and Function of Macromolecules II	Chapter 5
9/26/06	EXAM 1 – CHEMISTRY OF LIFE	Chapters 1-5
9/28/06	The Cell	Chapter 6
10/3/06	The Cell	Chapter 6
10/5/06	Membrane Structure and Function I	Chapter 7
10/11/06	Membrane Structure and Function II	Chapter 7
10/16/06	Metabolism	Chapter 8
10/18/06	Cellular Respiration I	Chapter 9
10/23/06	Cellular Respiration II	Chapter 9
10/25/06	Photosynthesis	Chapter 10
10/30/06	EXAM 2 – CELLS, MEMBRANES, METABOLISM	Chapters 6-10
11/1/06	Mitosis	Chapter 12
11/6/06	Meiosis	Chapter 13
11/8/06	Mendelian Genetics	Chapter 14
11/13/06	Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance	Chapter 15
11/15/06	Genetic Inheritance – Historical Perspective	Chapter 16
11/20/06	DNA Replication	Chapter 16
11/22/06	EXAM 3 – CELL CYCLES & INHERITANCE	Chapters 12-16
11/27/06	Transcription	Chapter 17
11/29/06	Translation	Chapter 17
12/4/06	Gene Regulation	Chapter 19
12/6/06	DNA Technology	Chapter 20
12/11/06	TBA
12/15/06 Friday 4:30-6:30 pm	FINAL EXAM (Not Comprehensive)	Chapters 17, 19, 20