BIOLOGY 1410
– HUMAN BIOLOGY – FALL 2011
Instructor Information Office
Hours:
Dr. Michael Dixon Click Here for Office Hours
016 Cavness
325-486-6636
About This Course:
Daily the news media report on new discoveries
in biology including human genetics and medicine. This course will help
you understand these developments and make informed decisions regarding your
health. We will do this by studying the biological nature of humanity
with an emphasis on human structure and function.
The content of Biology 1410 includes
generalizations and specifics of human biology. You are expected to
understand and remember the facts presented and to demonstrate an ability to
work with those facts. This information will be presented during lecture,
in the laboratory and through reading your textbook and other assigned
material.
Evaluation of each student will be based on
performance in both the lecture section (75%) and the lab section (25%).
Student Learning Outcomes:
The objective of the study of a natural
sciences component of a core curriculum is to enable the student to understand,
construct, and evaluate relationships in the natural sciences, and to enable
the student to understand the bases for building and testing theories.
Exemplary Educational Objectives
1. To understand and apply method and appropriate technology to
the study of natural sciences.
2. To recognize scientific and quantitative methods and the
differences between these approaches and other methods of inquiry and to
communicate findings, analyses, and interpretation both orally and in
writing.
3. To identify and recognize the differences among competing
scientific theories.
4. To demonstrate knowledge of the major issues and problems
facing modern science, including issues that touch upon ethics, values, and
public policies.
5. To demonstrate knowledge of the interdependence of science and
technology and their influence on, and contribution to, modern culture.
Course Materials Required:
Human Biology, author Sylvia S. Mader, 12th Ed.
Internet Access and E-mail
Some assignments and
course materials will be available at the course web site, http://www.angelo.edu/faculty/mdixon/HumanBiology/ or on the Blackboard web site http://blackboard.angelo.edu/.
You are expected to
check your e-mail regularly. Your Òusername@angelo.eduÓ address will be
used for class correspondence unless you enter a substitute address on Blackboard.
Attendance:
You are expected to attend all lecture and lab
periods. The single most important thing you can do to get a good grade
in this course is to show up. I will take attendance regularly.
Quizzes and other in-class activities may not be made up. You will get a
zero on the assignment if you are not present.
Exams:
There will be three tests given during the
semester plus a final exam. Each examination will include information
presented in class and from your textbook. Each test will be
comprehensive - that is it will include material presented at any time during
the course. This is unavoidable because early topics of discussion are
built upon and expanded as the course progresses.
Exams will be mostly multiple-choice but may
include a few short answer questions. You must bring a #2 pencil on exam
days. Scantron
answer sheets will be provided. Exams will cover material covered up
through the last class day before the exam.
Missing an exam is a very serious
matter. If you have a documented legitimate excuse, such as severe
personal illness, a death in your family, or a university-sponsored event, you
must notify me before the exam or very promptly afterward. I will work
with you if you act responsibly. If you miss an exam for any other reason
or do not notify me promptly then I will use the score you get on the final
exam to replace ONE missing exam grade. If you have missed two or more
exams you will receive a zero for the other exam grades.
Angelo State University expects its students
to maintain complete honesty and integrity in their academic pursuits. Students
are responsible for understanding the Academic Honor Code, which is contained
in both print and web versions of the Student Handbook.
As a reward to those of you who put in the
necessary work, the final exam is optional if you have an ÒAÓ average in all of
your work at the end of the semester. This includes both the lab and
lecture portions of this course.
Laboratory:
You are required to attend a laboratory
section in addition to your lecture.
Laboratory policies will be explained during your first lab, which will
take place during the second week of classes.
Final Grade Calculation:
Your grade in this course will be determined
by adding together all of the points you earn on your tests, quizzes and any
other assignments and then dividing this number by the total number of points
possible. ÒExtra credit or bonusÓ assignments will be added in to the
total you earned without adding them into the number of possible points.
This will be your lecture average. It is worth 75% of your course grade.
All of the scores on your laboratory exercises
will be averaged together to determine your laboratory average. This is
worth 25% of your course grade.
An example of how to
calculate your average is posted on the course web site.
Special needs:
Persons with
disabilities which may warrant academic accommodations must contact the Student
Life Office, Room 112 University Center, in order to request and to implement
academic accommodations.
Withdrawal From the Course:
You are not automatically withdrawn from a
course if you stop attending. If you stop attending class and do not
withdraw I am required to submit a grade for you. This ÒFÓ cannot be
removed.
Note: Course syllabi are intended to provide
students with basic information concerning the course. The syllabus can
be viewed as a ÔblueprintÕ for the course; changes in the syllabus can be made
and students will be informed of any substantive changes concerning
examinations, the grading or attendance policies and changes in assignments.