Room 342 Brooks Hall Professor: Rodney A. Brundage, Ph.D.

Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 - 11:15 AM Phone: 293 - 5201 extension 2517

Office: Room 105 Brooks Hall
e-mail: RBrundage@wvu.edu
Office Hours:  11:30 am - 12:30 pm Tuesday
                        2:00 - 3:00 pm Thursday

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******** Note: You Must Also Register for BIOL 4 (Lab) **********

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Goals- To gain an understanding of biological concepts. Topics to be covered include: Cellular Chemistry, Cell Structure, Metabolism, Plant Structure, Plant Reproduction, Animal Organ Systems, Circulation and Respiration, and Principles of Reproduction and Development.

Approach- I view my role as instructor for the course as complementary to the textbook. Rather than summarizing the entire reading assignment in lecture I will focus and expand upon those concepts, which I feel are most important. In addition I will endeavor to explain what I feel are the most complex and problematic concepts. Wherever possible and appropriate I will introduce relevant supplemental material to illustrate the concepts being covered. Attendance will not be taken in class, but students will be responsible for any additional material covered in lecture which is not contained in the textbook. I do not recommend skipping class if you wish to succeed in this course.

Exams- Exams will be in class and machine graded so you should bring a number 2 pencil to each exam. The goals of the exams are to: 1) Test your knowledge of the biological information presented in class and from the textbook reading and 2) Your ability to apply this material in solving biological problems. Since this is my first semester teaching this course I will provide you with sample questions in advance of the exams so that you can familiarize yourself with the types of questions you will encounter on the exams.

Grading- There will be 3 midterm exams and a final exam. Your performance in the course is based solely on the scores obtained on the exams. The score of one midterm exam (the lowest) will be dropped in determining your grade. Each of the remaining midterms will count towards 30% of your grade and the final exam will make up the remaining 40% of your grade. The final exam will consist of material from the last segment of the course and cumulative material (roughly 50/50). Makeup exams will only be allowed with a valid, documented excuse. Valid excuses include serious illness with doctors documentation, death of an immediate family member, etc. Since one exam score will not count towards your final grade, you may miss one exam, but I strongly urge you to take all of the exams. If you miss two exams you automatically receive an F for the course. Any questions regarding exam grading must be resolved within 2 weeks of the exam date (10 working days). After that time the score cannot be altered. Grades will be based on a mean of 70 as follows: >90 A, 89 - 75 B, 74 - 60 C, 59 - 50 D, <50 F. Any exam with a class mean which falls below a mean of 70 will be adjusted by adding sufficient points to everyone's exam score to bring the exam mean up to 70.

Date                                                 Topic                                     Reading

August 24                             Introduction

August 26                                          Concepts and Methods in Biology                     Chapter 1

August 31                                          Chemical Foundations for Cells                         Chapter 2

September 2                                       Carbon Compounds in Cells                             Chapter 3

September 7                                       Carbon Compounds in Cells                             Chapter 3

September 9                                       Cell Structure and Function                               Chapter 4

September 14                                     A Closer Look at Cell Membranes                    Chapter 5

September 16                                     Ground Rules for Metabolism                          Chapter 6

September 21             Exam I: Cellular Chemistry, Structure, and Metabolism

September 23                                     Energy-Acquiring Pathways                             Chapter 7

September 28                                     Energy-Acquiring/Releasing Pathways             Chapter 7/8

September 30                                     Energy-Releasing Pathways                              Chapter 8

October 5                                           Plant Tissues                                                      Chapter 29

October 7                                           Plant Nutrition and Transport                            Chapter 30

October 12                                         Plant Reproduction                                            Chapter 31

October 14                                         Plant Reproduction                                             Chapter 31

October 19                 Exam II: Energy Production/Use and Plant Structure/Function

October 21                                         Tissues, Organ Systems, and Homeostasis        Chapter 33

October 26                                         Integration and Control: Nervous System           Chapter 35

October 28                                         Integration and Control: Nervous System           Chapter 35

November 2                                       Endocrine Control                                               Chapter 37

November 4                                       Protection, Support, and Movement                   Chapter 38

November 9                                       Circulation                                                          Chapter 39

November 11                                     Immunity                                                             Chapter 40

November 16             Exam III: Animal Structure and Function part I

November 18                                     Respiration                                                           Chapter 41

November 23             Thanksgiving Recess No Class

November 25             Thanksgiving Recess No Class

November 30                                     Digestion and Human Nutrition                            Chapter 42

December 2                                        Digestion and Human Nutrition                            Chapter 42

December 7                                        Principles of Reproduction and Development        Chapter 44

December 9                                        Principles of Reproduction and Development        Chapter 44
 
 

This syllabus is issued for the convenience of the student and does not constitute a legally binding contract between the student and the instructor. The instructor reserves the right to change lecture sequence and exam dates during the course of the semester (except for the Final exam), and any such changes will be announced orally in class. The only yardstick used to assign letter grades is your performance on the exams. There are no point-allowances with regards to grades.

WVU is committed to social justice. I concur with that commitment and expect to maintain a positive learning environment based upon open communication, mutual respect, and non-discrimination. Our University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, disability, veteran status, religion, sexual orientation, color or national origin. If you are a person with disability and anticipate needing any type of accommodation in order to participate in this class, please advise me in order that appropriate arrangements can be made through the office of Disability Services (293-6700).