Course Outline for Biology 113-02

Fall 2002

Fall Semester 2002 MWF, Period 3 (10:10am-11:00am) Fischman 103 Office Phone: X5394 Office Hours: MWF 11am -12N, R 9-11

Instructor: H. Itagaki Office: 107 Higley Email: itagaki@kenyon.edu Home Phone: 614-433-0165

Text: Freeman, Scott (2002) Biological Science. Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. 1017pp. and readings on Electronic REServe (ERES) on the Kenyon computer network.

Date		Subject		Readings
		Introduction
August	26	Introduction - Overarching principles; how to look at life		pp.1-9; p. 41 (box)
	28	More principles; atoms, chemical bonds, energy		pp. 18-32
	30	Molecular building blocks: water, amino acids, sugars, nucleic acids		pp. 32-48; ERES
September	2	Macromolecules: proteins, RNA, DNA		pp. 48-61
	4	Macromolecules and catalysis		pp. 61-68; Quiz
		Structure and Function of Viruses and Cells
	6	Biological membranes and lipids; transport		pp. 69-88
	9	The prokaryote cell		pp. 90-91; 484-485
	11	The eukaryote cell: organelles and structure		pp. 91-94; 102-106
	13	Cellular transport and movement		pp. 94-102; 106-112; ERES
	16	Exam 1
	18	Viruses		pp. 501-519
September	20	Selected Topic I - Prions		ERES
	23	Nucleus and chromosome structure		pp. 94-95; pp.298-300
	25	Mitosis and cell division		pp. 155-164
	27	Control of the cell cycle		pp. 164-173
		Energy Conversion in the Cell
	30	Energy and enzymes		pp. 26-29; pp. 56-57; Quiz
October	2	Overview of cell metabolism (ATP; NADH)		pp. 113-117
	4	Glycolysis		pp. 117-119
	5-8	October Break
	9	TCA cycle and oxidative phosphorylation		pp. 119-122
	11	ATP formation and energy yields, fermentation, energy regulation; Intro to Photosynthesis		pp. 122-134
	14	Overview of photosynthesis Take home Exam 2 handed out		pp. 135-141
	16	Light Reactions		pp. 141-146
	18	Dark Reactions		pp. 146-153
	21	C3 and C4 plants (Take home Exam 2 due)		pp. 551-554
	23	Special Topic II - Anthrax		Attacking Anthrax; Anthrax Toxin; CDC Anthrax Site
		Physiology of Plants and Animals
	25	Plant form and function (Quiz handed out)		pp. 540-544; 548-550; 604-624;
	28	Transport in plants		pp. 544-548; pp. 625-641
October	30	Nutrition and homeostasis in plants		pp. 642-657
November	1	Plant responses, hormones		pp. 658-689
	4	Animal Form and Function		pp. 728-745
	6	Thermoregulation		pp. 728-745
	8	Respiratory physiology (Take-home Exam 3 handed out)		pp. 786-795
	11	Internal transport		pp. 795-805
	13	Circulation and cardiac physiology		pp. 795-805
	15	Excretion and kidney function (Take-home exam 3 due)		pp. 746-765
	18	Animal hormones		pp. 851-869
	20	The nervous system - the neuron		pp. 806-816
	22	Synaptic transmission; organization (Quiz handed out)		pp. 816-828;
	11/23-12/1	Thanksgiving Break
December	2	Sensory system		pp. 829-840
	4	Effector systems - muscles		pp. 841-850
	6	Special Topic III - Psychoactive Drugs
	9	Special Topic III - Psychoactive Drugs		Ritalin I; Ritalin II; Ecstasy I; Ecstasy II; Ecstasy III
	13	Exam #4 (1:30 pm)

About the Course: This course covers the study of life from the biochemical to the physiological levels. Much of the focus will be on cellular processes that are vital to life. The course is designed to introduce the students to the process of scientific thinking as well as to the principles of biochemistry, cell biology, and physiology. We will discuss current research methods and approaches to unanswered questions.

This is one of the courses in Biology at the foundation level, the others being BIOL 109, 110, 112 and 114. There are NO prerequisites, and enrollment is open to both majors and non-majors. However, if you feel that your high school biology and chemistry courses did not prepare you adequately, we suggest starting with BIOL 112. For non-majors and other interested students, BIOL 113 provides a background for more advanced courses in cellular and organismal biology.

NOTE: Although this section of BIOL 113 will cover the same material as in Dr. Kathy Gillen's BIOL 113-01 section, we will do some of the topics in a different order.

Additional Resources: The student website for the course at www.prenhall.com/freeman/biology may prove useful as it has self-assessment tools and additional information. As well, the CD that comes with the text has some good animations and assessment tools.

How to do well in this class:

• ATTEND CLASS. Come to class ready to pay attention and take thorough and detailed notes. Note that lecture material includes material not found in the reading. Review your notes and reading frequently.
  
  
• Learn the vocabulary.
  
  
• Read the assignments prior to class.
  
  
• Be in contact with me. In class, during office hours, after class, or via email or phone, if you have a question, ask me. Note: I am will not be reading email after working hours, so don't expect a quick answer to a question emailed late in the evening.

Attendance: Attendance is expected, and will be recorded. Excessive unexcused absences will not be allowed. Attendance and class participation will count toward the final grade. The college provides that an excess of 3 unexcused absences can result in lowered grade. Grades will be reduced by a third of a letter grade for each set of 3 unexcused absences. Please note that assignments and classes missed due to an absence much be made up. Look at your schedules (esp. athletes!) and let me know if you anticipate conflicts.

Academic Honesty and Class Conduct: Students MUST be familiar with the guidelines of the college regarding academic honesty and class conduct. READ PAGES 26-29 IN THE 2002-2003 COURSE OF STUDY TO FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE COLLEGE POLICIES AS THIS COURSE WILL FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES.

Grading: There will be 4 one-hour exams, each covering the material in that section of the course, including what is covered in the lecture just prior to the exam. Exam dates may be moved forward or back; if so, students will be notified in class at least a week in advance. There will be NO final exam. I will count the lowest grade of your 4 exam grades and value that at half the value of the other 3 exams. There will also be 4 short take-home open book quizzes interspersed between the exams. Class participation will also constitute 10% of your grade.

4 Exams (3x 20% each + 1x10% for lowest grade) = 70%

4 Quizzes (5% each) = 20%

Class Participation = 10%

Please note: You are in college now and numerical grades in the sciences fall short of those you may have experienced in high school. For example, the average range on exams in this course over the last 10 years is 55-75%, typically around a 65-70%. This does not mean that you are learning "nothing"...rather it means you have a ways to go to become familiar enough with the material and the concepts to write clearly and apply what you know to new situations. Don't let this discourage you, but those high school grades you may be used to are not going to be quite so easy. We do grade on the curve: the mean on an exam is taken generally as the bottom of the "B" range.

Preliminary Exam Schedule
1st Exam Monday, 16 September

2nd Exam Monday, 14 October

3rd Exam Monday, 4 November

4th Exam Friday, 13 December (1:30pm)

Exam Reviews: Prior to each exam I will be available at a review session during which you can ask questions about material you don't understand.

Weekly Reviews: We know that students coming into this course have a wide range of biology backgrounds, so I will hold weekly review sessions for those wishing more help.

Learning Disabilities: If you have a hidden or visible disability which may require classroom or test accommodations please see me as soon as possible during a scheduled office hour. If you have not already done so, you must register with the Coordinator of Disability Services (Erin Salva, salvae@kenyon.edu, x5145), who is the individual responsible for coordinating accommodations and services for students with disabilities. All information and documentation of disability is strictly confidential. No accommodations will be granted in this course without notification from the Office of Disability Services.